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Biography
pp-protected|expiry=2012-02-23T18:58:23Z|small=yesAbout|the singer|the eponymous biographical film|Selena (film)|the debut EMI Latin album|Selena (album)|other uses|Selena (disambiguation)Infobox Musical Artist| Name = Selena| Img = Selena09.jpg| Img_capt =| Img_size = 200| Background = solo_singer| Birth_name = Selena QuintanillaSelena Quintanilla Samora in Spanish naming customs|the Spanish naming system .| Alias = Selena| Born = Birth date|mf=yes|1971|4|16| Died = Death date and age|mf=yes|1995|3|31|1971|4|16 Corpus Christi, Texas , United States| Origin = Lake Jackson, Texas , United States| Husband = Chris Perez 1992–1995| Instrument = Vocals| Genre = Tejano music|Tejano , Mexican cumbia , Ranchera , Latin pop , Latin American music|Spanish pop , R& B music|R& B , Pop music|Pop | Occupation = Singer-songwriter, record producer, actress, dancer, model, designer| Years_active = 1982–1995| Label = Freddie Records, Cara Records, GP Productions, EMI Latin , Q-Productions , SBK Records | Associated_acts = Selena y Los Dinos , Abraham Quintanilla III , Suzette Quintanilla , Chris Pérez | URL = http://www.q-productions.com Selena Quintanilla-Pérez (April 16, 1971 – March 31, 1995), known simply as Selena , was a Mexican American singer-songwriter. She was named the "top Latin artist of the '90s" and "Best selling Latin artist of the decade" by Billboard (magazine)|Billboard for her fourteen top-ten singles in the Billboard Top Latin Songs Year-End Chart|Top Latin Songs chart , including seven number-one hits. Cite journal| last = Mayfield | first = Geoff | date = December 25, 1999 | title = Totally '90s: Diary of a Decade | journal = Billboard | publisher = Nielsen Business Media, Inc. | volume = 111 | issue = 52 | issn = 0006-2510 | page = YE–16–18 | url = http://books.google.com.mx/books? id=9w0EAAAAMBAJ& pg=PA66& dq=selena | accessdate = March 30, 2010 The singer had the most successful singles of 1994 and 1995, " Amor Prohibido (song)|Amor Prohibido " and " No Me Queda Mas|No Me Queda Más ". Cite journal| last = | first = | date = November 28, 1998 | title = Topping The Charts Year By Year | journal = Billboard | publisher = Nielsen Business Media, Inc. | volume = 110 | issue = 48 | page = LMQ3 | url = http://books.google.com/? id=MAoEAAAAMBAJ& pg=RA1-PA38& dq=rudy+la+scala& cd=1#v=onepage& q=rudy%20la%20scala | accessdate = March 3, 2010 She was called " Honorific nicknames in popular music|The Queen of Tejano music "sfn|Mitchell|1995|p= and the Mexican equivalent of Madonna (entertainer)|Madonna .sfn| New York Times |1995|p= Selena released her first album, Mis Primeras Grabaciones|Selena y Los Dinos , at the age of twelve. She won Female Vocalist of the Year at the 1987 Tejano Music Awards and landed a recording contract with EMI a few years later. Her fame grew throughout the early 1990s, especially in Spanish-speaking countries.
