PEOPLE Selena

By Meredith Corporation

Twenty-five years after her death, Selena Quintanilla-Pérez remains one of the most influential and beloved Latin artists of all time. PEOPLE's new special edition celebrates her life and career, from her most memorable performances and stage looks, to the close bond she shared with her family. A new exclusive interview with her parents and siblings reveal how they are keeping Selena's legacy alive. Plus: Today's performers share what her influence meant to their lives and careers and how Jennifer Lopez captured her spirit, brought her to a new audience and launched her own career in the process. We also include an inside look at the 2020 series, Selena, coming from Netflix.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Meredith Corporation
• Release date: Mar 13, 2020
• ISBN: 9781547851072

Book preview

LIFE IN PICTURES

A Song in Her Heart

Onstage and off, Selena Quintanilla projected love: for family, for music and for the fans who adored her right back

AMERICAN IDOL Selena (in concert in 1993) said she hoped to be remembered as a person who cared a lot, and I gave the best that I could, and I tried to be the best role model that I possibly could.

TWENTY-FIVE YEARS HAVE PASSED SINCE the shocking and untimely death of Tejano singing star Selena Quintanilla. Vibrant, magnetic and fiercely talented, at 23, Selena was already revered in Hispanic communities across the nation and seemed on the cusp of far broader popular acclaim. Instead her brilliant flame was brutally snuffed out when it should have burned brightest. And yet Selena is very much with us, as if the luminously joyful spirit she displayed in life has outshone the dark and lurid circumstances of her death. Glance at a photo of the singer beaming in one of those signature flashy outfits—a spangled crop top, or a gold lamé jacket she designed herself—and her innate exuberance still jumps out and grabs you. The music lives on, of course, in that powerhouse voice, which Time’s late critic Richard Corliss said could suggest everything from Edith Piaf’s melodramatic contralto to the coloratura riffs of Mariah Carey. Selena was often referred to as the Mexican-American Madonna, though it wasn’t an exact comparison. True, both divas embraced their sexuality, but Selena was also the girl next door, clean-cut despite her provocative attire and acutely aware that for millions of young people she was a role model. And she never forgot where she came from.

Selena hailed from a hardscrabble neighborhood of Corpus Christi, Texas, where kids grew up with scant hopes and few opportunities. But she, along with the family who saw and supported her talent, was undeterred. With a positive attitude, Selena once said, you can be anything you want to be. Her story, as music journalist Ramiro Burr wrote, was tangible evidence that Mexican-American culture in general, and Tejano music, with its roots in the dusty cantinas of Texas and the Southwest, was something of which to be proud. A quarter-century after she was laid to rest, Selena remains a beacon of pride and possibility. And it is that legacy we celebrate in this issue dedicated to her.

LITTLE STAR From age 9, the singer (with dad Abraham, left) fronted family band Selena y Los Dinos. Selena would fall asleep behind the speakers between sets, sister Suzette recalled. She was still a little kid, so performing really wore her out.

STRIKE A POSE Her father sometimes objected to her midriff-baring outfits, but Selena (ca. 1994) managed to own her sexuality yet still maintain a wholesome image.

TEAM SELENA Selena y Los Dinos in 1988. Surrounding the singer are (clockwise from bottom left) brother A.B., Joe Ojeda, Ricky Vela and Suzette.

IF WE WENT TO A SCHOOL DANCE, IT WAS BECAUSE WE WERE THE ENTERTAINMENT. ME AND SELENA WOULD TALK ABOUT GUYS BETWEEN SETS, LIKE, ‘DID YOU SEE THAT GUY IN THE FRONT? HE WAS CUTE!’

—SUZETTE QUINTANILLA

PURPLE REIGN At the 1995 Tejano Music Awards, Selena was named Top Female Vocalist.

FLOWER POWER A familiar sight at Selena’s concerts: the star accepting a bouquet including long-stemmed white roses, her favorites

TEJANO DYNAMO Writing of Selena’s appeal, historian Matt S. Meier cited her contagious energy onstage and her special

Reviews for PEOPLE Selena

[Jennifer · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I loved hearing her sing her voice was so smooth an full of emotion. She loved life and she shared this with her fans up until her passing...she will always be remembered..