A world without Selena Quintanilla is a world without taste. Often called the “Queen of Tejano,” her career began at the young age of eight. Since she was just a little girl, Quintanilla started winning people over by performing at her father’s restaurant, Pappagallo, in their hometown of Lake Jackson, Texas. Not only did her father, Abraham Quintanilla, provide her with a place to perform, but the former musician taught Selena to sing in Spanish, and Selena’s siblings, AB Quintanilla and Suzette Quintanilla, to play various instruments. Together, the siblings would perform all across Lake Jackson, calling themselves, Selena y los Dinos, inspired by their father’s band, Los Dinos. Ever since then, Quintanilla has become an icon all over the world. However, her life and career were tragically cut short when she was only 23, leaving fans wondering, how does Selena’s music captivate so many people to this day, despite her short-lived career?
Selena was born on April 16, 1971, in Lake Jackson, Texas to Abraham and Marcella Quintanilla, who were both born and raised in Mexico. They had three children together: AB, Suzette, and Selena, the youngest of the family. Selena’s father would often teach his children how to sing and play instruments so he could try to pass on his love for music to his family. He soon discovered Selena’s talented voice and started letting her perform at the family’s restaurant, Pappagallo. Soon after the restaurant closed, Selena became one of the family’s breadwinners. To help make ends meet, as well as pursue her musical career, Selena and her family started touring on their bus named “Big Bertha,” and performed at any gig they could find. Due to this, Selena dropped out of school in eighth grade, but she later earned a high school diploma through correspondence studies at the age of 17 and went on to graduate college with a degree in business administration.
Selena’s brother, AB, played a big part in her career as he wrote some of Selena’s most famous songs, such as “Como La Flor”. However, he had an equally as important role in Selena’s personal life. After looking for a new guitarist for Selena y Los Dinos, he hired Chris Perez in 1990. Selena and Chris fell in love very quickly. One day in a Pizza Hut, Perez confessed his feelings to the rising star, and they decided to pursue an exclusive romance without telling her father. Even though Selena’s father opposed the relationship, Selena and Chris married secretly in 1992, when she was 20 years old.
Soon after Selena got married, she became very popular as her music began appearing on the radio. Her first song to hit the radio, “Como La Flor,” was a huge success and still is today. This song started her worldwide fame, which led to her releasing more and more music. She started performing in what she called the “Astrodome” in Houston, Texas. This was her stage where she would have thousands of fans to watch her performances and new songs. As time passed she became so popular that she got invited to the Grammys. She had been nominated for the Best Mexican American Singer and won. After she had received her Grammy, she followed one of her lifelong dreams, using her college degree, and opened her boutique where she designed her clothing line. After opening her boutique, she met one of her biggest fans: a woman who had quit her job to start a Selena fan club, Yolanda Saldivar. Yolanda and Selena soon become close, best friends even, and Yolanda eventually became the head manager of Selena’s boutiques.
After Yolanda began to run the boutiques, Selena and her father begin to discover that something was not right. They soon found out that Yolanda was embezzling money from Selena’s boutiques. Selena decided to confront Yolando about the embezzled money, agreeing to meet at a motel.
As tensions rose, Yolanda and Selena got into a huge argument about the stolen money, and Yolanda started to get violent towards Selena. Much to Selena’s surprise, Yolando pulled out a gun from her purse and attempted to run out of the motel. However, Yolanda shot Selena in the back of her shoulder. Selena managed to run to the lobby where the ambulance is called.
Although Selena was rushed to the emergency room, unfortunately, the hospital wasn’t able to help Selena recover from her wound, and she passed away on March 31, 1995, at the age of 23.
Therefore, despite her short-lived career, it is clear that Selena’s legacy continues, as demonstrated by productions that depict her life. For example, both the movie, Selena, starring Jeniffer Lopez, and the TV show, Selena: The Series, starring Christian Serratos illustrate how the singer’s rise to fame, as well as her unforgettably effervescent personality. Both these depictions are produced by Selena’s father, Abraham, and therefore are opportunities for her music to live on, and her memory to be honored.
