MUMBAI: Singer Selena Gomez has defended her past relationship with pop star Justin Bieber.

Gomez opened up to The New York Times about how her past relationship with Bieber which helped her, to shape up her upcoming album ‘Revival’.

"While people were writing that I was stupid for being in (the relationship), this is what I always saw in him. I'm like, duh!"

Gomez continued, "It is all part of my story. I am growing and changing. I was in a relationship, and I was being managed by my parents, and I was still under Hollywood and Disney, and I was being held to this expectation of being the good girl."

But after personal and professional growth, Gomez says she is ready for the world to see a different, more vulnerable side of her.

"I knew deep down that this was not what I wanted to do - being exhausted of forcing something that was not right, even in my personal life. I had to have moments where I was crying and I was like, 'Why am I not in love with what I do?' I was forced to get very uncomfortable for a while in order to make the decisions I made."

She added, "I definitely remind myself that I am in control. I feel like ultimately if I sit down and think about a decision I need to make, it is really within myself. I make the decision, everything goes through me."