Selena Is Born
Selena Quintanilla was born to Marcella Ofelia Quintanilla and Abraham Isaac Quintanilla Jr. on April 16, 1971, much to their surprise, as they were expecting a boy! It’s said that their new son’s name would be “Marc Anthony”, but they had no idea how widely known their chosen girl's name would become. She was brought into a busy family, with two older siblings and a father who worked in the music industry as a singer and producer.
Selena was raised as a Jehovah’s Witness by her homemaker mother and musician father, who moved into a different industry and opened a Mexican restaurant in Texas in 1979. Her childhood was anything but boring!
A Young Superstar
One thing that Selena Quintanilla certainly inherited from her father was her musical abilities. At age six, Abraham noticed how good her singing voice was, later telling a magazine how her “time and pitch were perfect”. She loved to sing, whether it was songs on the radio or just to herself around the house. Though Abraham Quintanilla sang in Spanish, his daughter learned to sing in English, something that would change as she rose to global fame.
When she turned nine, Selena entered an exciting new chapter in her life, one that would lead to the successful launch of her music career. Her talent, determination, and charisma would take her to extraordinary new heights.
Dinner and a Show
Abraham continued to nurture his daughter’s natural talent, having her and her siblings, Abraham III and Suzette, perform as a family band at his restaurant. Her brother played guitar, her sister played drums, and Selena took center stage with her amazing vocals. Inspired by their father’s band, Los Dinos, the Quintanilla siblings named themselves “Selena y Los Dinos”, showcasing their incredible potential. They regularly entertained patrons at Papa Gayo’s with their own renditions of Tejano ballads and other big songs.
As she grew in age and confidence, Selena’s father realized that she could become a real success in the music industry. However, his plans for Selena y Los Dinos were scuppered in 1981.
Falling on Hard Times
Though it only opened in 1980, Abraham Quintanilla was forced to close Papa Gayo’s just one year later when the 1980s oil glut triggered a financial crisis that priced out many Texas businesses. This left Selena y Los Dinos without a stage to perform on, and things only got harder from there. After her parents declared bankruptcy, Selena and her family were evicted from their home in Freeport. With nothing left for them there, they decided to pursue better things in Corpus Christi.
The Quintanillas needed money, and their family band seemed like the answer. Abraham became their manager, arranging for his three children to perform at events like weddings, fairs, and quinceañeras.
A Full-Time Job and the Family's Breadwinner
Even with their performances at various events, the band needed to work harder to earn enough to support their family. As a result, Abraham made the decision to pull Selena out of school and have her work as a singer full-time. Her eighth-grade teacher, Marilyn Greer, disagreed with Abraham’s decision to cut Selena’s education short and threatened to report him to the Texas Board of Education. However, she was unceremoniously told to “mind her business” by the Quintanilla patriarch.
Though the band became her full-time job, Selena still pursued an education. She earned a high school diploma when she was 17 and enrolled at Pacific Western University on a business administration course.
She Learned Spanish Right Before Recording Her First Album
Selena had grown up singing in English, but Abraham envisioned her fully embracing her Mexican heritage and finding success in the Spanish language. In the lead-up to the band’s first album, Selena had several sessions with her father to learn Spanish phonetically. She also watched Spanish soap operas and listened to tapes of people speaking the language. Over time, her Spanish became more fluent, and she was able to naturally speak the words, turning them into music.
Learning Spanish allowed Selena to break into Tejano music, which, at the time, was a very male-dominated genre. She worked hard on the band’s LP, but the road ahead still had some bumps.
Her Dad Had Issues With the Record Labels
Though Selena y Los Dinos were transitioning into a professional career, Abraham maintained control over the band as their manager. They were signed to Freddie Records in 1981 and instantly began writing and promoting their debut album, making their name known across Texas. However, the president of the record label told Abraham that the band wasn’t ready to debut, leading to a fallout that resulted in the latter cutting ties with Freddie Records and taking the band elsewhere.
But their lack of a record label didn’t deter Selena and her siblings. They continued to make music, releasing songs to bolster their musical reputation while Abraham searched for a new label to work with.
