Selena Gomez brings pop of fun with DNCE to Fresno concert

Selena Gomez is a pop superstar, cut from the same cloth that produced Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and Mandy Moore – or to be more current, Ariana Grande, Miley Cyrus and Demi Lovato.

But Gomez – who performs at the Save Mart Center Sunday, May 8, with her Revival tour – has yet to really own her music, says Nicole Giordano with the radio station Y101FM.

“There’s no doubt that she’s striking while adorable, but she’s still refining her niche,” she says.

There’s also no doubt about Gomez’ popularity or that she has her share of hits. The singer was named Best Female Artist at the Radio Disney Music Awards just last weekend. Her single, “Good for You,” with A$AP Rocky, topped Billboard’s Top 40 Radio Charts for three consecutive weeks last year. Her latest, “Hands to Myself,” landed at No. 7.

Of course, the 23-year-old Gomez has been honing her music career for close to a decade, since she was a breakout star on Disney’s oh-so-popular “The Wizards of Waverly Place.” By the time the series aired its final season in 2010, Gomez was working on her third album. Though she took a break to do some acting – including a role in the very non-Disney film “Spring Breakers” – her fourth album, “Stars Dance,” debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Top 200.

While Gomez may seem a bit young to be releasing a record called “Revival” (with all that connotes), it is her sixth album, Giordano says.

“Above and beyond her talent, Gomez is a hard worker,” she says.

She’s also unafraid to approach serious subject matters in her music, such as with songs like “Sober,” with its sincere, unaffected take on a well-worn topic, or the unapologetic, almost anti-feminist track “Good For You.”

“She’s not afraid of sophistication, and that alone is refreshing,” Giordano says.

Don’t miss the opener

Joining Gomez on the Revival tour is DNCE, the aptly titled pop-rock dance band fronted by Joe Jonas.

The group was formed after the demise of the Jonas Brothers in 2013 and features South Korean guitar virtuoso JinJoo, whom Jonas first met when she was playing lead guitar for Jordin Sparks; drummer Jack Lawless, who played for The Jonas Brothers in 2006 (and also Night Terrors of 1927 and Soft Swells); and keyboardist Cole Whittle, who started the New York alt-dance band Semi Precious Weapons.

DNCE bills itself as “your new favorite band” and its first single, “Cake By The Ocean,” makes a good play at it. The song is a bright bit of poppy fun and No. 24 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It’s No. 15 on Shazam’s Top 100 U.S. chart and 30th on Spotify’s U.S. Top 50. It was also nominated, twice, at the Radio Disney Music Awards. It lost to songs by Justin Bieber and Sabrina Carpenter, respectively. The band’s debut EP, out on Republic records, debuted in the Top 10 on the iTunes Pop Chart.

“Makes total sense to have Joe Jonas and his crew from band DNCE to open for the Selena “Revival” tour,” Giordano says. “Definitely a legit pick to get the show started with some happy-go-lucky fun!”

This story was originally published May 4, 2016 at 11:41 AM with the headline "Selena Gomez brings pop of fun with DNCE to Fresno concert."