Selena Gomez is officially engaged to Benny Blanco after more than one year of dating — and the couple have a lot in common.
Just like Gomez, 32, Blanco, 36, has a string of hit songs to his name including Kesha’s “Tik Tok” and Katy Perry’s “Teenage Dream,” making him and the Golden Globe nominee a match made in musical heaven.
“Forever begins now,” Gomez captioned an Instagram post on Wednesday, December 11, that showed off her engagement ring. Blanco celebrated the milestone moment, writing in the comments section, “Hey wait… that’s my wife.”
Gomez first confirmed her relationship with Blanco in December 2023, revealing that they had been together for “six months.”
“He is my absolute everything in my heart,” she wrote in an Instagram comment at the time. “He [has] been the best thing that’s ever happened to me. The end. … He’s still better than anyone I’ve been with. Facts.”
Now, as they get set to walk down the aisle and become one of Hollywood’s next power couples, here’s what you need to know about Benny Blanco:
He Was Mentored by Dr. Luke
Blanco was mentored by prolific pop music producer Dr. Luke, who has produced hits for the likes of Katy Perry, Kesha, Kelly Clarkson, Pink and Britney Spears. With Luke, Blanco coproduced and cowrote Perry’s hit song “Teenage Dream” and Kesha’s “Tik Tok.”
Blanco has worked with A-listers including Ed Sheeran, Katy Perry, Kesha, Britney Spears, Rihanna and Kanye West. Blanco’s résumé also includes tracks with two of Gomez’s exes: Justin Bieber and The Weeknd.
Blanco and Gomez first crossed paths in 2015, collaborating on her songs “Same Old Love” and “Kill Em With Kindness.” After reuniting on “I Can’t Get Enough” four years later, Blanco worked with Gomez again in 2023. He assisted in the production of her pop music return, “Single Soon.”
He Originally Wanted to Be a Rapper
Born Benjamin Joseph Levin, Blanco always wanted to be involved in the music industry and initially had his sights set on being a rapper. He told The New York Times in 2018 that he later switched to production when he realized “no one cares what a chubby Jewish kid from Virginia thinks.”
“I wouldn’t consider myself anything. I think I’m a loser,” Blanco confessed of his career to NME in April 2021. “I don’t think there’s any world where I’d say, ‘Yeah, man, I’m a hitmaker.’ I’m the guy who comes in and tries to approach music from a place of true feeling and emotion and really giving it my all because if I’m not, then what am I doing in life?”
Blanco explained that he tries to make music that “doesn’t sound like what’s being played” on the radio but instead fits each individual artist.
He Ran 2 Record Labels
In addition to producing and writing songs, Blanco was the head of two record labels under the Interscope Records banner. His labels, Mad Love Records and Friends Keep Secrets, were once home to Tory Lanez, Cashmere Cat and Jessie Ware.
“Benny Blanco, he works in really amazing short bursts. I’d be like this militant [person] — ‘We should be really in the studio because it’s 12 o’clock?!’ He’d be like, ‘Chiiiiilll, let’s go to the shop,’” Ware said of working with Blanco in a 2014 interview with Grantland. “I was getting frustrated, and then I realize this is the way he worked, and it made him work much more brilliantly.”
He Has His Own Cookbook
Blanco and The Bear star — and real-life chef — Matty Matheson collaborated on a YouTube series, Matty and Benny Eat Out America, in 2020, and a follow-up show, Stupid F*cking Cooking Show, in 2021.
Earlier this year, Blanco released his own cookbook, Open Wide: A Cookbook for Friends, in which he shares some of his favorite recipes and how to throw a killer dinner party.
The book even has Gomez’s stamp of approval. “So proud of @itsbennyblanco – Open Wide is out now!!” she shared via Instagram in May.
He’s Been Open About His Mental Health
During an interview with Howard Stern in May, Blanco opened up about his struggles with anxiety. “I kept it to myself. I was like, ‘Of course, the room spins when you’re about to take a test when you’re 12,’” he said.
“I started doing [cognitive behavioral therapy]. It was very important to me to get this toolbox. Whenever I was having anxious thoughts, I could reach into this little toolbox and help myself get over it. I’ve helped so many artists and people do that,” he continued.
“I struggle with anxiety, I struggle with impostor syndrome, I struggle with all these things,” he added.
Blanco’s fiancée has also been open about her mental health struggles, including in her Apple TV+ documentary, Selena Gomez: My Mind & Me.
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