In the vibrant world of Netflix’s Emilia Pérez, music plays a central role in storytelling with Selena Gomez’s “Mi Camino” at its heart.
Gomez explores new frontiers by acting in Spanish for the first time. However, it also taps into a familiar power: singing. Her performance of “Mi Camino,” sung entirely in Spanish, is a pivotal moment in the film. The song, brought to life by French songwriting and composition duo Clément Ducul and Camille Dalmais, blends nostalgic tones with Latin flair, creating a sound that speaks to Gomez’s character’s journey.
The process of crafting “Mi Camino” began when director Jacques Audiard provided the treatment to the duo. “Jack never comes with directions. He’s a director, but he comes with questions,” Dalmais says. “After various attempts, Jack told us that he wanted (“Mi Camino”) to be much deeper, more emotional, and to sound more like Selena herself as a woman. ”
Duculle and Dalmais emphasized the importance of tailoring each song in the film to suit each cast member, describing this approach as an essential part of their creative process. “(For ‘Mi Camino’), we tried at least three keys because (Gomez) has a very low voice, but she chose a much higher key for herself,” Dalmais shared. The composers wanted the character and Gomez herself to maintain authenticity, allowing her to incorporate her Mexican heritage “Spanish is her father’s language,” Camille noted, adding that Gomez spoke it until the age of seven. The team felt that Gomez’s slight American accent added an endearing quality to the song, making it unique. “We let Gomez keep her little American accent. We thought it was really nice for her to bring her American side to it.
The song evolved through different musical styles before reaching its final form. At first, it was “very intimate,” Dokul said. However, as it evolved, it took on a vintage nightclub feel. “Jack wanted it to sound like one of those 80s songs that people were dancing to in this nightclub.” This transformation included the addition of live orchestral elements, Latin rhythms, layered choral vocals and synthesizers to create a mixture of nostalgic and modern sounds.
“Mi Camino,” which translates to “My Way” in English, comes alive 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 the moment unfold in the film, Dalmais says, “Rita will melt, like us, because she sees what love is,” highlighting how the song’s universal resonance affects both character and audience.
Watch Clément Duculle and Camille Dalmais dive into the song above.