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Selena Quintanilla Pérez (April 16, 1971 – March 31, 1995), best known as Selena, was a Mexican-American singer who has been called the "queen" of Tejano music. The youngest child of a Mexican immigrant couple, Selena released her first album at the age of 12. She took the award for Female Vocalist of the Year in 1987 at the Tejano Music Awards and landed a recording contract with EMI a few years later. Her fame continued to grow throughout the early nineties, especially in Spanish-speaking countries. Her album Selena Live! won a Grammy Award for Best Mexican-American album at the 36th Grammy Awards and her 1994 album Amor Prohibido was nominated for another Grammy and produced four number one Spanish hits.

Selena attained further notability in the United States and Mexico after Yolanda Saldívar, the president of her fan club, murdered her at the age of 23. On April 12, 1995, two weeks after her death, George W. Bush, then the governor of Texas, declared her birthday "Selena Day" in Texas. Warner Brothers made a film based on her life starring Jennifer Lopez in 1997. As of June 2006, Selena was commemorated with a museum and a bronze life-sized statue (Mirador de la Flor in Corpus Christi, Texas). Both the statue and museum are visited by hundreds of fans each week.

Early career

Born in Lake Jackson, Texas, Selena was the youngest child of Abraham and Marcela Quintanilla, both Mexican-Americans. She began singing at the age of six; when she was nine her father founded the singing group Selena y Los Dinos, which she fronted. They initially performed at the Quintanilla family's restaurant, "Papagallos," but the restaurant failed shortly afterwards.

The family soon went bankrupt and was evicted from their home. Taking all their musical equipment in an old bus, they relocated to Corpus Christi in Southern Texas. There, they performed wherever they could: at street corners, weddings, quinceañeras, and fairs. These efforts at spreading their name paid off in 1984, when Selena, then twelve years old, recorded her first album for a local record company. The album was not sold in stores, and her father bought all the original copies. It was later released in 1995 under the title Mis Primeras Grabaciones.

Selena did well in school, but as she grew more popular, the travel demands of her performance schedule began to interfere with her education. Her father pulled her out of school altogether when she was in eighth grade. She continued her education on the road; at age seventeen she earned a high school diploma from The American School of Correspondence in Chicago and was accepted at Louisiana State University. Selena released her second album, Alpha, in 1986.

Successes

Template:Sound sample box align right Template:Multi-listen start Template:Multi-listen item Template:Multi-listen end Template:Sample box end At the Tejano Music Awards in 1987, Selena took the award for Female Vocalist of the Year (and would continue to dominate the Awards for the next seven years). In 1988, she released two albums, Preciosa and Dulce Amor. In 1989, Jose Behar, the former head of the Sony Latin Music division, signed Selena with Capitol/EMI records, a record company founded by Behar. Behar later said that the reason he signed Selena was because he thought he discovered the next Gloria Estéfan. Selena signed a contract with Coca-Cola to become one of their spokespersons the same year, and her concerts were drawing thousands of people.

In 1988, Selena met guitarist Chris Perez, who had his own band. Two years later, the Quintanilla family hired him to play in Selena's band and they quickly fell in love. At first her father didn't approve of the relationship between Perez and Selena, and went as far as firing Perez from the band. He eventually came to accept the relationship, telling Selena that Perez could come back only if they married and moved next door to the family home. Selena accepted and on April 2, 1992, Selena and Perez married in Nueces County, Texas, and Selena added her new husband's surname to her own.

In 1990, Selena released another album, Ven Conmigo, written by her main songwriter and brother Abraham Quintanilla, III. Around the same time, a registered nurse and fan named Yolanda Saldívar approached Selena's father with the idea of starting a fan club. Her wish was granted, and she became the club's president; later she would become the manager of Selena's clothing boutiques. Selena released another hit album in 1992, Entre A Mi Mundo, which achieved gold status. Songs from that album, such as Como La Flor, helped make Selena a star. Her 1993 Live album won a Grammy award for Best Mexican American Performance.

Selena released her next album, Amor Prohibido in 1994. The album won the singer another Grammy award for Mexican-American Album of the Year. She began designing and manufacturing a clothing line in 1994, and opened two boutiques called Selena Inc., one in Corpus Christi and the other in San Antonio. Both were equipped with their own in-house beauty salons. Hispanic Business magazine reported that the singer earned over five million dollars from these boutiques. Selena also made appearances alongside Erik Estrada in a Latin soap opera titled Dos Mujeres, Un Camino.