Selena Murder of Selena|was murdered at the age of 23 by Yolanda Saldívar , the president of her fan club. On April 12, 1995, two weeks after her death, George W. Bush , list of Governors of Texas|governor of Texas at the time, declared her birthday "Selena Day" in Texas.Orozco, Cynthia E. http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/QQ/fquxg.html Quintanilla Pérez, Selena. The Handbook of Texas online. Retrieved on May 29, 2009 Warner Bros. produced Selena (film)|Selena , a film based on her life starring Jennifer Lopez , in 1997. Selena's life was also the basis of the musical Selena Forever starring Veronica Vazquez as Selena. In June 2006 Selena was commemorated with a life-sized bronze statue ( Mirador de la Flor in Corpus Christi, Texas ) and a Selena museum opened there. She has sold over 21 million albums worldwide.cite web|title=15 years after her death, Selena’s legend lives on|url= http://www.houmatoday.com/article/20100401/ENTERTAINMENT/100339869|author=Hector Saldana|work=San Antonio Express-News|date=April 1, 2010|accessdate=September 23, 2010
Early life
Selena was born in Lake Jackson, Texas|Lake Jackson , Texas,sfn|Patoski|1996|p=30 as the youngest child of a Mexican American http://www.baylor.edu/pr/news.php? action=story& story=3687 HSA Banquet Features Father of Late Tejano Star Selena, Baylor University press release, November 4, 1999. Retrieved October 13, 2006. father, Abraham Quintanilla Jr. and a half- Cherokee|Cherokee Native American mother,sfn|Patoski|1996|p=20 Marcella Ofelia Samora,Ware, Susan. Notable American Women: A Biographical Dictionary , Harvard University Press 2005. ISBN 0-674-01488-X and was raised as a Jehovah's Witness .sfn| Caller-Times|April 16, 1997|p= She began singing at the age of three; when she was nine her father launched a singing group consisting of several of his children, Selena y Los Dinos .sfn| New York Times |1995|p= They initially performed at the restaurant operated by the family. The family went bankrupt soon thereafter. They relocated to Corpus Christi, Texas|Corpus Christi , Texas, where they performed wherever they could: at street corners, weddings, quinceañera s , and fairs.sfn|Patoski|1996|p=53 As Selena grew more popular as a musical performer, the demands of her performance and travel schedule began to interfere with her education. Her father pulled her out of school altogether when she was in eighth grade.sfn|Mitchell|1995|p= Eventually, at seventeen, she earned a high school diploma by correspondence.sfn|Patoski|1996|p=59
The band's efforts at spreading their names and talents paid off in 1985 when the fourteen-year-old Selena recorded her first album for a local record company. The album was not sold in stores and her father bought all of the original copies.sfn|Patoski|1996|p=49 It was re-released in 1995 under the title Mis Primeras Grabaciones .sfn|Patoski|1996|p=288 Over the next three years, while not having a recording contract, she released six more albums.
Success
At the 1987 Tejano Music Awards , Selena won Best Female Vocalist, an award she would dominate for the rest of her life.sfn|Mitchell|1995|p= http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2002/10/16/earlyshow/leisure/music/main525834.shtml "Fans, Family Remember Selena". CBSNews.com, October 17, 2002. Retrieved on July 9, 2006. In 1989, José Behar, the former head of Sony Music Entertainment|Sony Music Latin, signed Selena with Capitol Records|Capitol / EMI . He later said that he signed her because he thought he had discovered the next Gloria Estefan .sfn|Mitchell|1995|p=In 1988, she met Chris Pérez , 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 opposed their relationship and went as far as firing Pérez from the band. He eventually came to accept the relationship.sfn|Patoski|1996|p= On April 2, 1992, Selena and Pérez were married in Nueces County, Texas .sfn| New York Times |1995|p= In 1990 the album, Ven Conmigo was released, written by her brother and main songwriter Abraham Quintanilla III . This recording was the first Tejano album recorded by a female artist to achieve gold status. 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 became the manager of Selena's retail enterprises.sfn| New York Times |1995|p= In 1992, Selena’s stardom got a big boost with the song, " Como La Flor (song)|Como La Flor " off a new album, Entre a Mi Mundo . The next album, Selena Live! won Grammy Award for Best Mexican/Mexican-American Album|Best Mexican-American Album at the Grammy Awards of 1994|36th Grammy Awards .sfn| New York Times |1995|p=Listen|filename=Selena-ComoLaFlor.ogg|title="Como La Flor" (1993)|description=The song Como La Flor (song)|Como La Flor is one of Selena's best known Spanish language songs. |format= Ogg The album Amor Prohibido was released in 1994. It was nominated for a Grammy award for Grammy Award for Best Mexican/Mexican-American Album|Mexican-American Album of the Year . Selena and her band received yet more accolades in 1994. Billboard (magazine)|Billboard 's Premio Lo Nuestro awarded them six awards, including Best Latin Artist and Song of the Year for "Como La Flor". Meanwhile, her duet with the Barrio Boyzz, " Donde Quiera Que Estés ", reached number one in the Hot Latin Songs|Billboard Latin Charts . This prompted Selena to tour in Latin America.sfn|Patoski|1996|p=123 She performed a duet with El Salvador|Salvadoran singer Álvaro Torres , " Buenos Amigos ". 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 late 1994 in the U.S. and another 50,000 copies in Mexico, reaching gold status.sfn| New York Times |1995|p= Aside from music, she began designing and manufacturing a clothing line in 1994 and opened two boutiques called Selena Etc., one in Corpus Christi and the other in San Antonio, Texas|San Antonio . Both were equipped with in-house beauty salons.sfn|Patoski|1996|p=120 Hispanic Business magazine reported that the singer earned over five million dollars from these boutiques. http://www.caller.com/ccct/home/article/0,1641,CCCT_800_3654650,00.html "Selena – Life Events"dead link|date=October 2011. Corpus Christi Caller Times , March 27, 2005. Retrieved on June 7, 2006. Selena briefly played opposite Erik Estrada in a Mexican telenovela titled Dos Mujeres, Un Camino .sfn|Patoski|1996|p=134 In 1995 she entered negotiations to star in another telenovela produced by Emilio Larrosa .sfn|Patoski|1996|p=134 At the peak of her career, 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. . These demonstrations of community involvement won her loyalty from her fan base. http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll Selenadead link|date=October 2011. AllMusic.com. Retrieved on September 9, 2010. Selena scheduled her English album for release in the summer of 1995.