Gaining Industry Recognition
Selena constantly had to work to prove herself. Promoters told Abraham that she would never be successful because she was a woman breaking into male-centric music, but she refused to give up. That determination was beginning to pay off. After parting ways with Freddie Records in 1984, Selena y Los Dinos released several records, including Alpha, their first album released without the threat of legal action, and Muñequito de Trapo, which featured a popular single of the same name.
In 1988, Rudy Trevino, founder of the Tejano Music Awards, officially recognized Selena after she won “Female Vocalist of the Year” at the 1987 ceremony. She would go on to claim the accolade for nine consecutive years.
Talent and Intellect
Though she was finally on track to make it big in the music industry after working diligently on her craft since she was just nine years old, Selena still wanted more for herself. That was the impetus behind her decision to re-enter education after her father’s decision to pull her out of school when she was 13. Her teachers had expressed worries about her academic capabilities when her music career took precedence, but Selena proved that she had both talent and intellect.
She graduated with a degree in business administration, undoubtedly learning essential skills and tactics that would help her manage her music career. Though people frequently doubted her, Selena proved them all wrong.
The Performance That Changed Everything
After being discovered by Rudy Trevino, Selena was invited to take to the stage at his Tejano Music Awards in 1988. Along with the other members of Selena y Los Dinos, she performed a medley of songs from their 1988 albums Preciosa and Dulce Amor. Throughout the performance, Selena had the audience in the palm of her hand, spellbound by her phenomenal vocals. The presidents of EMI Latin Records and Sony Latin Music were in attendance, wondering just who this new superstar was.
Finally, Abraham’s hard promotional work came to fruition. He had told the industry for years about Selena’s talent, and now two huge record labels wanted to sign her! Selena’s life was truly about to change forever.
Rise to Stardom
With record labels fighting over her, Selena had incredible prospects for her solo career. Ultimately, she went with EMI Latin Records on her father’s advice, noting the potential to attract a variety of audiences. Her self-titled album was released on October 17, 1989, and it peaked at number seven on the US Billboard Regional Mexican Albums chart. Her brother, Abraham III, was a producer on the album, and she also worked with other Mexican songwriters to achieve a strong regional sound.
After the success of Selena, Quintanilla was quick to release her second solo album, Ven Conmigo, a year later. Her music continued to evolve and reach new fanbases, encouraging Selena to expand her inner circle.
A Forbidden Romantic Connection
One of these new additions to her personal and professional life was a new guitarist named Chris Pérez. He was a friend of Selena’s brother, who joined Selena y Los Dinos and helped compose jingles for Coca-Cola commercials after Selena was named a spokesperson for the brand. The longer they worked together, the clearer it became that there was a romantic connection between Selena and Chris, despite the fact that he had a girlfriend in San Antonio.
Though Chris tried to downplay his feelings, the connection only continued to grow, and it became impossible for him to distance himself from Selena. Eventually, he decided to give in to his feelings and build a relationship with her instead.
An Undeniable Love
Though Selena and Chris agreed to keep their relationship private to avoid any judgment or attempts to break them up, their love for each other was undeniable. They spent a lot of time together as bandmates, and Selena was stressed out by the fact that she couldn’t publicly announce her feelings for Chris. They actually first revealed their feelings to each other in a Pizza Hut, agreeing to become a secret couple while remaining co-workers to the rest of the world.
Their biggest worry was that her father, Abraham, would forbid the relationship because he wanted Selena’s sole focus to be her career. And, as future events would soon demonstrate, they were correct.
Meeting Yolanda Saldívar
At the height of Selena’s career and her growing relationship with Chris Pérez, Yolanda Saldívar was simply a huge fan of her music. She reached out to the Quintanilla family multiple times to discuss the idea of creating a Selena fan club in San Antonio, and her suggestion sounded like a great way to bring people together and increase Selena’s exposure. With the family’s ultimate agreement, Yolanda launched the fan club in 1991 and became its president.
By 1993, the fan club had 1,500 members and would eventually exceed 5,000. Yolanda Saldívar became a contact of the Quintanilla family and would go on to play a more dominant role in Selena’s life.
