Julia Michaels And Selena Gomez Get Real About 'Anxiety' On Intimate New Song

There's no better way for Selena Gomez to return to our earbuds than hand-in-hand with one of her closest companions. The "Bad Liar" singer has been laying low for the past few months soon after reportedly seeking treatment for her mental health, nevertheless on Thursday (January 24), she reemerged on an intimate new song with Julia Michaels.


"Anxiety" is the initial track on Michaels's new EP, Inner Monologue, Pt. 1, and yes it sets the tone for the refreshingly candid project. "Feel like I'm routinely apologizing for feeling like I'm out of my mind once I'm doing just fine," Michaels and Gomez earnestly sing over a plucking acoustic guitar, detailing how their anxiety affects their relationships. "All my companions, they don't know what it's like, what it's like / They don't understand why I can't sleep by way of the night."


Fans of Michaels's breakout hit "Issues" know that she has a blunt, sincere approach to songwriting, and that's here in spades on the stark, relatable, and at times snarky and self-deprecating duet.


On Instagram, Gomez celebrated the release of "Anxiety" by writing, "My sweet soul sister. Julia you have been a large piece of my life. You have taught me how to have courage any time Whenever I have self doubt. This song is exceptionally close to my heart as I've experienced anxiety and know a lot of my companions do also. You’re never alone in the event you feel this way. The message is much needed and I really hope you guys like it!"


Michaels, meanwhile, explained how the collab came with each other while in a interview with Beats 1 host Zane Lowe on Thursday. She recalled, "I sent it to Selena and I was like, 'I think it'd be really awesome to have a song with two ladies on it that struggle with the same thing that are talking about something other than fighting for a guy's attention or something like that. It's almost like a lady empowerment song. ... It's us saying, 'Hey, we have anxiety and we're OK with it.' And she was like, 'I am so into this, I love this so much.'"





Inner Monologue, Pt. 1 is Michaels's first release since her 2017 EP, Nervous System. Aside from "Anxiety," the six-song collection also features a group effort with Niall Horan, the reflective and bittersweet "What A Time." Michaels told Lowe that she plans to release another EP, Pt. 2, later this year.