Fifty-three years ago today, the world was blessed with Selena Quintanilla-Pérez, who became an eternal icon of Latin pop culture and music. Selena paved the way for the Mexican music explosion we’re seeing today and the Latin pop stars who followed in her footsteps. His impact is often downplayed in relation to the circumstances of his tragic death. However, her music – and the way she bridged the gap between her Mexican and American identities – continues to resonate with new generations of Latino fans.
Selena Quintanilla was born on April 16, 1971 and raised in Corpus Christi, Texas. She was an Aries, a sign often described as “passionate, courageous and stubborn.” Indeed, by conforming to the Mexican music artists of the time, she blazed a trail for herself by proudly embracing her Chicana identity. With influences including Whitney Houston, Janet Jackson, Jody Watley, and Gloria Estefan, Selena pushed Tejano music forward and made the genre fresh and palatable to listeners beyond Texas. In the late ’80s, the singer emerged as the top Tejano artist in a previously male-dominated genre. At the Tejano Music Awards, she won Best Female Vocalist and Artist of the Year for 12 consecutive years.
After conquering Texas, Selena was ready to take on the world and she signed with the Latin label EMI in 1989. From there, she released the most iconic albums of her career, including 1990’s “Ven Conmigo,” 1992’s Entre a Mi Mundo”, and “Selena Live! ” from 1993, which won her a Grammy Award at the 1994 ceremony. She also became the female Tejano artist to win the award in the Best Mexican/American Album category.
That year, she released the last album of her life, “Amor Prohibido”. The LP produced four No. 1 hits on Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs chart. Soon after, she made history as the first Tejano artist to reach the top of Billboard’s Top Latin Albums chart.
On March 31, 1995, while Selena was preparing her first English-language album, she was tragically murdered at the age of 23 by Yolanda Saldívar, a close friend of Selena who ran her fan club. Since then, Selena’s family, including her father and manager Abraham Quintanilla, has kept her memory alive through several posthumous projects. In July 1995, the album “Dreaming of You” was released, which included his English classics such as the magnificent title track and the haunting “I Could Fall in Love With You”. After her death, Selena continued to make history with the first Latin album which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart. In 1997, her family licensed the biopic “Selena”, starring Jennifer Lopez in the role of star. Thanks to this endearing film, the world fell in love with Selena and saw how she was just like any other Mexican American trying to find her place between worlds. It’s a story that still resonates among Latinos in the United States today.
It’s important to note that Selena’s music and image belong to her family and they have the right to celebrate her legacy as they see fit. In subsequent years, Selena’s family held memorial concerts like Selena ¡Long Live! in 2005 and the Fiesta de la Flor in Corpus Christi, where his fans were able to unite in his honor. There was the Mirador de la Flor de Selena monument in Corpus Christi and a Netflix series later followed. There were also branded offerings that Selena fans loved. In 2016, MAC worked closely on a Selena makeup line with her sister, Suzette Quintanilla. Due to high demand for cosmetics, MAC released a second capsule collection in 2020.
While these are great ways to give back to fans who keep her memory alive, Selena’s family has also been criticized for money-grabbing moments that fans perceived as disrespectful to Selena. For example, in 2022, the family released the remix album “Moonchild Mixes”, in which Selena’s voice as a child was manipulated through studio technology to sound older. Amid discussions about the ethics of creating a project in her name in this way, Fidel Martinez of the LA Times called it a “Selena robot album”.
Thanks to the barriers Selena broke for Latinas, Mexican Americans, and Mexican culture, her fan base has continued to grow exponentially nearly 30 years after her death. As a Mexican American, I also found comfort in his music as a gay man. Her songs like “Como La Flor” and “Amor Prohibido,” which detail forbidden romances, have become anthems for the LGBTQ+ community. While promoting “Moonchild Mixes,” I interviewed Abraham and Suzette Quintanilla. Although it was an honor for me to speak with the family of an icon who means so much to me, I was a little disappointed when they seemed to ignore my question about Selena’s connection to her queer fans by changing her subject. how she connected with “everyone.” With Selena’s music performed by drag queens and recently on “Drag Race México,” her family might try to better understand everyone who now makes up her fan base.
It’s not just Selena’s family that has been tapped for exploitative projects. In February, Oxygen released the most disrespectful documentary series since Selena’s death, “Selena and Yolanda: The Secrets Between Them.” The series is about Yolanda Saldívar, the woman who ran Selena’s fan club and who murdered the singer. The show, which was not authorized by Selena’s family, was trying to excuse Saldívar’s actions, and it was shameful because this woman would now be eligible to apply for parole next year.
The media needs to move on from Selena’s death, which also keeps the name of her killer relevant. Thanks to the barriers she broke for Latinas, Mexican Americans, and Mexican culture, her fan base has continued to grow exponentially nearly 30 years after her death. As a Mexican American, I also found comfort in his music as a gay man. Her songs like “Como La Flor” and “Amor Prohibido,” which detail forbidden romances, have become anthems for the LGBTQ+ community. Selena’s music has become a staple for Latino drag queens. It made me so happy last year to see “Como La Flor” performed in the first season of “Drag Race México,” which was like a collision of my Latin, Mexican, and queer identities. Much like how she lived while she was alive, Selena showed me to embrace everything that makes me who I am.
To truly celebrate Selena, it’s time to focus on her life and legacy. Karol G recently wore a Selena shirt in the video for her Tejano-inspired song “Mi Ex Tenía Razón.” Shakira then paid homage to Selena by imitating her iconic washing machine tricks in “(Entre Paréntesis)” with Texas band Grupo Frontera.
This year, for Selena’s birthday, let’s create parties in her honor and play her music out loud. Selena’s impact will never diminish, thanks to fans who continue to find joy and inspiration in her story.
Lucas Villa is a Mexican-American music journalist who covers pop and Latin music. For 11 years, he interviewed pop queens and Latin music superstars for places like PS, Allure, Elle, Rolling Stone, Billboard, MTV News, Paper, W Magazine, Vibe and LGBTQ Nation.