selena gomez: empire state of mind

Hang time! Andrew Bevan and Selena Gomez share a Manhattan moment when they meet up at Rockefeller Center.

I first bonded with Selena Gomeztwo years ago at Teen Vogue 's Young Hollywood Party, when we spontaneously joined forces to fix her dress after an unfortunate wardrobe malfunction on the red carpet. Her spunk and poise that night moved the starlet to the top of S.B.'s A-list. So, recently, when she invited yours truly to chill out in Manhattan's iconic Rockefeller Center after her Today show appearance, I happily cleared my schedule.

On the morning of our date, I arrive to find Selena amidst a sea of young ladies--no entourage, bodyguards, or oversize sunglasses in sight. "Kids never get a shot at talking to me because they're always being trampled by older people, so I try to pull them aside and make time, " the gracious star says. After all, the girls who emulate Selena's fresh style are the inspiration for her new affordable fashion label, Dream Out Loud for Kmart. "I love Marchesa and Christian Cota, but my everyday look is really casual, " she says. "I want my fans to know that these are the kinds of pieces I genuinely wear." The line has also given Selena the perfect opportunity to expand her good works as a UNICEF Ambassador (a position once held by icon Audrey Hepburn): She's arranged for all proceeds from certain pieces in the collection go to the charity.

This fall also marks the release of Selena's second album, A Year Without Rain . "People will be surprised. It's an older and more powerful sound, " she explains.

Despite her glam life as a Disney Teen Queen, movie star, singer, and now entrepreneur, the eighteen-year-old has somehow managed to stay grounded. "I still go through what every normal teenager goes through: I am growing up, falling in love, having heartbreak, dealing with friendships. I just don't get a locker or go to prom, " she says as we take in the New York City skyline at the Top of the Rock observation deck. "I would love to have those two things."