Benny Blanco Discusses How He Won Over Selena Gomez

Benny Blanco stated that the secret to winning over Selena Gomez was simply being nice, during an appearance on TODAY Sunday (Sept. 13) to promote his upcoming book, F–k Failure.

“I didn’t use, like, black magic or anything,” Blanco joked. “I just was nice. It’s like understanding your partner and being able to talk about things, and have an open dialogue. Yeah, we’re in a really good spot and I’m very fortunate. And I think, again, not being a [censored] and being nice to people put her in my orbit.”

The hitmaker, producer, and 12-time Grammy nominee has worked with artists including Rihanna, Ed Sheeran, and Justin Bieber. He called Gomez “the most beautiful wife in the world” and noted that their first dinner together was initially a surprise date for him.

“I had no idea,” he recalled of sitting across from her. “And then, like, I’m on the date and now I’m like, ‘Is this a date?’ And she’s just like, ‘Yeah, like, what do you mean? I wore this out…’”

Blanco and Gomez are approaching their first wedding anniversary. Before his career success, Blanco started rapping as a teen in Virginia, sending beats online and eventually landing early credits with Britney Spears, Kesha, and Katy Perry.

“If you keep going, the people are going to fall off,” he explained regarding his persistence. “So then your competition is getting shorter and shorter.”

His new book focuses on failure, which he considers a useful part of his journey. When a recent mix was rejected, he asked, “And what am I going to do? Cry about it?”

Blanco stated that his biggest strength when working with artists like Rihanna and Sheeran is creating an environment where people feel comfortable enough to create.

“I create an environment that feels conducive to creating,” he said.

He compared the feeling of knowing a song will connect to a sudden realization or breath-taking moment. He also shared advice from Ed Sheeran: “Don’t give people the opportunity to not want to help you.”

When asked what people can learn from him and Selena in the book, Blanco answered, “Listen up.”

Watch the full interview below: