Amor Prohibido

During her short career, Tejano singer Selena Quintanilla (aka Selena) was the undisputed queen of the genre and a force behind the emergence of Latino music in North America. Among her 14 Top Ten singles were seven number ones -- for years after her death, compilations of her work placed in the upper rungs of the Latin music charts. Selena, whose first language was English, began performing in her father's restaurant at age ten, learning to sing Mexican folk songs phonetically in Spanish. At 12, she served as frontwoman for los Dinos (her father's band) and released Mis Primeras Grabaciones by Selena y Los Dinos in 1984; she followed with Alpha in 1986. She won her first of ten consecutive Performer of the Year awards at the 1987 Tejano Awards. That recognition, combined with dozens of sold-out concerts, earned her a deal with EMI, which issued her eponymous debut in 1989, followed by Entre a Mi Mundo (1992), the Grammy-winning, platinum-selling Live (1993), and Amor Prohibido (1994). Selena was completing her first English-language album when she was killed by the president of her fan club. Dreaming of You was mixed, mastered, and released posthumously in 1995; it topped the Latin music charts. Offstage, Selena was a role model active in addressing violence against women, drug prevention, and AIDS awareness programs.

Selena Quintanilla was the youngest child of Marcella Ofelia Quintanilla and Abraham Quintanilla, Jr. Born in 1971 in Lake Jackson, Texas, she was delivered by obstetrician and future Texas congressman Ron Paul.

Abraham, a member of los Dinos and a fine singer, discovered that his daughter possessed perfect pitch and organically unique phrasing style at age six. He nurtured and encouraged her talent. Selena began performing professionally at ten in her father's restaurant, backed by her sister Suzette on drums and her brother A.B. Quintanilla III on bass. Her father became her manager and los Dinos her backing band. Selena y los Dinos began working wherever and whenever they could. They played street parties, fairs, quinceañeras, street corners for tips, and more. The young vocalist found a fan base that seemed to grow with each performance.

Her father, aware of the toll performing was taking on her education, took her out of school in the eighth grade despite protests from her instructors. She eventually earned a high school diploma from the American School of Correspondence in Chicago and was accepted at Louisiana State University. She also enrolled at Pacific Western University, taking up business administration as her major. Believing firmly in the vision he had for Selena, Quintanilla, Jr. refurbished an old bus for touring. During the first couple of years, the family sang for food, barely making enough money to pay for gasoline.

Corpus Christi's famed independent Freddie Records offered

Selena y los Dinos a record deal and released their recording debut, Mis Primeras Grabaciones, in 1984. It was well-received by local and Texas radio, and provided more opportunities for Selena to tour the American Southwest. That said, the album was greeted by criticism from many Tejano fans, given the genre's male lineage.

Selena, who had grown up with English as her first language, understood Spanish, but wanted to record Anglo pop songs. She acquiesced to her father's creative vision and sang Tejano songs because they were part of her heritage. She learned to sing in Spanish phonetically, but later became fluent. She supported the album by touring, and was invited to appear on the popular radio show of L.A. deejay Johnnie Canales. It proved so successful she reappeared many times during her career; each time she did, her popularity spread further.

Following the subsequent release of 1986's Muñequito de Trapo and 1987's Alpha, she was named Female Vocalist of the Year and Performer of the Year at the Tejano Music Awards. The former award would be hers for nine consecutive years. In 1989, she signed with EMI and released an eponymous album that got airplay and charted across the U.S. and Mexico.

Ven Conmigo appeared in 1990. The singer's brother, A.B. Quintanilla III, was her principal record producer and songwriter. Los Dinos composed and arranged seven of the album's ten tracks; while local songwriter Johnny Herrera also provided a couple of songs and Juan Gabriel another. Ven Conmigo was primarily made up of cumbias and rancheras, with the remainder represented by other genres. Its musical compositions are varied and demonstrate an evolving maturity in Selena's Tejano sound. The album's structure and track organization were unconventional compared with other Tejano albums. Ven Conmigo peaked at number three on the U.S. Regional Mexican Albums chart. It received critical acclaim, bringing Selena international recognition as a Tejano singer and establishing her as a commercial force.

The band hired guitarist Chris Pérez. He introduced a hard rock edge to the band's traditional music and an added dynamics to their live performances. The album's single, "Baila Esta Cumbia," was the most played song on Tejano music radio stations for over a month, which helped Selena sell tickets while on tour in Mexico. In 1991 the album's title track became the first Tejano record to earn gold industry certification.

