If someone ever asked me what my favorite music artist is, the first name that would come up in my mind would be Selena Quintanilla because I grew up listening to her music. I find her music nostalgic and interesting because her voice is really pretty. My favorite song from her would be “Dreaming of You” because her voice and the music just mix so well, and her lyrics are just so real.
Selina Quintanilla was born April 16, 1971 in Lake Jackson, Texas, to Abraham and Marcella Quintanilla. At a young age, she started her career as the lead singer of her family band, Selena y Los Dinos. Her early performances were in her father’s Mexican restaurant named Papagayos. After the loss of the restaurant, her family started their band, which forced them to tour around across Texas in the 80s. Despite her being an English speaker, she learned to sing in Spanish to connect to the Latino community which eventually helped her become a bilingual speaker. Her focus on music was so serious that it led her to leave school in the eighth grade.
Later on, Selena was known as the American “Queen of Tejano Music.” She was a curvy, confident and glamorous fashion icon. Her contribution to music and fashion made her one of the most celebrated Mexican-American entertainers in the late 20th century. Her first album was called Mis Primeras Grabaciones, which means her first recordings. Later on she accomplished a lot of milestones, quickly gaining recognition and winning the female entertainer of the year at the Tejano Awards in 1987. Then in 1989 she decided to sign with EMI Latin, a major record label. In 1994, she won a grammy award for ” Selena Live!” Then she released her double-platinum album, Amor Prohibo, which became a very successful album.
After all her success and accomplishments, tragically on March 31, 1995, Selena was shot and killed by Yolanda Salvidar, who was supposedly her friend and former manager. Yolanda was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison with possible parole in 30 years. After two weeks of Selena’s death, George W. Bush declared April 16 as Selena’s Day in Texas.
