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Selena Quintanilla-Pérez (April 16, 1971 – March 31, 1995), known by her millions of fans as simply Selena, was a Mexican American singer dubbed "The Queen of Tejano music". She won Female Vocalist of the Year at the 1986 Tejano Music Awards and landed a recording contract with EMI a few years later. Her fame grew throughout the early 1990s, especially in Spanish-speaking countries. She attained further notability in North America after she was murdered at the age of 23 by Yolanda Saldívar, the president of her fan club.

Since her tragic untimely death Warner Brothers released a film based on her life in 1997 starring Jennifer Lopez. The success of the film lead to a musical Selena Forever starring Veronica Vazquez. In 1998, Selena was commemorated with a museum and in 1997 a bronze life-sized statue (Mirador de la Flor in Corpus Christi, Texas), which are both visited by hundreds of fans each week.

Early life

Selena was born in Lake Jackson, Texas, to a Mexican father, Abraham Quintanilla Jr. and a Mexican-American mother, Marcella Ofelia Samora, and was raised as a Jehovah's Witness. She began singing at the age of six; when she was nine her father founded the singing group Selena y Los Dinos, which she fronted. They initially performed at the Quintanilla family's restaurant, PappaGayo's, but the restaurant failed shortly afterward.

The family soon went bankrupt and were evicted from their home. Taking their musical equipment in an old bus, they relocated to Corpus Christi, Texas. There, they performed wherever they could: at street corners, weddings, quinceañeras, and fairs. Their efforts at spreading their names and talents paid off in 1984 when the fourteen-year-old Selena recorded her first album for a local record company. The album was not sold in stores and her father bought all of the original copies. It was re-released posthumously in 1995 under the title Mis Primeras Grabaciones.

As Selena grew more popular as a musical performer, the travel demands of her performance schedule began to interfere with her education. Her father pulled her out of school altogether when she was in eighth grade. She continued her education on the road; at age seventeen she earned a high school diploma from The American School of Correspondence in Chicago, Illinois.

Success

At the 1986 Tejano Music Awards, Selena won Female Vocalist of The Year (and dominated the award for the next eight years). In 1988, she released two albums, Preciosa and Dulce Amor. In 1989, José Behar, the former head of the Sony Latin Music division, signed Selena with Capitol/EMI-Latin, a record company he founded. Selena also signed a contract with Coca-Cola to become one of its advertising spokesmen that same year, and her concerts drew thousands of people.

In 1988, Selena met Chris Pérez, a guitarist who had his own band. Two years later, the Quintanilla family hired him to play in Selena's band and they quickly fell in love. At first her father did not approve of their relationship and went as far as firing Pérez from the band. He eventually came to accept their relationship. On April 2, 1992, Selena and Pérez were married in Nueces County, Texas, and Selena added her new husband's surname to her own.

In 1990, Selena released her first Gold album, Ven Conmigo, written by her main songwriter and brother Abraham Quintanilla, III. In 1992 she released her breakthrough Triple Platinum album, Entre a Mi Mundo. Songs from this album, such as "Como La Flor" and "La Carcacha" helped make Selena a star in Mexico and the U.S. Her follow up album 1993'sSelena Live! won a Grammy award for Best Mexican-American album.

Selena released her next album, Amor Prohibido, in 1994. The album was nominated for another Grammy award. At this time she also began designing and manufacturing clothing and opened two boutiques; Selena Etc., in Corpus Christi and the other in San Antonio. Both were equipped with in-house beauty salons. Hispanic Business magazine reported that the singer earned over five million dollars from these boutiques.

Selena and her band continued to receive accolades; Billboard's Premio Lo Nuestro awarded them six prestigious awards including Best Latin Artist and Song of the Year for "Como La Flor". Coca-Cola released a commemorative bottle in her honor to celebrate their five-year partnership.

By the fall of 1994, Amor Prohibido was a commercial success in Mexico and the U.S. and replaced Gloria Estefan's Mi Tierra on the chart's number one spot. The album went on to sell more than 400,000 copies in the U.S. and another 50,000 copies in Mexico. At this time, Selena developed plans to record an English-language album, but continued to tour for Amor Prohibido while beginning preparations for the new album.

In February 1995, Selena played a concert at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo in the Houston Astrodome, which attracted over 64,000 fans. Despite her busy schedule, Selena visited local schools to talk to students about the importance of education. She also donated her time to civic organizations such as D.A.R.E. and planned a fund raising concert to help AIDS patients. These demonstrations of community involvement won her loyalty from her fan base. Selena scheduled her English album for release in the summer of 1995. Afraid that her fans would think she was turning her back on them, she was working on a new Tejano album as well. Meanwhile, she planned to open another boutique in Monterrey, Mexico.