A Duet of Dreams
Things only continued to get better for Selena as her career progressed. Though she was successful when singing on her own, she also recorded some great duets. One of these was an absolute dream come true for her as she endeavored to fully break into the Latin genre. Alvaro Torres, one of the best-known Latin singers, was enchanted by Selena’s voice and reached out to her about a duet. Selena did not hesitate to accept.
They released “Buenos Amigos” in 1992, topping the Billboard Latin charts. The duet only elevated Selena’s profile, opening up a whole world of possibilities for her in Latin music that she eagerly embraced.
A Forbidden Relationship
Though she hated it, Selena did a good job of concealing her ongoing relationship with Chris. It was actually her sister, Suzette, who informed her father after catching them together, and, as they’d expected, he was furious. He ordered them to break up and removed Chris from the tour bus, but they continued their relationship. This culminated in an explosive fight between Selena and her father, with the latter calling Chris “a cancer to my family”.
Things only became more heated and emotional as Selena screamed back at her father, and he threatened to disband the group if they didn’t end their relationship. In the end, Chris was fired from the band.
No Other Choice
Selena loved and respected her father, but she also fiercely loved Chris and couldn’t let the relationship go that easily. She was left with no other choice but to do something incredibly bold. Early in the morning of April 2, 1992, Selena turned up at Chris’ hotel room in tears and refused to leave without him. She insisted that her father would never accept their relationship without something as binding as marriage, and when Chris agreed, they eloped in Nueces County, Texas.
Selena’s family first heard about her elopement on the radio. Abraham still refused to accept it and distanced himself. However, he eventually apologized to the couple and invited Chris to rejoin the band with his blessing.
Going to the Next Level
While Selena’s dream personal life became a reality, so did her biggest career goals. With plenty of musical achievements already under her belt, she was able to take a bit more of a risk with her third album. She worked closely with her new husband and producer brother on 1992’s Entre a Mi Mundo, successfully putting a modern twist on an eclectic collection of genres. It was a Tejano cumbia album that incorporated R&B, funk, rock, and disco.
Entre a Mi Mundo swiftly topped the Mexican Billboard charts and maintained its first-place spot for the rest of the year. Selena was riding high, and it seemed like nothing could bring her down.
Winning Hearts in Mexico
Despite making a huge name for herself singing in Spanish, Selena never quite achieved fluency in conversation. So when she decided to take the plunge and attend a press conference in Mexico, her family and record label had some concerns. They didn’t want her to unintentionally alienate her Spanish-speaking fanbase by struggling to speak the language to them. Selena was determined to try her best and prove them wrong again.
When she arrived at the press conference, her easy, infectious energy won her the room. She laughed off her mistakes and made every effort to encourage conversation in Spanish, only making people love her more.
Relishing Her Success
Selena had earned every bit of her success, but she knew how quickly the music industry could discard artists who didn’t take every opportunity to further their careers. So, shortly after the release of her third album, Selena released Selena Live! This was a collection of live recordings of some of her biggest hits, as well as three other studio tracks. The album was recorded in Corpus Christi during a free concert performed at the Memorial Coliseum on February 7, 1993.
Selena Live! was so successful that it won Best Mexican-American Album at the 36th Grammy Awards. Critics praised the album and even proclaimed Selena to be the Mexican equivalent of Madonna!
Seeking Further Opportunities
While singing was her greatest passion, Selena sought opportunities beyond the music industry. Many singers also found success in the film and television industry, and Selena briefly turned her hand to acting. She was invited to appear as herself in the Mexican telenovela Dos Mujeres, Un Camino, and even though she only featured in two episodes, many tuned in to watch just to see her. Her appearance gave the show record-high viewership!
One of Selena’s biggest talents was her ability to forge connections, as she did with the show’s top producer Emilio Larroso. Her brief turn to acting showed her how many additional avenues she could pursue next.
A Savvy Businesswoman
One of these avenues was business, specifically fashion. People were enamored with Selena’s fabulous outfits, so there was a ready-made market available for her to open a clothing business. She designed the majority of her eye-catching stage outfits herself, and many fans wanted to get their hands on those designs. In 1994, she launched Selena Etc., a Texas-based clothing boutique and beauty salon. True to her love for her home, Selena based its headquarters in Corpus Christi, Texas.
