«This is really, really special.»
At the American Music Awards on Sunday, singer Selena Gomez performed for the first time since undergoing kidney transplant surgery.
Her fans thought she slayed in her dramatic performance.
Gomez, who suffers from lupus, performed her new song “Wolves” during the broadcast, and the audience gave the singer an enthusiastic welcome back:
This part was gorgeous! #SelenaxAMAs pic.twitter.com/Bzdvf0goMZ
— Selena Gomez Source (@GomezSourceMP4) November 20,2017
The Hollywood Reporter reported that by 3 a.m. Monday morning, the entertainer landed in New York to prepare for the Lupus Research Alliance’s 2017 gala, of which Gomez is an honorary co-chair.
The singer touted the event on Twitter:
The @EmpireStateBldg has lit NYC skyline tonight in honor of our Breaking Through Gala celebrating lupus research & the power of science! https://t.co/abXd9L0YZC
— Lupus Research (@LupusResearch) November 19,2017
Billboard reported that Gomez was introduced by late night TV host Seth Meyers and reflected on the seriousness of her medical situation:
After undergoing so many tests to monitor my kidneys, my doctors… said that I would be needing a kidney transplant. Maybe I wasn’t necessarily really good at knowing what that meant, so it actually got to a point where it was life or death. Thankfully, one of my best friends gave me her kidney, and it was the ultimate gift of life.
Gomez compared her comeback performance on Sunday night with the Monday gala, which is the world’s biggest fundraiser for lupus.
Billboard reported she saw two of her doctors in the audience:
It was while addressing her doctors, two of whom were in attendance, that Gomez started tearing up: “I just want to say thank you so much. To actually be honoring people like you, when in my world it [awards ceremonies] can seem kind of vain, this is really, really special,” she said.
Gomez reportedly gave proceeds from her 2016 Revival Tour to the alliance, but she was pretty quiet about how bad her medical condition was until after her transplant.
The Hollywood Reporter says this year’s gala raised $3.2 million.
Good job, Selena. And take it easy, there.