Death

In early 1995, the Quintanillas discovered that Yolanda Saldívar, the president of Selena's fan club (Texas-section) and the manager of her boutiques, was embezzling money from the Official Selena fan club and decided to fire her. Soon after the fallout, Selena agreed to meet Saldívar in a Days Inn hotel in Corpus Christi on the morning of March 31, 1995 to retrieve paperwork for tax purposes. At the hotel, Selena demanded the missing financial papers. Saldívar delayed the handover by claiming she had been raped in Mexico. The singer drove Saldívar to a local hospital where doctors found no evidence of rape. Saldívar returned to the motel with Selena and she demanded the missing financial papers again.

Yolanda then pulled a gun from her purse, pointing it at Selena. As the singer turned to flee from the room, Saldívar shot her once in the back. Critically wounded, Selena ran towards the lobby to get help. She collapsed on the floor as the clerk called 911, with Saldívar chasing her. Before collapsing on the floor, Selena named Saldívar as her assailant and gave the room number where she had been shot. After an ambulance and the police arrived on the scene, Selena was transported to a local hospital. She died there from loss of blood at 1:05 p.m., two weeks before her 24th birthday.

After death

Selena's death had widespread impacts. Major networks interrupted their regular programming to break the news; Tom Brokaw referred to Selena as "The Mexican Madonna". Numerous vigils and memorials were held in her honor, and radio stations in Texas played her music non-stop. Her funeral drew approximately 60,000 mourners, many of whom traveled from outside the United States. Among the celebrities who were reported to have immediately phoned the Quintanilla family to express their condolences were Gloria Estefan, Julio Iglesias and Madonna. People magazine published a commemorative issue in honor of Selena's memory and musical career, titled Selena 1971–1995, Her Life in Pictures. Two weeks after her death, on April 12, George W. Bush, then Governor of Texas, declared Selena's birthday April 16 as "Selena Day" in Texas.

That summer, Selena's album Dreaming of You, a combination of Spanish-language songs and new English-language tracks, debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200, making her the first Hispanic singer to accomplish this feat and the second highest debut after Michael Jackson's HIStory. On its release date, the album sold over 175,000 copies, a record for a female pop singer, and it sold two million copies in its first year. Songs such as "I Could Fall in Love" and "Dreaming of You" were played widely by mainstream English-language radio, with the latter reaching #21 on the Billboard Hot 100. Meanwhile, "I Could Fall in Love", while ineligible for the Hot 100 at the time, reached #12 on the Hot 100 Airplay chart and the top 10 on the Adult Contemporary Chart. David Byrne has paid homage to Selena on his past tours with Tosca Strings by performing their duo God's Child. "Dreaming of You" was certified three times Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.

In October 1995, a Houston jury convicted Saldívar of first degree murder and sentenced her to life in prison, with the possibility of parole in thirty years. The gun used to kill Selena was later destroyed and the pieces thrown into Corpus Christi Bay.

Legacy

Jennifer Lopez played Selena in a film about her life. Directed by Gregory Nava, the biopic opened with mostly positive reviews. Over 20,000 people auditioned for the leading role in the movie. The film stirred some controversy in the Mexican-American community, since Lopez is Puerto Rican-American and played the role of a singer of Mexican descent. But Selena's fans supported the movie, and Lopez's acting in the film helped elevate her career. Although Lopez succeeded as a pop star a few years later, Selena's voice was dubbed in for all the songs in the movie. For her role, Lopez was nominated for a Golden Globe award for Best Actress in a Musical.

Reliant Stadium in Houston hosted a tribute concert, Selena ¡VIVE!, on April 7, 2005. Held a week after the 10th anniversary of her death, over 65,000 fans attended the concert, which featured high-profile artists including Gloria Estefan, Pepe Aguilar, Thalía, Paulina Rubio, Ana Barbara, Alejandra Guzmán, Ana Gabriel, and Fey. The artists performed renditions of Selena's music, as did her brother, A.B. Quintanilla, who performed with his band Kumbia Kings backed with footage of Selena singing "Baila Esta Cumbia". Broadcast live on the Univision network, Selena ¡VIVE! is the highest-rated and most-viewed Spanish-language show in American television history. The show, which lasted over three hours, scored a 35.9 Nielsen household rating.