Selena and her band continued to receive accolades; Billboard's Premio Lo Nuestro awarded them a total of six prestigious awards, including Best Latin artist and song of the year for Como La Flor. Coca-Cola released a commemorative bottle in her honor to celebrate their five-year relationship. Meanwhile, her duet with the Barrio Boys, Dondequiera Que Estes, raced to the top of the Latin charts. This prompted Selena to tour in New York City, Argentina, Puerto Rico and Central America, where she was in growing demand. The duet with Salvadorian singer Alvaro Torres Buenos Amigos was also a hit.

By fall of 1994, Amor Prohibido was a commercial success in Mexico and made four number one Latin hits, replacing Gloria Estefan's "Mi Tierra" on the chart's number one spot. It sold over 400,000 copies by March of 1995, reaching gold status. At this point, Selena developed plans to record an English-language album, but continued touring for Amor Prohibido while beginning preparations for the album.

In 1995, Selena made a cameo appearance in the romantic comedy Don Juan DeMarco, which starred Marlon Brando, Johnny Depp and Faye Dunaway. She appeared as a background mariachi singer during the first scene. In February 1995, Selena played a concert at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo in the Houston Astrodome, which attracted over 60,000 fans -- more than country stars such as George Strait, Vince Gill and Reba McEntire. Despite her busy schedule, Selena visited local schools to talk to students about the importance of education. She also donated her time to civic organizations such as D.A.R.E., and planned a fundraising concert to help AIDS patients. These demonstrations of community involvement won her loyalty from her fan base. Selena scheduled her English album for release in the summer of 1995. Afraid that her fans would think she was turning her back on them, she was working on a new Tejano album as well. Meanwhile, she planned to open two more boutiques, including one in Monterrey, Mexico.

Death

Almost from the start, Selena's employees at Selena Etc. felt uneasy around Yolanda Saldívar. They thought she acted like the Selena's protector. Soon after she was hired to manage Selena Etc. she began building a wall seperating Selena from friends. And worse. To the amazement of many Selena and Chris actually gave Yolanda the key to there house. They did not just put her in charge of sending souvenir packages to thousands of Selena fans. They also gave her access to Selena's American Express gold cards and the authority to sign payroll checks.

One of the first physical signs of trouble brewing was when payroll checks made out to Selena Etc. employees began bouncing. Apparently, Saldivar had been dpositing the receivables into her own private bank account. Then many fans who had sent there twenty-dollar membership dues to the Selena Fan Club started writing Abraham Quintanilla II expressing their concern over never receiving their club packet in which they had been promised.

And then the matter of Selena's gold Faberge egg ring with the fifty-two diamonds which Yolanda Saldivar presented to Selena. However Saldivar never mentioned the ring had been a present from all her employees at Selena Etc. To add insult to injury , Saldivar had actually charged the ring, at a cost of three thousand dollars to Selena's American Express gold card.

The bounced payroll checks, letters and phone calls to Abraham from dissapointed fans were the wake up call. Selena's father alongside Selena and sister Suzette met with Saldivar on March 9, 1995 to request that she surrender all of the records from Selena Etc. According to him, Saldivar did not hand over all of the financial statements and other paperwork at the meeting. After that, the entire Quintanilla family had grave doubts about Yolanda Saldivar and her so called records, and Abraham declared it was time to fire this strange person. Selena considered it her responsibility to handle the matter and decided to confront Saldivar herself. She called Saldivar and arranged to meet her with Chris at the Days Inn in Corpus Christi, Texas, on March 30 to discuss the situation.

On march 30, 1995 , Chris and Selena showed up at room 158. Saldivar assured Selena and Chris that the accounting records were in order and that all the fans had been sent their packets and handed over more papers. Selena and Chris returned only to discover some of the documents were still missing. Selena called Saldivar and informed her about the missing papers.