Murder
main|Murder of SelenaIn early 1995, the Quintanillas discovered that Saldívar was embezzlement|embezzling money from the fan club, and they decided to fire her.sfn| New York Times |1995|p= Three weeks later, Selena agreed to meet Saldívar in a Days Inn hotel in Corpus Christi, Texas|Corpus Christi http://web.archive.org/web/20070405104003/ http://chron.com/content/chronicle/metropolitan/selena/transcripts/95/10/13/param.html "Testimony of Richard Fredrickson". Houston Chronicle , October 13, 1995. Retrieved on February 1, 2008. on the morning of March 31, 1995, to retrieve financial records Saldívar had been refusing to turn over. At the hotel, Saldívar once again delayed the handover by claiming she had been raped in Mexico.sfn|Mitchell|1995|p= The singer drove Saldívar to a local hospital, where doctors found no evidence of rape. http://web.archive.org/web/20070406191637/ http://chron.com/content/chronicle/metropolitan/selena/transcripts/95/10/12/anthony.html "October 12, 1995 testimony of Carla Anthony". Houston Chronicle , October 12, 1995. Retrieved on May 21, 2008. The two returned to the motel, where Selena again demanded the missing financial papers.sfn| New York Times |1995|p= Saldívar drew a gun and aimed at Selena. As Selena tried to flee, Saldívar shot her once in her right shoulder, severing an artery. Critically wounded, Selena ran towards the lobby to get help. She collapsed on the floor as the clerk called 911, with Saldívar chasing her, calling her a "bitch". http://web.archive.org/web/20070715183634/ http://www.chron.com/content/chronicle/metropolitan/selena/transcripts/95/10/12/martinez.html "October 12, 1995, the testimony of Norma Martinez". Houston Chronicle , October 12, 1995. Retrieved on February 1, 2008. Selena died in a hospital there from loss of blood at 1:05 p.m., two weeks before her 24th birthday.Villafranca, Armando and Reinert, Patty. http://web.archive.org/web/20070621144534/ http://www.chron.com/content/chronicle/metropolitan/selena/95/04/01/killed.html "Singer Selena shot to death". Houston Chronicle , April 1, 1995. Retrieved on February 1, 2008.
