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Selena Biography

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Who is Selena ?

Selena Quintanilla-Pérez was an American singer, actress, publicist, businesswoman, songwriter, model, and fashion designer who lived from 16 April 1971, to 31 March 1995. She was called "Queen of Tejano Music" for her musical and fashion abilities, and she became one of the most well-known Mexican-American artists of the late twentieth century. Her posthumous work with MAC cosmetics became the best-selling celebrity line in cosmetics history, and she was awarded the top-selling Latin singer of the 1990s decade by Billboard magazine. 

Her wardrobe choices earned her the moniker "Tejano Madonna" in the media. She is also acknowledged as one of the most important Latin artists of all time, and she is credited with popularising a music genre. Selena y Los Dinos, a band that included her older siblings Suzette Quintanilla and A.B. Quintanilla was her first musical venture. 


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In the 1980s, she was routinely admonished and denied bookings in Texas clubs because she performed Tejano music, a male-dominated genre. Her popularity soared after she won the Tejano Music Award for Female Vocalist of the Year for the ninth time in a row in 1987. Her brother became her primary music producer and songwriter after she signed with EMI Latin in 1989 and released her self-titled first album the same year. In 1992, Selena released Entre a Mi Mundo, which lasted eight months at the top of Billboard's Regional Mexican Albums chart in the United States. Music critics named the album her "breakthrough" recording due to its commercial success. One of the album's tracks, "Como la Flor," became one of her most well-known signature songs.


Who Was Selena Quintanilla?

Selena Quintanilla began recording in the 1980s and has since gone on to become a multi-award-winning Latin music recording artist with albums such as Amor Prohibido and Selena Live. She was assassinated in 1995 by the founder of her fan club. Dreaming of You, her final album, was published after her death in 1995.


Early Life

Selena was born at Lake Jackson, Texas, on 16, April in the year 1971. Selena's father, Abraham Quintanilla, was a musician. Selena was born and reared in the United States, but her father taught her Spanish so she could communicate with the Latino community.

She started by learning the songs by ear and finally became fluent in Spanish. She began performing when she was a young girl. When Selena was eleven years old, she became the lead singer in her family's band. The musical group began by singing at weddings and clubs in their hometown of Texas. In the band, her brother Abraham played the bass guitar and her sister Suzette played the drums. Selena was recognised as the "Queen of Tejano," a Mexican music genre that blended country and western elements. She was dubbed the "Mexican Madonna" because of her sensuous dress and dance moves.


Selena’s Family

Her parents were Abraham Jr. and Marcella Quintanilla. In the 1950s and 1960s, her father led a band that combined early rock & roll with traditional Mexican music. This music, which would subsequently be known as Tejano music, would become extremely famous throughout the southwest United States and Mexico. Abraham finally retired from singing to establish a family. Selena Quintanilla was the youngest of the Quintanilla siblings. She went to Lake Jackson Elementary School, a small hamlet about 55 miles south of Houston, Texas. Her father saw her aptitude when she was six years old. When Selena began to sing, he was teaching her older brother, Abraham III, how to play the guitar. A family band was formed by the youngsters. Almost every day, they practised.


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Selena’s Family Business

Selena's father founded a restaurant in 1980. Selena y Los Dinos, the family band, would perform there on weekends and at weddings and celebrations. For the band's performances, her father began writing unique Spanish-language songs. Selena had to learn the words to the Spanish-language songs syllable by syllable because her first language was English. They had a large following in the community, but the family restaurant failed and closed. Her father relocated the family to Corpus Christi, Texas, to begin a new life. The band continued to perform their music throughout the state. 

The band's concert travelling paid off when they were asked to open for Mazz, a prominent Tejano band. Selena Gomez debuted on stage at the age of eleven, and the audience adored her. Selena concentrated on her music at this time, although she frequently missed courses and eventually stopped going to school altogether when she was in eighth grade. She took seminars at the American School in Chicago to stay up with her studies. In 1989, she received her General Education Diploma (GED), which is equivalent to a high school diploma.


Selena Career

Selena joined EMI Records in 1989. She was suddenly backed by a major record label. José Behar, the company's new Latin music division's head, believed she could appeal to a wide range of people, not just Tejano aficionados. "Buenos Amigos," a song she wrote with Alvaro Torres, became a hit in 1991. The song reached number one on Billboard's Latin chart, introducing her to a wide range of audiences across the United States. Selena's next successful song, "Donde Quiero Que Estes," helped her to expand her fan base and reach new markets for her music. Selena's music and personal life had numerous high points in the early 1990s. Selena married Christopher Perez, a twenty-two-year-old, on April 2, 1992. In her band, he was the lead guitarist. 


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They were both a part of Selena's success and growing popularity, especially in Mexico. Her father was now writing songs for her that sounded more cosmopolitan. These new songs were famous not just in Mexico, but also in the United States and throughout South and Central America. Her presentations drew increasingly large crowds. In Houston, Texas, she performed in front of over 60,000 people in February 1994. Selena Live, her CD, earned a Grammy Award for best Mexican American album in March 1994. Selena's rising prominence boosted her record sales. Selena released Amor Prohibido in July 1994. The record would go on to sell over a million copies. It was the year's best-selling Latin album. It was also named album of the year at the Tejano Music Awards.


Selena’s Songs

Seven of Selena's songs reached No. 1 on the Hot Latin Songs Chart, with 14 more reaching the top ten. The song "Dreaming of You" reached number 22 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Selena's other well-known songs include:

  • “No Me Queda Mas”

  • “Bidi Bidi Bom Bom”

  • “Amor Prohibido”

  • “Tu Solo Tu”

  • “I Could Fall in Love”

  • “El Chico del Apartamento 512”

  • “Que Creias”

  • “Baila Esta Cumbia”

  • “I’m Getting Used to You”

  • “La Carcacha”

  • “Fotos Y Recuerdos (Back On The Chain Gang)”

  • “Buenos Amigos”

  • “Dondequiera Que Estes”

  • “Missing My Baby”

  • “Siempre Hace Frio”

  • “No Debes Jugar”

  • “Techno Cumbia”

  • “La Llamada”

  • “Como La Flor”

  • “No Quiero Saber”

FAQs on Selena Biography

1. What Happened to the Singer Selena?

Answer: On March 31, 1995, American singer Selena Quintanilla was assassinated. When the news of Selena's death was made public, fans were shocked. Yolanda Saldívar shot her and killed her.

2. What Was Selena’s Ethnicity?

Answer: Selena Quintanilla Perez was born in Lake Jackson, Texas, on April 16, 1971. Marcella Ofelia Samora, her mother, is half Mexican American and half Cherokee Native American, while Abraham Quintanilla Jr, her father, is Mexican-American. Selena grew up in a Jehovah's Witness family.