Joining the ranks of supposedly immortal celebrities like Greta Thunberg, Keanu Reeves, and Nicholas Cage, is “Single Soon” crooner and Only Murders In the Building star Selena Gomez.
Apparently, in between running her company Rare Beauty, attending awards shows, and about a million other things the multi-hyphenate has on her plate, the internet has decided she is also a time traveler.
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A recent TikTok video from @drollsquad shows the vinyl of Tejano band Inocencia’s 1989 single “Por Si Volvieras.” On the cover is a black and white image of the eight band members with the female on the far right bearing a striking resemblance to the former Disney star. The man in the video asks his friend to pull up a photo of Gomez and turn it black and white. They hold it next to the vinyl cover and — honestly — the resemblance is uncanny. If you add in the face that the band is from Texas, Gomez’s home state, you can see exactly why this theory gained so much traction. The video racked up over 400,000 views and 51,000 likes in just twelve hours.
At the end of the video, the friends reveal the truth by “playing” the vinyl off screen. You hold your breath, expecting the Inocencia song to play. Instead, the Wizards of Waverly Place theme song blasts from the speakers. Even though the video is a hoax, it doesn’t stop the commenters from having a big of fun.
“Cloning has been going on for decades,” one person joked. “1989. Isn’t Swift’s album called 1989. What is Swift trying to tell us?” another viewer wrote, adding to the conspiracy theory. And, to be fair, if Gomez was a time traveler, we’re certain her bestie, Taylor Swift, would have all the tea.
While the band member in the photo may look like our favorite former Disney star, some specific differences can be noted if you do a little more digging. First, the musician plays saxophone during performances and leaves most of the singing to the other female member in the band. Second, in this live performance from The Johnny Canales Show, we see a different angle of the woman, whose face shape and structure is different from the Selena Gomez we know and love.
We can safely say that this eternal celebrity theory has been debunked. Still, it’s fun to imagine our Texas queen having once pursued a minor, albeit beloved Tejano music career. (Sel, if you’re reading this, please do a cumbia album next!).
