Despite the drama surrounding their on-and-off relationship, Selena Gomez admits that she'll always have feelings for ex Justin Bieber.
"He and I have had such a history together. I'll always care about him and protect him if anyone tries to be mean," she shared on "Good Morning America" before treating fans to performances of her new singles "Come & Get It," "Slow Down," and "Birthday."
The 21-year-old starlet recently insisted she was single, but a source tells Hollywood Life that she just can't stay away from Bieber.
"Let's be honest, she can't date a regular guy, so hooking up with Justin seems safe," they told the site.
While Gomez is always making headlines for her rocky relationship, this week she's also getting attention for the release of her fourth studio album, "Stars Dance."
The electric dance record is set to be Gomez's best-selling release to date, according to Billboard. The record is expected to sell somewhere between 90,000 and 100,000 copies, placing it in the number one spot. Topping the chart would be a first for Gomez, whose last release, 2011's "A Year Without Rain," debuted at number four with just over 66,000 copies sold.
"The last records ... were very processed and a little bit rushed in a way, so the fact that I had so much time to share my life story and just where I am was really fun for me," she said."There were moments where I would kind of be a little emotional, talking about things I made sure I executed perfectly because it was such a sensitive subject. ... I never really had time to do that before."
So what does she have to say to people think the record is an ode to her relationship with Bieber?
"Genuinely, the whole record is me being a woman and wanting to explore that and being comfortable in my skin and my body, and exuding confidence. People speculate or think what they want to think, but it's been really fun for me to kind of explore what I want to explore."
