Selena Gomez, Justin Tranter and Julia Michaels appeared on Friday's episode of New Music Daily with Zane Lowe and spoke about the inspiration behind "Boyfriend."
Tranter—who co-wrote the song with Gomez, Michaels, Jon Wienner and Sam Homaee—said the chorus "came super quick" and that they "had to massage the verses a couple times." He also said the chorus was maybe his "favorite" chorus that he's ever been a part of.
"It happened literally from a text message," Michaels added.
Gomez then elaborated on the "cool moment."
"When I want to do more, it is sometimes like, 'You know what? Today, I just don't know what I'm actually feeling. So, maybe it's not going to be anything,'" she said. "But I text her, I said, 'Well, it's like I feel like I've covered everything on the album.' I was like, 'I don't know. Life's good. I want a boyfriend. That's about it.' And she's like, 'LOL, whatever.' And I come in the studio and that's literally the title."
Tranter then emphasized the use of the word "want" versus the use of the word "need."
"Those are two very different, very important words. So, we made sure to make that very clear," he said. "Because, no one needs a f--king boyfriend. You can want one, but no one needs one."
Gomez, whose exes included Justin Bieber and The Weeknd, also explained the song's meaning in an Instagram Stories post earlier this week.
"Many of you know how excited I've been to release a song called 'Boyfriend,'" she wrote. "It's a lighthearted song about falling down and getting back up time and time again in love, but also knowing that you don't need anyone other than yourself to be happy."
She then noted that she and her collaborators "wrote it long before our current crisis"—in November, according to her Instagram.
"But in the context of today, I want to be clear that a boyfriend is nowhere near the top of my list of priorities," she continued. "Just like the rest of the world, I'm praying for safety, unity and recovery during his pandemic. Because of that, I'm personally donating to the PLUS1 COVID-19 Relief Fund, as well as donating $1 of every order in my official store to the fund starting now."
Gomez dropped the deluxe edition of her new album Rare, which features "Boyfriend" and two other previously unreleased tracks called "She" and "Souvenir", on April 9. Fans can also see the music video for "Boyfriend" via YouTube Friday at 9:00 a.m. PT.