Impact
Selena's death had widespread impacts. Major networks interrupted their regular programming to break the news; Tom Brokaw referred to Selena as "The Mexican Madonna (entertainer)|Madonna ". http://www.pacificnews.org/jinn/stories/3.06/970321-selena.html "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 July 18, 2006. It was front page news on The New York Times for two days after her death.Patoski, p. 174 Numerous vigils and memorials were held in her honor, and radio stations in Texas played her music non-stop. Her funeral drew 60,000 mourners, many of whom traveled from outside the United States. Among the celebrities who were reported to have phoned the Quintanilla family to express their condolences were Gloria Estefan , Celia Cruz , Julio Iglesias , and Madonna.Patoski, p. 165 People (magazine)|People magazine published a commemorative issue in honor of Selena's memory and musical career, titled Selena 1971–1995, Her Life in Pictures . The issue sold nearly 450,000 copies; two weeks later the company released a special issue for Selena, which sold more than 600,000 copies.cite journal |last1=Lannert |first1=John |last2= |first2= |year=1995 |title=Latin pride |journal=Billboard |publisher= |volume=107 |issue=23 |page=112 |url= http://books.google.com/? id=0QsEAAAAMBAJ& pg=PA62& dq=Selena+Dreaming+of+You+sold+more#v=onepage& q=Selena%20Dreaming%20of%20You%20sold%20more& f=false |doi= A few days later, Howard Stern mocked Selena's murder and burial, poked fun at her mourners, and criticized her music. Stern said, "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 and infuriated the Hispanic community across Texas.Asin, Stephanie and Dyer, R.A. http://web.archive.org/web/20070710182116/ http://www.chron.com/content/chronicle/metropolitan/selena/95/04/06/stern.html "Selena's public outraged: Shock jock Howard Stern's comments hit raw nerve." Houston Chronicle , April 6, 1995. Retrieved on February 1, 2008. After a disorderly conduct arrest warrant was issued in his name, Stern made an on-air apology, in Spanish, for his comments. http://www.tmz.com/2005/12/15/sterns-most-shocking-moments/ Stern's Most Shocking Two weeks after her death, on April 12, George W. Bush , then Governor of Texas , declared Selena's birthday April 16 as "Selena Day" in Texas. Selena was inducted into the "Latin Music Hall of Fame" in 1995.
That summer, Selena's album Dreaming of You (album)|Dreaming of You , a combination of Spanish-language songs and new English-language tracks, debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200| Billboard 200 , making her the first Hispanic singer to accomplish this feat.Hodges, Ann. http://www.chron.com/content/chronicle/features/96/12/07/selena.0-0.html "Selena legend lives on with TV movie'dead link|date=October 2011 Houston Chronicle , December 6, 1996. Retrieved on May 20, 2006. Wayback|url= http://www.chron.com/content/chronicle/features/96/12/07/selena.0-0.html|date =20060628054850|bot=DASHBotdead link|date=October 2011 and the second highest debut after Michael Jackson 's HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I|HIStory . On its release date, the album sold over 175,000 copies, a record for a female pop singer, and it sold two million copies in its first year. http://web.archive.org/web/20070406190828/ http://chron.com/content/chronicle/metropolitan/selena/96/03/31d.html "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 January 18, 2008. Dreaming of You sold more than 330,000 copies in its first week.Patoski pg. 199Cite journal|author= Nilou Panahpour|year= 1995|title= Rock and Roll yearbook, the best in music, movies, and television|journal= Rolling Stone|publisher= Straight Arrow Publishers Company|volume= |issue= 724/725|page= 64|url= |doi= |pmid= |pmc= The album was number 75 in the List of BMG Music Club's top selling albums in the United States .cite web|url= http://www.mi2n.com/press.php3? press_nb=47877|title=List of BMG Music Club's top selling albums in the United States |last1= |first1= |last2= |first2= |date= |work= |publisher= BMG|accessdate=September 13, 2010 Songs such as " I Could Fall in Love " and " Dreaming of You (Selena song)|Dreaming of You " were played widely by mainstream English-language radio, with the latter reaching number 21 on the Billboard Hot 100| Billboard Hot 100 . Meanwhile, "I Could Fall in Love", while ineligible for the Hot 100 at the time, reached number 8 on the Hot 100 Airplay chart and the top 10 on the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks|Adult Contemporary Chart . "Dreaming of You" was certified 3x music recording sales certification|Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America .cite web|title=RIAA – Gold & Platinum|work= Recording Industry Association of America|RIAA |url= http://riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php? resultpage=1& table=SEARCH_RESULTS& action=& title=dreaming%20of%20you& startYear=1958& endYear=2009& sort=Artist& perPage=25|accessdate=January 4, 2009 In October 1995, a Houston, Texas|Houston jury convicted Saldívar of first degree murder and sentenced her to life in prison, with the possibility of parole in thirty years.Graczyk, Michael. http://web.archive.org/web/20070405221519/ http://chron.com/content/chronicle/metropolitan/95/10/26/sentence.html "Selena's killer gets life". Associated Press , October 26, 1995. Retrieved on February 1, 2008. Under a judge's order, the gun used to kill Selena was destroyed in 2002, and the pieces thrown into Corpus Christi Bay . http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html? res=9C06E0D8123DF93BA35755C0A9649C8B63 National Briefing Southwest: Texas: Gun That Killed Singer Is To Be Destroyed The New York Times , June 8, 2002. Retrieved on July 16, 2006.cite web |url= http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2002-06-11/news/0206110189_1_tejano-singing-star-selena-abraham-quintanilla-corpus-christi-bay |title=Gun used in slaying of Selena destroyed | publisher = Chicago Tribune |work= chicagotribune.com |accessdate=2011-10-26
Posthumous commemorations and popularity
Jennifer Lopez played Selena in Selena (film)|a film about Selena's life .
