Selena Gomez: 'I'd be fine if my fame went away'

Selena Gomez wouldn't miss the perks of celebrity if her fame went away.

The 24-year-old singer was one of the celebrities at the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute Gala on Monday night (01Apr17), where she spoke to Humans of New York photographer Brandon Stanton. Opening up about her life, Selena admitted that while she loves the perks of being a celebrity, she also wouldn't miss them if they suddenly disappeared.

"I feel like I’m just starting, but I think I’d be fine if it all went away. I get that from my mother. From the moment I started singing, she always reminded me that all of this was a privilege, and could be taken at any moment. So singing is not how I define myself."

Selena walked the blue and cream carpet at the Met Gala with boyfriend The Weeknd, who she has been dating since January. And she added to Brandon that she bases her identity on her nearest and dearest, as well as her religious beliefs.

"I try to keep my identity rooted in my friendships and my faith," she noted.

As well as her singing career, Selena is also a successful actress and has been forging a career behind the camera by taking on a producing role on Netflix series 13 Reasons Why.

The program follows teenager Hannah, who commits suicide and leaves a box of tapes explaining her decision to take her own life to the people who made her feel it was no longer worth living.

The series has attracted controversy not only because of its theme, which many have complained could be a "trigger" to other teenagers who have suicidal tendencies, but also because of the depiction of Hannah's suicide.

However, in a recent interview with the Associated Press, Selena defended the program, insisting she feels proud to have been involved in the telling of such an important story.

"We stayed very true to the book and that's initially what (author) Jay Asher created, was a beautifully tragic, complicated yet suspenseful story, and I think that's what we wanted to do," she said. "We wanted to do it justice and, yeah, that's going to come no matter what. It's not an easy subject to talk about, but I'm very fortunate with how it's doing. I'm overwhelmed. I'm very proud of it."