In 1992 Selena released Entre a Mi Mundo, an eclectic array of songs attributable to the production skills of her brother and the diverse songwriting backgrounds of los Dinos' members Pete Astudillo and Ricky Vela. Entre a Mi Mundo wove her distinctive, plaintive vocals, relaxed Tejano-cumbia rhythms, and musical inspirations from pop, R&B, disco, rock, funk, and synthesized Tejano music. A month before the album's release, Selena married guitarist Perez.

She recorded a free concert at the Memorial Coliseum in Corpus Christi, Texas, on February 7, 1993. Released as the smash Live Selena, it was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America in its first year, and double platinum in 1995. By 2017, it was certified platinum eight times. She also won her first Grammy for Best Mexican American Performance. Written by Astudillo, her brother (who played bass and produced), and keyboardist Vela, the personnel included all of los Dinos and drummer Suzette Quintanilla.

That same year, Selena, a widely celebrated fashion icon, also opened two boutiques called Selena Etc., to sell original clothing and accessories in Corpus Christi and San Antonio. In 1992, she made her feature-film debut in Don Juan DeMarco, playing a singer. Later that year, she and los Dinos embarked upon a tour of New York, L.A., Argentina, and Puerto Rico.

In 1993, Charles Koppleman signed Selena to the EMI-distributed SBK Records, a move to push Selena's career toward crossover American pop. Her first SBK album, Amor Prohibido, was released in March 1994. Its modern, more mature sound features experimental production blending diverse styles from ranchera and cumbia to hip-hop and R&B. Amor Prohibido employed a minimalist vocal and instrumental approach that was synthesizer-rich in delivery. Written and performed by los Dinos, the title track topped the Hot Latin Songs chart, went gold, and won a Grammy, becoming the best-selling Latin song that year. The album appeared in the top spot on the Latin Albums chart and remained in the Top Five for 98 consecutive weeks, while spending 97 non-consecutive weeks on the Regional Mexican Albums list. It spawned four number one singles. Critics lauded her with praise, with many calling it her best work and a spearhead for Tejano music across North and Latin America. The album's support tour sold out, and she broke attendance records at the Houston Astrodome and at Miami's Calle Ocho Festival. Amor Prohibido was nominated for Best Mexican-American Album at the 37th Grammy Awards; it took Album of the Year honors at the 1995 Tejano Music Awards and the Lo Nuestro Award for Best Regional Mexican Album. Buoyed by the success of album and tour, the groundwork was laid for Selena to enter the Anglo pop mainstream.

Selena began preparing to make her breakthrough into the American pop. Sessions began for her first English-language album with four tunes recorded in December 1994. She added two more during the winter of 1995. Then tragedy: She was shot in the back and killed by her former boutique manager, Yolanda Saldívar, over a dispute about claims of embezzlement. Selena named her killer before expiring in a local hospital. Saldivar was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to 30-years-to-life. She was eligible for a parole hearing in March 2025.

Selena's death rocked the entire industry. A special service was held in the Los Angeles Coliseum where she was to have played a concert. A week later, then Texas governor George W. Bush declared April 16 "Selena Day" in her honor.

Dreaming of You, her final album, was released posthumously in the early summer and was fleshed out with unreleased and early songs. It became the first Tejano album to reach number one in America and was double platinum by year's end. Selena's popularity only grew after her death. There have been several films about her life. A whopping 21,000 people auditioned for the lead role in a Warner Bros. biopic, Selena after Selma Hayek turned down the role, feeling it was too soon for such an endeavor. Jennifer Lopez was finally selected. Released in 1997, with a production budget of $20 million, the film grossed $35 million in the U.S. alone. A commercial and critical success, it is often cited as Lopez's breakthrough role as an actress.

Selena has been the subject of several documentaries, the Broadway show Selena Forever, and several made-for-TV movies. On the fifth anniversary of her murder, the Quintanilla family and los Dinos held a televised concert they called Selena ¡VIVE! It was the highest-rated and most-viewed Spanish-language television special in the history of American television.

In January 2015, it was announced that an inaugural two-day event called Fiesta de la Flor would be held in Corpus Christi in Selena's honor by the Corpus Christi Visitors Bureau. In its first year, it included Kumbia All Starz, Chris Pérez, Los Lobos, Los Palominos, Stefani Montiel of Las 3 Divas, and Girl in a Coma, among others. It raised $13 million for charities and was attended by 52,000 people -- 72-percent were from outside Corpus Christi. In 2016, Selena's legend and memory were honored with a wax statue of the singer at Madame Tussaud's Hollywood. She also has life-size bronze statue in Corpus Christi. In 2020, Netflix released the first of two seasons of Selena: The Series.

Two decades after her death, Selena's style of music, fashion, and philanthropy continues to inspire. Further, her recordings continue to sell as artists worldwide celebrate her influence. ~ Thom Jurek