Selena was among two other Latin artists who had the best sales of records for the year 2001.cite journal |last1=Oumano |first1=Elena |last2= |first2= |year=1999 |title=U.S. Latin Music Sales Break Records |journal=Billboard magazine |publisher= |volume=111 |issue=43 |page=108|url= http://books.google.com/? id=dwgEAAAAMBAJ& pg=PA96& dq=Selena+breaks+records#v=onepage& q& f=false |doi=
On March 16, 2011, the United States Post Office released a "Latin Legends" memorial stamp to honor Selena, Carlos Gardel , Tito Puente , Celia Cruz , and Carmen Miranda .cite web |url= http://newstaco.com/2011/01/18/selena-celia-cruz-tito-puente-in-u-s-postal-stamp-form/ |title=Selena, Celia Cruz, Tito Puente In U.S. Postal Stamp Form |author=Sara Inés Calderón |date=18 January 2011 |work= |publisher=NewsTaco |accessdate=7 March 2011
Discography
Main|Selena discography|Selena videography
Mis Primeras Grabaciones (1984)
Alpha (1986)
Muñequito de Trapo (1987)
And the Winner Is... (1987)
Preciosa (album)|Preciosa (1988)
Dulce Amor (1988)
Selena (album)|Selena (1989)
Ven Conmigo (1990)
Entre a Mi Mundo (1992)
Selena Live! (1993)
Amor Prohibido (1994)
Dreaming of You (album)|Dreaming of You (1995)
Filmography
Title
Year
Role
Notes
Don Juan DeMarco
Title
Year
Role
Notes
Johnny Canales Show
Tejano Music Awards
Dos mujeres, un camino
Selena the Movie
Por Siempre Selena
E! True Hollywood Story: The Murder Trial of Selena
Cite news|ref=harv|title=Grammy Winning Singer Selena Killed in Shooting at Texas Motel|page=1|author= New York Times |date=April 1, 1995
Cite book
|ref=harv | last = Patoski | first = Joe Nick | title = Selena: Como La Flor | year = 1996 | publisher = Little Brown and Company | location = Boston | isbn = 0316693782
SelenaSelena singlesSelena y Los Dinos Featured article
Persondata|NAME = Quintanilla-Pérez, Selena |ALTERNATIVE NAMES = |SHORT DESCRIPTION = Singer |DATE OF BIRTH = April 16, 1971 |PLACE OF BIRTH = Lake Jackson, Texas , United States |DATE OF DEATH = March 31, 1995 |PLACE OF DEATH = Corpus Christi, Texas , United States Category:Selena| Category:1971 births Category:1995 deaths Category:Actors from Texas Category:American child singers Category:American dance musicians Category:American fashion designers Category:American female models Category:American female singers Category:American film actors Category:American folk singers Category:American mezzo-sopranos Category:American murder victims Category:American music video directors Category:American musicians of Mexican descent Category:American people of Native American descent Category:American pop singers Category:American record producers Category:American rhythm and blues singers Category:American television actors Category:Capitol Records artists Category:Cumbia musicians Category:Deaths by firearm in Texas Category:English-language singers Category:Grammy Award winners Category:Latin dance singers Category:Latin pop singers Category:Hispanic and Latino American actors Category:Hispanic and Latino American models Category:Mariachi musicians Category:Murdered entertainers Category:People from Houston, Texas Category:People murdered in Texas Category:Performers of religious music Category:Polka musicians Category:Pop folk singers Category:Ranchera singers Category:Rock en Español musicians Category:Spanish-language singers Category:Tropical musicians