Selena Gomez opens up after receiving a 'life-or-death' kidney transplant

Actress-singer Selena Gomez at the 3rd annual InStyle Awards at the Getty Center. Photo / Getty Images

Singer Selena Gomez has given her first interview since receiving a "life-or-death" kidney transplant this year.

Gomez, 25, and her friend Francia Raisa, who donated the kidney, spoke to Today's Savannah Guthrie in an interview that will air in the US on Tuesday.

"My kidneys were just done," Gomez says. "And she volunteered and did it."

Gomez also underwent chemotherapy as part of her two-year fight against lupus, an autoimmune disease that often attacks the kidneys.

Gomez revealed her transplant via Instagram in September.

"I am incredibly blessed."