Benny Blanco reveals Selena Gomez's mother Mandy Teefey set up their first meeting
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Selena Gomez's mother, Mandy Teefey, reportedly set up her first meeting with fiance, Benny Blanco, the couple revealed in a conversation with Interview magazine's Mel Ottenberg, published on Valentine's Day.
It was the first joint interview of the 32-year-old singer-actress and 36-year-old music producer, who confirmed their relationship in 2023 and got engaged in December of the following year.
Selena Gomez's first meeting with Benny Blanco
Selena Gomez met Benny Blanco in her teens when her mother, who used to be her manager along with her stepfather Brian Teefey, set up a meeting between them to discuss music. Mandy and Brian managed Gomez's career for eight years as she became a star on the Disney channel, as per People.
"I was around 16, 17," Gomez recalled of her first meeting, as Blanco added, "And we first had music come out in 2013 or something. Her mom set up a meeting between the two of us. This is right when I became big and she wasn't a singer yet."
"When she started putting out music, I was so into it. I feel like she was the original sad girl. Everyone was like (beatboxes) and she was like, (sings) ‘I just want to look good for you.’ (Laughs) I was drawn to it," he added.
Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco open up about developing feelings for each other
Selena Gomez also shared in the interview how she started to grow feelings for Benny Blanco while working on a song together, while the latter insisted that he initially had "no idea" of the development.
Gomez and Blanco collaborated on his 2019 song, 'I Can't Get Enough', before beginning a romantic relationship in 2023.
"It was really simple. We got in the studio to work on a song and we just talked; that’s how easy it was for me. I liked him before he liked me," shared Gomez.
"I hadn’t thought about it at all. And then we were texting afterward and we decided to get dinner the next day. I guess she thought it was a date and I had no idea it was a date," commented Blanco.
It took the record producer just two dates to figure out the 'Emelia Perez' star was the one for him.
"You know when you think you met the right person, you’re like, ‘Oh my God.’ But it feels so different. The second we started hanging out, I was like, ‘This is my wife.’ I was telling my mom, ‘This is the girl I’m going to marry.’ She's my best friend," he said.
Later in the interview, Blanco said he regretted not getting together with Gomez sooner, saying, "It’s like, ‘How did we not figure this out sooner?’ I'm 36 years old."
