Selena Gomez explains real reason her voice has changed after fans express concern

Selena Gomez’s change of voice has been talked about for some time, and now, she has addressed the speculation.

The 33-year-old's voice has been something a lot of us were used to hearing when she began acting the role of Gianna on Barney & Friends in 2002.

But, as with most of us, something began to change as she grew up, namely around 2019 after the release of her hit song, ‘Lose You To Love Me’.

Fans noticed that Gomez's voice appeared to sound different, leaving people on social media to speculate on its cause, and mostly, they weren’t kind in their claims.

Instead of being animated, some claimed the star's tone became monotone and slower, leading to concern online as to why.

After appearances at the Golden Globes and the 97th Academy Awards ceremony, Gomez's voice became the center of online gossip.

Selena Gomez revealed all (Instagram/selenagomez)

A TikTok video was released showing her voice throughout the years, starting from when she was a teen actress, up until present day.

A clip of an interview with Access Hollywood at the 2025 Golden Globe Awards also left social media commenters worried, with one writing: “It looks like it's painful for her to talk at the end clip.”

Another wrote: “Some people say it’s related to a medical condition but idk about that. If that’s the case then I feel bad for letting it irritate me. It’s just so nasal and weird - kind of emotionless.”

A lot of people spoke of Gomez's lupus diagnosis, which required her to undergo a kidney transplant in 2017.

While many have thought that her lupus could be the reason for her apparent voice change, the singer never addressed it - until now.

In a live stream online, Gomez finally set the record straight.

She explained how her throat can sometimes swell up, causing her voice to sound different.

Gomez said: “There is no excuse, I don't really care. I think my point is that sometimes things happen and my throat kind of swells in the inside sometimes. That's all.”

Sadly, this is something that can happen due to her illness as Healthline states that lupus can 'cause inflammation and tissue damage' to the vocal cords and lungs.

Other symptoms of lupus include a weak voice, sounding breathier and difficulty in projecting the voice to be louder.

Gomez added: “I'm glad you'll being real with me on the Live. I appreciate it for real.”

Many people online were supportive of her explanation and were upset about how she had been picked on for her changing voice.

“I’m glad she cleared this up bc we all grew up knowing her voice then there was this drastic switch and then ppl were making up all types of. Hope she gets better,” said one.

A second commented: “Love how honest and open she is Selena addressing it herself with grace and confidence — that’s real strength. Always rooting for her.”

Someone else defended Gomez, writing: “I love her so much She shouldn’t have to explain s**t. People are so mean for no reason.”

Another fan added: “The fact that she even has to address this. ppl are so weird.”