The next day, that fateful March 31, 1995 Selena apparently made up her mind to go by herself and confront Yolanda face-to-face-and fire her once and for all, just as her friends, family, and employees advised.Selena probably wanted to keep Chris out of it. Whatever the reason it became Selena's fate to look evil in the eye. That morning Selena was still under the false impression that the gold Faberge egg ring she was carrying was a gift solely from Saldivar, and went prepared to return it. Once arriving to the motel, Saldivar told Selena She had been raped in Monterrey, Mexico and needed to go to the hospital. After being checked by doctors there was no evidence that Yolanda had been raped as she intended. The nurses informed Selena that there was no sign of a rape. Selena told the nurses to keep quiet cause she didnt want Saldivar to here. On there way back to the motel Selena had received a call that she was late to the recording studio to continue recording her cross-over album. Selena told that she was finishing up some business and would get there whenever she was done. Once arriving to the motel both ladies went inside room 158 and began to argue where Yolanda then pulled out .38 caliber pistol and pointed it at Selena as Selena turned to run towards the door Yolanda shot a single point bullet in the singers back. Drenched in blood in a dark green velvet sweatshirt ran along the side of the motel pool, her long hair electrified by fear and a storm brewing like a dark cloud of foreboding over the port city. Behind her curried a short, stocky woman in her midthirties , clad in what appeared to be a two-piece scrub suit. The woman in the scrub suit had a crazed look on her faceand waved her .38 caliber in the air. Suddenly she halted, took aim and fired, missing her fleeing target.Before returning to the room Yolanda shouted bitch before calmly entering her room. The young woman, bleedind profusely from a bullet wound in her, ran with all her might, then crawled until she made it inside the motel lobby. In a state of complete shock , she blurted out "They shot me...She's in room 158. Lock the door . They're going to come in and shoot me again!" before collapsing near the registration desk. The woman clenched a gold ring in the shape of a Faberge egg in her tight fist and with her dying last breath Selena named her assailant. An ambulance had arrived and had whisked Selena off to Memorial Medical Center. Selena who lay dying on an emergency room table at Memorial Medical Center. Her assailants bullet had severed a main artery in the singer's right shoulder blade and she had suffered a critical loss of blood. On the table the singer's life flickered like a flame and the went out. At 1:05 pm, she was pronounced dead, at the age of only 23, sixteen days shy of her 24th birthday. The impact of the bullet made it possible for the head to be seen sticking out the front of Selena's shoulder blade.The gun used to kill Selena was later destroyed and its remains thrown into Corpus Christi Bay.

Aftermath

Template:Sound sample box align right Template:Multi-listen start Template:Multi-listen item Template:Multi-listen end Template:Sample box end Selena's death shocked and saddened Latinos and non-Latinos alike across the United States and abroad. Major networks interrupted their regular programming to break the news; Tom Brokaw referred to Selena as "The Mexican Madonna". Numerous vigils and memorials were held in her honor and radio stations in Texas played her music non-stop. Her funeral drew approximately 60,000 mourners, many of whom came from outside the United States. Among the celebrities who were reported to have immediately phoned the Quintanilla family to express their condolences were Gloria Estefan, Julio Iglesias and Madonna. The magazine People published a commemorative issue in honor of Selena's memory and musicial carrer, titled Selena 1971-1995, Her Life in Pictures. A few days afterwards, Howard Stern made fun of Selena's burial by poking fun at her mourners and making comments about her music including "This music does absolutely nothing for me. Alvin and the Chipmunks have more soul, Spanish people have the worst taste in music. They have no depth." Stern's comments outraged the Hispanic community all across Texas. Two weeks after her death, on April 12, 1995, George W. Bush, the then Governor of Texas, declared April 16 her birthday "Selena Day," in Texas.

That summer, Selena's album Dreaming of You, a combination of Spanish language songs and several new English language tracks, debuted at number one on the Billboard music charts in the US, making her the first Hispanic singer to accomplish this feat and the second highest debut after Michael Jackson's HIStory. On its release date, the album sold over 175,000 copies, a record for a female pop singer, and sold two million copies in its first year. Songs such as "I Could Fall In Love" and "Dreaming Of You" were played widely by mainstream English language radio with the latter reaching #25 on the Billboard Hot 100. Meanwhile, "I Could Fall In Love," while ineligible for the Hot 100 at the time, did reach #12 on the Hot 100 Airplay chart and the top 10 on the Adult Contemporary Chart. "Dreaming of You" has sold approximately four million copies in the USA.

In October 1995 a Houston jury convicted Saldívar of first-degree murder and sentenced her to life in prison, with the possibility of parole in thirty years.

