In the vibrant world of Netflix’s “Emilia Pérez,” music plays a central role in the storytelling with “Mi Camino,” sung by the star, at its heart. Selena Gomez.

Gomez explores a new frontier by performing in Spanish for the first time. Yet she also draws on a familiar strength: singing. Her rendition of “Mi Camino,” sung entirely in Spanish, marks a pivotal moment in the film. The song, carried by French songwriting duo Clément Ducol and Camille Dalmais, mixes nostalgic notes with a Latin touch, creating a sound that speaks to the journey of Gomez’s character.

The process of creating “Mi Camino” began when director Jacques Audiard offered the duo a treatment. “Jacques never comes with instructions. He’s a director, but he comes with questions,” says Dalmais. “After various tests, Jacques told us that he wanted (‘Mi Camino’) to be much deeper, much more sentimental, much more like Selena herself as a woman.”

Ducol and Dalmais emphasized the importance of tailoring each song in the film to each actor, describing this approach as a key part of their creative process. “(For ‘Mi Camino’) we tried at least three tones because (Gomez) has a pretty low voice, but she chose a much higher tone for herself,” Dalmais explained. The composers wanted the character and Gomez herself to maintain authenticity, allowing her to incorporate her Mexican-American heritage. “Spanish is her father’s language,” Camille noted, adding that Gomez spoke it until she was seven. The team felt that Gomez’s slight American accent added an endearing quality to the song, making it unique. “We let (Gomez) keep his slight American accent. We thought it was really cool that she brought her American side to it.

The song evolved through different musical styles before reaching its final form. At first, it was “very intimate,” explains Ducol. However, as it developed, it took on a vintage nightclub vibe. “Jacques wanted it to sound like an 80s hit that people were dancing to in this nightclub.” This transformation involved the addition of live orchestral elements, Latin percussion, layered choir vocals and synthesizers to create a fusion of nostalgic and modern sounds.

“Mi Camino,” which translates to “my path” in English, comes to life in a central scene that marks a turning point for Gomez’s character, where love and vulnerability collide. As Zoe Saldaña’s character, Rita, watches this moment unfold in the film, Dalmais says, “Rita will melt, like us, because she sees what love is,” emphasizing how the resonance The song’s universality affects both the character and the audience.

Watch Clément Ducol and Camille Dalmais dive deep into the song above.