Selena Gomez admits link to Justin Bieber is affecting her career

Disney alumna Selena Gomez admitted that her breakup with Canadian singer-songwriter Justin Bieber took a toll on her career. In 2014, the "Hands to Myself" singer told the press that she wanted to focus on acting and singing after the split.

However, the controversial aftermath of the Jelena breakup resurfaced when Selena was labelled as "Justin's ex" in a news report by Billboard in May. "Dangerous Woman" artist Ariana Grande then called out the publication for the label.

"This person has had so many great records in the last year," Ariana said. "And she hasn't been dating him forever. Call her by her name!"

Selena explained her side of the story in an interview with Marie Claire. The "Wizards of Waverly" cast member said that whenever she tried to promote something she loved, the interview would often segue into her private life.

"I would leave a room feeling defeated," Selena admitted. She also stated that it was disappointing to be defined by her ex-lover. In late 2015, Justin uploaded a throwback photo of them in his Instagram account. It became one of the "Most Liked" posts in the photo-sharing app. Vanity Fair stated that Selena "could never shed" the past with the "Sorry" musician, as implied in a one-on-one with Vogue Australia.

“For a while my private life was the most talked about thing,” Selena told the publication. “Nobody really knows everything and they can only assume. You want to do what you love but all this other stuff overshadows it so it makes it a little harder for people to take me seriously.”

She mentioned that she was trying to date other men as well. However, she found it difficult after being linked to "a public figure for so long." Even if she tried to move on, she still felt her ex's presence. The story behind "Same Old Love" proved this.

“‘Same Old Love’ is so obvious in what it’s about; it’s a cycle of a very vicious relationship,” Selena explained. “Even though that is such a huge narrative of my life, I was so adamant that I didn’t want that to be my story.”