Legacy

In 1997, Jennifer Lopez played Selena in a fllm about her life story, called in the Selena. Directed by Gregory Nava, the biopic opened with mostly positive reviews. More than 12,000 people auditioned for a role in the film. The film stirred some controversy in the Mexican-American community, since Lopez is Puerto Rican and played the role of a singer of Mexican descent. But Selena's fans supported the movie, and Lopez's role in the film helped elevate her career. Although Lopez would succeed as a pop star herself a few years later, Selena's voice was dubbed in for all the songs in the movie. For her role in the film, Lopez was nominated for a Golden Globe award for Best Actress.

Reliant Stadium in Houston hosted a tribute concert, "Selena ¡VIVE!", on April 7, 2005. Held a week after the 10th anniversary of her death, over 50,000 fans attended the concert, which featured various high-profile artists including Gloria Estefan, Pepe Aguilar, Thalía, Paulina Rubio, Ana Barbara, Alejandra Guzmán, Ana Gabriel, and Fey. All of the artists at the event performed renditions of Selena's music, as did her brother, A.B. Quintanilla, who performed along with his band Kumbia Kings backed with footage of Selena singing Baila Esta Cumbia. Broadcast live on the Univision network, "Selena ¡VIVE!" now holds the record for the highest-rated and most-viewed Spanish-language show in American television history. The show, which was over three hours long, scored a 35.9 Nielsen household rating.

Selected discography

Early releases

EMI Music releases

Posthumous releases

References

1. ^ Mitchell, Rick. "Selena". Houston Chronicle, 05/21/95. Retrieved on 2006-05-14.
2. ^ Orozco, Cynthia E. Quintanilla Perez, Selena. The Handbook of Texas online. Retrieved on 2006-06-05
3. ^ Selena. Thompson Gale (Gale.com). Retrieved on 2006-06-06.
4. "Fans, Family Remember Selena". CBSNews.com, Oct. 17, 2002. Retrieved on 2006-07-09.
5. Patoski, Joe Nick. "Selena follows her heart". Houston Chronicle, 04/01/96. Retrieved on 2006-06-05.
6. Selena Pop Musician. Who2.com. Retrieved on 2006-06-05.]
7. "Selena - Life Events". Corpus Christi Caller Times, March 27, 2005. Retrieved on 2006-06-07.
8. Selena. VH1.com. Retrieved on 2006-05-21.
9. "In the spirit of Selena: Tributes, a book and an impending film testify to the Tejano singer's enduring". by Gregory Rodriguez Pacific News, March 21, 1997. Retrieved on 2006-07-18.
10. Asin, Stephanie and Dyer, R.A. "Selena's public outraged: Shock jock Howard Stern's comments hit raw nerve." Houston Chronicle, April 6, 1995. Retrieved on 2006-05-20.
11. Hodges, Ann. "Selena legend lives on with TV movie'. Houston Chronicle, December 6, 1996. Retrieved on 2006-05-20.
12. "In the spirit of Selena: Tributes, a book and an impending film testify to the Tejano singer's enduring". Houston Chronicle, March 31, 1996. Retrieved on 2006-05-20.
13. Graczyk, Michael. "Selena's killer gets life". Associated Press, October 26, 1995. Retrieved on 2006-05-20.
14. Rotten Tomatoes reviews of Selena". Rotten Tomatoes, Retrieved on 2006-07-20.
15. "Scholar examines the spell of Selena". Houston Chronicle, April 28, 1996. Retrieved on 2006-06-05.
16. "Gale profile". Thompson Gale (Gale.com). Retrieved on 2006-07-20.
17. Selena movie review. Roger Ebert, Retrieved on 2006-07-20.
18. Awards for Selena (1997). IMDb.com. Retrieved on 2006-05-17.
19. Univision’s Selena ¡Vive! Breaks Audience Records. Univision, 04-11-2005. Retrieved on 2006-06-06.

External links

• Q Productions - Official Web Site
• Find-A-Grave profile for Selena Quintanilla-Perez

• 1971 births
• 1995 deaths
• American female singers
• American murder victims
• Deaths by firearm
• Entertainers who died in their 20s
• Grammy Award winners
• Mexican American singers
• Murdered entertainers
• People from Texas
• Rhythmic Top 40 acts