The American Bank Center in Corpus Christi named their 2,526-seat concert auditorium, Selena Auditorium, in her memory.

Selected discography

Early releases

EMI Music releases

Posthumous releases

Tours

1. Entre A Mi Mundo Tour
2. Selena Live! Tour
3. Amor Prohibido Tour

Filmography

• Dos mujeres, un camino (TV series) (1993) - Herself
• Don Juan DeMarco (film) (1995) - Singer

References

1. Selena Quintanilla Samora in the Spanish naming system.
2. HSA Banquet Features Father of Late Tejano Star Selena, Baylor University press release, November 4, 1999. Retrieved October 13, 2006.
3. Ware, Susan. Notable American Women: A Biographical Dictionary, Harvard University Press 2005. ISBN 067401488X
4. http://www.caller.com/news/1997/apr/16/birthday-hoopla-prohibited/
5. ^ Orozco, Cynthia E. Quintanilla Pérez, Selena. The Handbook of Texas online. Retrieved on May 29, 2009
6. ^ Selena. Thompson Gale (Gale.com). Retrieved on June 6, 2006.
7. ^ Mitchell, Rick. "Selena". Houston Chronicle, May 21, 1995. Retrieved on February 1, 2008.
8. "Fans, Family Remember Selena". CBSNews.com, October 17, 2002. Retrieved on July 9, 2006.
9. Patoski, Joe Nick. "Selena follows her heart". Houston Chronicle, April 1, 1996. Retrieved on February 1, 2008.
10. Selena Pop Musician. Who2.com. Retrieved on June 5, 2006.
11. Selena. VH1.com. Retrieved on May 21, 2006.
12. "Testimony of Richard Fredrickson". Houston Chronicle, October 13, 1995. Retrieved on February 1, 2008.
13. "October 12, 1995 testimony of Carla Anthony". Houston Chronicle, October 12, 1995. Retrieved on May 21, 2008.
14. "October 12, 1995, the testimony of Norma Martinez". Houston Chronicle, October 12, 1995. Retrieved on February 1, 2008.
15. "Friday, October 13, testimony of Shawna Vela". Houston Chronicle, October 13, 1995. Retrieved on February 1, 2008.
16. Villafranca, Armando and Reinert, Patty. "Singer Selena shot to death". Houston Chronicle, April 1, 1995. Retrieved on February 1, 2008.
17. "In the spirit of Selena: Tributes, a book and an impending film testify to the Tejano singer's enduring". by Gregory Rodriguez Pacific News, March 21, 1997. Retrieved on July 18, 2006.
18. Hodges, Ann. "Selena legend lives on with TV movie'. Houston Chronicle, December 6, 1996. Retrieved on May 20, 2006.
19. "In the spirit of Selena: Tributes, a book and an impending film testify to the Tejano singer's enduring". Houston Chronicle, March 31, 1996. Retrieved on January 18, 2008.
20. "RIAA – Gold & Platinum". RIAA. Retrieved 4 January 2009.
21. Graczyk, Michael. "Selena's killer gets life". Associated Press, October 26, 1995. Retrieved on February 1, 2008.
22. National Briefing Southwest: Texas: Gun That Killed Singer Is To Be Destroyed The New York Times, June 8, 2002. Retrieved on July 16, 2006.
23. Weapon Used to Kill Selena Destroyed The Daily Texan, June 11, 2002. Retrieved on September 7, 2006.
24. Rotten Tomatoes reviews of Selena. Rotten Tomatoes, Retrieved on July 20, 2006.
25. "Scholar examines the spell of Selena". Houston Chronicle, April 28, 1996. Retrieved on June 5, 2006.
26. "Gale profile". Thompson Gale (Gale.com). Retrieved on July 20, 2006.
27. Selena movie review. Roger Ebert, Retrieved on July 20, 2006.
28. Awards for Selena (1997). IMDb.com. Retrieved on May 17, 2006.
29. Univision’s Selena ¡Vive! Breaks Audience Records. Univision, November 4, 2005. Retrieved on June 6, 2006.
30. ^

External links

• Q-Productions official website
• Official MySpace
• Selena articles

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• 1971 births
• 1995 deaths
• American female singers
• American murder victims
• English-language singers
• Grammy Award winners
• History of Corpus Christi, Texas
• Mexican Americans
• Mexican American musicians
• Murdered entertainers
• People from Brazoria County, Texas
• People from Houston, Texas
• Selena
• Spanish-language singers
• People murdered in Texas