How Selena Quintanilla-Pérez Continues to Inspire Latinos Today

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As young kids, we all have dreams.

Whether it’s a firefighter, a teacher, or an astronaut, we are inspired to do big things.

For Selena Quintanilla-Pérez, better known as Selena, she dreamed of being a music artist – and that’s exactly what she did.

“She had hopes and dreams just like the rest of us. She had a family that supported those dreams and did what they could to make them a reality. She may have achieved success as a recording artist but she never intended to limit herself,” according to Smithsonian Magazine.

To honor Selena during Hispanic Heritage Month, let’s dive into her life, accomplishments, and how her legacy continues to live on in the Latino community.

Selena and Her Humble Beginnings

The youngest of 3 siblings, Selena was born in Lake Jackson, Texas, in 1971 to her mother and father, Abraham, Jr., and Marcela Quintanilla.

Selena was raised in Corpus Christi, Texas, and spoke English, but was taught by her father to sing in Spanish. She began performing at the age of 9 after father formed a family band called Selena y Los Dinos.

Alongside her sister Suzette on drums and brother A.B. on bass guitar, the band played Tejano music, Spanish-language music that originated in the borderlands between Mexico and the United States, with influence from traditional polkas, corridos (ballads), and America country.

With their father Abraham as manager, Selena y Los Dinos started out playing weddings and clubs in Texas.

“Los Dinos traveled throughout Texas to perform, usually as the opening act for Tejano bands. Because of the band’s popularity, Quintanilla stopped attending school in eighth grade, but she later earned a General Educational Development (GED) credential,” according to Britannica.

The band would release its first album, Mis Primeras Garbaciones in 1984.

As time went on, Selena y Los Dinos began gaining traction and finding success on the Latin music charts.

Selena Becomes the Queen of Tejano

As Selena y Los Dinos continued to release music, perform, and gain popularity, Selena caught the eye of EMI Records.

“Major record labels including EMI had taken notice and were betting on the crossover potential of Emilio Navaira, La Mafia, and Grupo Mazz, as well as Selena,” according to Library of Congress Blogs.

In 1989, Selena signed a record deal with the label, becoming part of the EMI’s Latin division.

In October of the same year, Selena would release her self-titled album.

“This album marked her debut onto the national music charts, where the album spent 19 weeks on Billboard’s Top 20 Regional Mexican Albums, peaking at seventh for the week of March 24, 1990,” said Vivian Cabrera in American Magazine.

Selena continued to release music, creating several albums and various hits, including “Amor Prohibido,” “Bidi Bidi Bom Bom,” “Como La Flor,” “Baila Esta Cumbia,” and more.

“Between 1989 and 1995, Selena released five studio albums and one live album,” according to Biography.

Her music, stage presence, and style all contributed to her growing start power, further adding to her popularity.

“Selena’s music expanded the audience for Texan-Mexican music, and contributed to a rise in Latin music popularity across the United States,” according to Smithsonian Magazine.

Her success would rise to new heights when Selena made history as the first female Tejano artist to win a Grammy for best Mexican American album for her 1993 album Selena Live!

Selena, a Versatile Artist, Meets a Tragic End

As Selena’s music career skyrocketed, she began to branch out into other creative areas.

With her passion for fashion, Selena would fulfill another dream of hers, creating her own fashion line in 1994 and opening two boutiques in her home state of Texas called Selena Etc.

Since 1989, Selena also served as a spokesperson for Coca-Cola due to her broad appeal to Latinos.

“Her appearance in ads for Coke was a marketing industry first: an advertiser targeting a specific demographic,” according to Biography.

While Selena put maximum effort into her dreams and passions, she also had time to find love.

In 1990, Selena began secretly dating the lead guitarist of her band, Chris Pérez, who she would marry in 1992.

“Not many people on this earth get to feel what we did. Our love for each other went even more deeply than the bonds of marriage.” Pérez said in his book, To Selena, with Love.

Selena also began working on her first English-language album, with big hopes of becoming a crossover artist.

Selena continued making her mark, however, it was all put to a tragic halt in March 1995.

At age 23, Selena Quintanilla-Pérez was killed by the ex-president of her fan club and former business manager of her boutique.

The woman was suspected of embezzlement and was previously confronted by Selena about the issues on the night of the crime.

News of Selena’s death was both shocking and devastating.

A heavy blow to the music industry, Selena’s fans and supporters around the world mourned the loss of the young, bright star.

“It was a shocking thing to see. Anybody who has ever had to cover a disaster and be surrounded by crowds of people suffering, it’s like that. Her death wasn’t a natural disaster but it affected the hearts of so many people,” said Karen Brook in the Corpus Christi Caller Times.

Following her death, EMI would release Selena’s English-language album Dreaming of You.

“It would go on to sell a record-breaking number of units, raking in the second highest first-week sales for a female musician at the time,” according to American Magazine.

Selena and Her Impactful Legacy

Though Selena’s life and career were cut tragically short, she continues to inspire Latinos of every generation.

“Growing up, Selena was who we aspired to be. She was beautiful, successful and talented. She was both Mexican and American, never fully belonging in either camp. She was Texas, personified,” said Vivian Cabrera in American Magazine.

Following Selena’s passing, a movie was made based on Selena’s life story and released in 1997, staring actress Jennifer Lopez.

The film would achieve great success, becoming a top-two film in the United States during its opening weekend.

“It stands as one of the most successful musical biopics of all time,” according to Remezcla.

Similarly, the Quintanilla family would open The Selena Museum in Selena’s hometown of Corpus Christi to honors her life and legacy.

The museum consists of a large collection of Selena’s personal items, including iconic parts of her wardrobe, awards, memorabilia, and more.

Tribute shows, artist covers, and even a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame are just a few of the ways that Selena’s legacy lives on.

Selena also shines on through the people that love her.

Whether it’s a dedicated long-time fan or a young person discovering her music for the first time, Selena remains a lasting part of Latino culture.

“The work created by this new generation of Latinas — many of whom were children or not yet born when Selena died — is evidence of the ways that, for so many Latinos, Selenidad is our cultural inheritance, something we pass down, a mode of making do and evidence of the creative ways we’ve endured,” wrote Deborah Paredez of NPR.

Whether it’s through a makeup line, a Netfilx series, or social media, Selena’s life, talents, and accomplishments remain in the public eye.

“Selena has been gone longer than she was here. But she’s still with us. She may not have lived long enough to fulfill all of her dreams but she lives on in the dreams of those who have inherited her,” Parderez wrote