In life people always must face challenging obstacles; it is how one chooses to deal with them that truly can make a person bitter or better. Selena Gomez is one of these people, who took her adversities and crafted them into song. Gomez’s new album Revival is everything the title proclaims.

Gomez’s journey started as a young Disney star and has now blossomed into a singing/acting career as her fifth studio album was released Oct. 17. Gomez declares this album to be yet another transformation setting her apart from her child star reputation. As she proudly proclaims “its my time to butterfly” in her introductory ballad “Revival”, the album centers itself around the central theme of transformation and renewed sense of individualism.

Songs such as “Hands to Myself” and “Body Heat” hint to her transformation from child pop star to adult indie singer with more mature concepts of love. Whereas “Me & the Rhythm” and “Me & My Girls” proudly declares Gomez’s sense of self-happiness and individualism.

Gomez had much help in crafting her second solo album apart from her past band The Scene. “Same Old Love” echoes the style of co-writer and newly emerging pop star Charli XCX while “Good for You” and “Survivors” has a more dance-pop vibrance which can be credited to producer Max Martin who has had experience with Britney Spears and more recently, Taylor Swift.

“I dive into the future but I’m blinded by the sun” Gomez sings in “Sober” which ironically is her most sobering of songs on the track. While instituting fun and a sense revival, Gomez also dives deep into her personal struggles along the way in songs like “Perfect” as she continues to shake her reputation from simply “Justin Bieber’s ex girlfriend” to independent female musician.

While the recurring theme serves as a good style of crafting an album, the lyrics and tune can be viewed as repetitive.Gomez stresses her desire to transform to a point of exhaustion in the fourteen tracks that make up Revival. Nonetheless, this albums serves as a proud testimony for the singer and no doubt will provide encouragement to her young fans aspiring to pursue their own chance to butterfly.