A Year Without Rain
A Year Without Rain is the second studio album by Selena Gomez & the Scene, released on September 17, 2010. The music shifts toward dance-pop and synth-pop, with influences from Eurodance, dancehall, and disco, and the use of Auto-Tune appears on many tracks. Selena worked with the Rock Mafia duo Tim James and Antonina Armato, plus writers and producers such as Fefe Dobson, Toby Gad, Kevin Rudolf, Katy Perry (who contributed backing vocals on Rock God), and RedOne.
The album’s title comes from the first song recorded for the project, and many songs were inspired by Gomez’s fans. Lyrically, the songs focus on love, freedom, living in the moment, and empowering themes. Critics generally saw it as an improvement over Kiss & Tell, noting a more grown-up and polished sound, even if some tracks feel heavily produced.
Two singles supported the album. The lead single, Round & Round, released June 22, 2010, debuted at number 24 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and later became a big dance hit, peaking at number 2 on the Hot Dance Club Play chart and reaching the top 40 on radio playlists (number 34 on Pop Songs). The second single, A Year Without Rain, released September 7, 2010, debuted in the US and became a dance-chart favorite, also performing well in Belgium where it reached the top 3.
A Year Without Rain opened at number four on the US Billboard 200 with about 66,000 copies sold in its first week. It was certified Gold in the US in January 2011 and has sold around 817,000 copies there as of January 2020. Internationally, the album charted in several countries, hitting the Canadian top 10 (peaking around number 6) and charting in the UK and other European markets (UK peak around number 14; Belgium and Poland also saw notable chart activity).
Promotion included a series of TV performances and the A Year Without Rain Tour. Gomez performed on shows such as America’s Got Talent, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Good Morning America, Daybreak, and Lopez Tonight, and she joined the KIIS-FM Jingle Ball tour with other big names.
Overall, A Year Without Rain presents Selena Gomez & the Scene with a more mature, dance-focused pop sound that critics viewed as a solid step up from their debut.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 14:19 (CET).