The pop star released her first single of 2023 on Thursday at midnight

The Weeknd and Selena Gomez. Photo: Sean Zanni/Patrick McMullan via Getty

Selena Gomez may be singing that she’ll “be single soon” on her latest song, but that doesn’t mean she’s referring to anybody in particular.

After dropping her first single of the year, “Single Soon,” on Friday, the pop star, 31, is clearing up any rumors that the song is about her ex-boyfriend The Weeknd.

The singer/actress replied to an Instagram post made by HollywoodLife about the speculation.

In the caption of a photo featuring Gomez with the “Blinding Lights” hitmaker, 33, at the 2017 Met Gala, the publication wrote, “…fans believe that [‘Single Soon’] is about her romance with #The Weeknd. What do you think?”

Gomez shared her thoughts in the comments. “Couldn’t be more false,” the pop singer replied, shutting down the rumor.

Some fans speculated there were references to their relationship, despite it ending nearly six years ago, in the song’s lyrics. “Maybe I’ll just disappear / I don’t wanna see a tear / And the weekend’s almost here,” she sings early on in the track, although any potential nod to him was clearly refuted by the performer.

Courtesy of Interscope Records

Gomez and The Idol star (whose real name is Abel Tesfaye) were previously linked for 10 months back in 2017. They became involved shortly after Gomez’s break up from Justin Bieber and the R&B star’s split from Bella Hadid.

The pair was originally spotted together in January 2017 on a dinner date and publicly confirmed their relationship later that month.

The “Lose You to Love Me” singer eventually joined the “Save Your Tears” performer on his international tour. In 2017, when she underwent a kidney transplant as a result of her battle with Lupus, sources told PEOPLE that he was by her side throughout the recovery.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

The couple called things off in October 2017, and Gomez has since spoken out about how they remained “friends” after the break up.

Following their split, Gomez rekindled her romance with Bieber, 29, from October 2017 until March 2018. Since then, the former Disney Channel star has been relatively private about her dating life and has only briefly been linked to Drew Taggart of The Chainsmokers and seen out on a date with former One Direction star Zayn Malik.

According to Gomez, “Single Soon” is more about self-empowerment and an ode to singlehood than anything else.

“Thank you guys for all the love on Single Soon!!! It’s a playful anthem about being comfortable in your own skin and loving your own company… and it’s also really fun to dance to! 💞,” she wrote on Instagram of the song after it was released.

The track, which was produced by benny blanco and Cashmere Cat, marked Gomez’s return to music for the first time since she dropped the single “My Mind & Me” in November 2023.

When teasing the track, she also shared on Instagram, “Since I’m not quite done with SG3, I wanted to put out a fun little song I wrote a while back that’s perfect for the end of summer.”