The record producer also reflected on his first meeting with Gomez many years ago, and revealed how their relationship went from platonic to something more.
Benny Blanco is opening up about his relationship with Selena Gomez.
In an interview with WSJ Magazine, the 36-year-old record producer shared that he was the “last one to know” that he was “in love” with the actress, comparing the moment to the 1995 comedy, Clueless.
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“I was the last one to know,” Blanco said. “It’s crazy how your partner could just be sitting there the whole time, right in front of your eyes, and you don’t even notice, and then you have that Clueless moment where you’re like, ‘Wait, I’m in love.'”
Meanwhile, while appearing on SiriusXM’s The Morning Mash Up, the songwriter recalled his first meeting with Gomez, 31, many years ago, and revealed how their relationship went from platonic to something more.
When host Nicole Ryan asked Blanco if things were ever “romantic” between him and Gomez over the years, he said, “No … You know, how people constantly tell you, they’re like, ‘You know, when you’re least expect[ing] it, it’s gonna happen. When you’re not looking for it.'”
“The first time we were hanging out where it was leaning towards that way, we were both talking about our love lives,” he continued. “I was like, ‘Oh yeah,’ and then just before we knew it, it just kind of happened.”
“Her mom just reminded me of this,” he continued, “I didn’t even remember this. We both met each other almost 16, 17 years ago when she was just getting into music — obviously we made a bunch of songs together — but before we had made any music together, I was one of her first big meetings right around when she was just leaving Disney to make her own music. Neither one of us remembered the meeting, but her mom remembered it and was just like, ‘Yeah, you guys were 18,’ and everyone was like, ‘You can’t get a meeting with Benny Blanco,’ and this was at the very beginning of her career.”
Blanco said he had “just really gotten big” at the time, so it was a “big meeting” for Gomez. “We wound up making songs after,” he shared, adding, “She’s the best.”
The musician — who was promoting his new cookbook Open Wide — also shared that the first thing he cooked for his girlfriend was steak, noting that it’s “the way to her heart.”
“I give her like steak and potato — if I do like a steak dinner — I’m winning. I’m winning. I’m winning every prize,” Blanco said. “She really likes a ribeye or a filet. I’m a ribeye guy, so I push it on her a little bit more. I like a little fat on my meat. … Literally, I’ll walk, turn around and turn back and the steak’s gone. There’s just no more! … I gotta grab my pieces quick!”
Blanco and Gomez reportedly started dating back in June 2023, but didn’t confirm their romance until December.