Stars Dance is an EDM and electropop album, incorporating elements of dubstep, techno, disco, electro house and worldbeat.

The second single, "Slow Down", failed to match the success of its predecessor, though did peak inside the top 30 in the United States.

[22] For Stars Dance, Gomez attempted to have more creative control over her music, stating "It's definitely the hardest I have ever worked on a record, that's for sure.

[26] These rumors continued to rise in popularity following the release of "Come & Get It",[27] and prompted Gomez to confirm that the song was not about Bieber.

[36] Musically, Stars Dance is an album rooted stylistically in EDM and pop,[37][38] this later specifically showcased as electropop[39][40][41] while also containing strong elements of dubstep, techno, disco and worldbeat.

[42][43][44] Jocelyn Vena of MTV News described the music on Stars Dance as "dance-song-heavy" dubstep, that contains "wobbly synths, loopy vocals, fist-pumping beats and crunchy breakdowns".

[43] The album contains a highly diverse musical composition, highlighted by Caroline Sullivan of The Guardian as "darting efficiently from EDM to Bollywood".

[45] The majority of the album contains dubstep breakdowns, requisite stabs of synths, and according to Jim Farber of New York Daily News, "features a frisson of sex previously absent from this good-girl singer's work.

[47] August Brown of the Los Angeles Times called Stars Dance a "sassy" pop-EDM album, noting its composition included "oxygen-sucking" sub-bass, trap snares.

[48] He further went on to say: "Stars Dance is exactly the kind of album one makes in 2013 if you want to keep the pop sugar of the Disney tween cabal but mix in some broken glass and a club bathroom nosebleed.

Its productions are rooted in today's pop-EDM default mode, but as that stuff goes, 'Slow Down' is pretty capable, and the bhangra-appropriating 'Come & Get It' is guilelessly silly enough to work.

The album's title track was described by Gomez as being "kind of sensual", while "Like a Champion" is said to feature Jamaican and reggae influences.

[52] "Slow Down" is noted as featuring various dubstep influences,[53] while the song's lyrics speak of taking a relationship slowly rather than rushing into things.

[56][57][58] She listed dubstep producer Skrillex as an influence to the album, with him having previously worked on the soundtrack for Gomez's film Spring Breakers.

"[60] Jim Farber of New York Daily News noted influences of Spears, Jennifer Lopez, and Janet Jackson, although going on to say "Gomez's writer and producers have aped other stars' tricks gamely enough to create a pretty good time.

"[46] The album opens with "Birthday", an electropunk song which contains sparse drums, trap snares and vocal chants[43][45] and has been described by Julia Rubin of Headlines and Global News as a "candy-coated, clap-happy club anthem with plenty of girl power and sex appeal, much like a bubblegum version of Rihanna's 'Cockiness (Love It)'.

"[61] "Slow Down" is a high-octane, uptempo dance-pop and EDM song,[62][63] that has been described as "wobbly club thumper" by Robert Copsey of Digital Spy.

[62][65] "Stars Dance", the album's title track, is a "breathy and sultry" dubstep song,[66][67] which contains an orchestral-dubstep beat.

[68] According to Rubin, "Gomez's soft voice takes center stage over sexy synth-beats, icy choruses and wallowing melodies.

[78] Sam Lansky of Idolator said the song is an "electrifying dance-pop banger with a monolithically great chorus and a storming, anthemic beat, plus a big house break.

"[77] Nate Jones of Popdust called the song "bright and expansive", going onto say that Gomez's vocals "fly over an EDM beat that can't help getting us ready for summer.

[67] Christina Drill of Popdust said the song was "infectious and definitely racier than usual for Selena (the chorus: 'It's a big bad world but I'm not ashamed / I like the lights in my hand and the beat in my face')".

Music said that: "Forget Forever' and 'Write Your Name' both manage to tiptoe into 'hands in the air' territory without succumbing to the usual Guetta-style bombast.

To coincide with the release of Stars Dance, Gomez performed "Come & Get It", "Slow Down", and "Birthday" on Good Morning America.

[102] Gomez was selected to be the halftime performer during the Dallas Cowboys vs. Oakland Raiders game held on Thanksgiving.

[105] Originally meant to feature dates in Australia and Japan, the tour was cancelled due to personal issues.

Its productions are rooted in today's pop-EDM default mode [...]"[129] Natalie Palmer from Entertainmentwise took perspective of other critics and commentators, saying the album should have been praised for "trying something new".

[131] Simon Price from The Independent awarded one star out of the five, criticizing the lack of effort saying that "Even given these facts, it's a pop record, which means one killer track would redeem everything.

"[132] Ron Harris from The Huffington Post felt the album did not live up to expectations, citing Gomez as a "vibrant young woman of Disney pedigree [who] simply punched the clock and worked through an already cooked musical plot foisted upon her.

[147] In the United Kingdom, the album debuted and peaked at number fourteen; it spent a total of four weeks on the chart.