Selena: Queen of Tejano Music

[ClassyCo]

I recently re-watched the 1997 self-titled movie starring Jennifer Lopez, thus rekindling my interest in Selena, the Mexican-American singer who is credited with popularizing Tejano music.

She was destined for superstardom, and on the verge of a English-language crossover when she was killed by her fan club president, Yolanda Saldivar, in March 1995. She was just 23 years old.

Any fans?



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[ClassyCo]

Making of the SELENA biopic in 1997:

 

[ClassyCo]

So popular was Selena by the early-'90s that Coca-Cola recruited her as a spokesperson for their soft drink. The advertisements featuring the singer were especially popular in Texas, the state Selena had been born and raised.​

 

[ClassyCo]

Selena was known as the "Tejano Madonna" because of her fashion choices. When she initially starting wearing "boostiaes" during her performances, she received objections from her conservative father. Her father, Abraham Quintanilla, was the driving force behind Selena's music career. He had noticed her natural talent when she was just a child, and soon formed a band for his three children called Selena y Los Dinos. Selena sang, A.B. played guitar, and Suzette played the drums.

Her trailblazing musical style helped popularize Tejano music to a wider audience, and in the early-'90s, she and her father began serious discussions to have her crossover into English-language music. Selena herself began interested in igniting an acting career, which she accomplished when she appeared in the movie DON JUAN DEMARCO (1995), starring Johnny Depp, as a nightclub singer. Her final studio album, entitled DREAMING OF YOU, would be released shortly after her death. The album was released through the assertion of her father, who wanted to help continue his daughter's dreams of an English-language crossover.
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