Selena (1971 - 1995) was an American singer and songwriter widely known as the Queen of Tejano music. [1] Fronting the family band Selena y Los Dinos from childhood, she became the best-selling female artist in Tejano history and was preparing an English-language crossover album when she was shot and killed in Corpus Christi, Texas, at the age of twenty-three. [2] She was posthumously awarded a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
Early life
Selena Quintanilla was born on 16 April 1971 in Lake Jackson, Texas, the youngest of three children of Mexican-American parents. [1] Her father, Abraham Quintanilla, a former musician, recognised her vocal ability when she was a young child and formed the family band Selena y Los Dinos, with her brother A.B. on bass and her sister Suzette on drums.
The family moved to Corpus Christi after their restaurant business failed, and the band supported itself playing weddings, fairs and cantinas across south Texas. Selena's schooling was completed largely through correspondence study because of the touring schedule. [2] She sang initially in Spanish, a language she learned phonetically before becoming fluent.
Musical career
Selena signed with EMI Latin in 1989 and released a series of albums that moved Tejano music, a genre historically dominated by male performers, toward a wider and younger audience. [1] Records including Ven Conmigo, Entre a Mi Mundo and Amor Prohibido produced hits such as "Como la Flor", "Amor Prohibido" and "Bidi Bidi Bom Bom", blending Tejano and cumbia rhythms with pop and R&B arrangements.
Her live album Selena Live! won the Grammy Award for Best Mexican/Mexican-American Album in 1994, making her the first female Tejano artist to receive the honour. [1] Her 1995 concert at the Houston Astrodome drew a record crowd for the venue's rodeo series. She was also a repeated winner at the Tejano Music Awards and received the Billboard Latin Music Award for Hot Latin Songs Artist of the Year.
Business ventures
Selena worked as a fashion designer, launching a clothing line and opening boutiques in Corpus Christi and San Antonio, and she served as a spokesperson for several consumer brands in the Latino market. [2] In 1992 she married Chris Pérez, the guitarist in her band.
Death
On 31 March 1995 Selena was shot by Yolanda Saldívar, the former manager of her fan club and boutiques, during a confrontation over financial records at a motel in Corpus Christi, and died of her injuries. [1] Saldívar was convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. Selena's death prompted an extraordinary public response, with tens of thousands attending memorial events in Texas.
Legacy
The crossover album Dreaming of You, released four months after her death, debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, an unprecedented result for a largely Spanish-language record at the time. [1] The 1997 biographical film Selena introduced her story to a still wider audience.
She has been inducted into the Billboard Latin Music Hall of Fame, honoured with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and awarded a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, and a museum and memorial in Corpus Christi commemorate her. [2] She is regarded as a landmark figure in Latin popular music and in Mexican-American cultural life in the United States.
