Republic RecordsJulia Michaels has released her deeply personal EP, Inner Monologue: Part I, and it features a duet with Selena Gomez called “Anxiety.”
The two have worked together in the past, but this marks their first actual duet. The song tackles a topic very important to both of them: mental illness.
“[I] think this was the song that works the best for us, because it’s something we both struggle with,” Julia tells Billboard. “It’s something we’ve always talked about. It’s something that’s very relatable to both of us.”
She adds that the song puts a different spin on female empowerment.
“We also liked the idea of doing a song together where we’re talking about our relationship with anxiety,” she says. “We’re not talking about our relationship with men or us fighting over somebody or something like that — those things that are typical duets for women.”
Selena gave her own thoughts on the duet in a sweet Instagram post dedicated to Julia.
“Julia you have been a huge part of my life,” Selena writes. “You have taught me how to have courage when I have self doubt. This song is extremely close to my heart as I’ve experienced anxiety and know a lot of my friends do too. You’re never alone if you feel this way.”
Inner Monologue: Part I also features a duet with Julia’s former tour mate Niall Horan, called “What a Time.” Referring to Julia, he wrote on Twitter, “This woman is the most talented person I know and I’m so happy for her and I’m happy I’m a part of her life and her music.”
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