The business quickly grew, and Selena opened another boutique in San Antonio. Yolanda Saldívar, the president of her fan club, was promoted to become manager of both boutiques, a decision that would have tragic, unprecedented consequences.
Holding Onto Her Crown
Selena’s other successful ventures never distracted her from making great music. In 1994, she dropped her fourth solo album, Amor Prohibido, writing songs alongside other band members Ricky Vela and Pete Astudillo. As with her third album, Selena took a risk by experimenting a bit more with her sound. Amor Prohibido dealt with heavy topics like social divisions, women’s struggles, and various relationship woes. It blended Tejano sound with other styles like hip-hop and ranchera.
Fans and critics loved it, earning Selena her second Grammy win. She firmly held onto her crown as the “Queen of Tejano Music”, becoming one of the biggest names in the genre!
A Busy Period
Selena was at the top of her game, and she wanted to stay there. She was offered numerous incredible opportunities, including a crossover album, which she had been denied when she first signed with EMI Latin. Plenty of musicians and producers were desperate to collaborate with her, and she wanted to take every great opportunity. However, this created a very busy period in her life that led her to allocate more responsibilities to third parties, including Yolanda Saldívar.
Yolanda was promoted again, this time becoming Selena’s registered agent. The singer hoped that her employee and friend would take some of the pressure off of her by making important decisions when she wasn’t around.
The First Red Flag
Yolanda was somebody that Selena trusted, and the two women had grown close through their professional relationship. However, in 1995, the first red flag would appear for Selena, no matter how much she didn’t want to believe it. Staff working at Selena Etc. began complaining that Yolanda treated them well in front of Selena but was very different behind the scenes. Staff numbers dwindled from 38 to 14 because Yolanda fired employees that she didn’t like, which Selena initially believed to be ludicrous.
However, when Selena’s father began to receive angry phone calls from fans who had not received memorabilia that they’d paid for, he began to dig into Yolanda’s financial management. What he found changed everything.
Confronting Yolanda
Abraham discovered that Yolanda had embezzled over $60,000 from company accounts using forged checks. As well as damaging relationships with Selena’s employees, designers, and other advisers, she was also taking financial advantage of her. Selena was accompanied by Abraham and Suzette when she confronted Yolanda on March 9, 1995. Abraham presented the evidence, and Yolanda did not deny the accusation. Selena’s protective father banned Yolanda from contacting his daughter, but Selena wasn’t so ruthless.
Despite the betrayal, she still saw some good in Yolanda and felt she was a crucial asset to her business successes. She wanted Yolanda to give her side of the story, though Suzette also encouraged her to fire her.
Manipulating the Situation
Yolanda knew that she had been caught out, so she played on Selena’s good nature to manipulate the situation in her favor. One day after the confrontation, Yolanda called Selena and the two argued over the phone, with Selena struggling to believe her friend’s innocence. She needed bank records and financial statements that Yolanda deliberately withheld, though she told Selena that it had been stolen. She also claimed to have been assaulted, though there were inconsistencies in her story.
Abraham believed that Yolanda had fabricated the assault in an attempt to get Selena alone and murder her. However, Selena had thwarted her plan by bringing her husband, Chris, along with her.
A Liar Exposed
On March 30, 1995, Yolanda phoned Selena again and asked her to take her to a hospital because she was bleeding. Selena’s kind heart won out, and she agreed, unaware of how dangerous Yolanda truly was. Doctors attempted to carry out a gynecological exam, but Yolanda continuously refused and also backtracked on her story that she was bleeding copiously. Fed up with being lied to and manipulated, Selena was ready to cut Yolanda off for good. However, she still needed those important documents.
Selena and Yolanda loudly argued back at the latter’s motel room. Selena dumped out Yolanda’s satchel in a bid to recover her documents, and, to her horror, a gun dropped out with them.
A Deadly Encounter
Yolanda had first purchased a gun on March 10, 1995, after the Quintanilla family uncovered her embezzlement. Abraham believed that she had been planning to murder Selena ever since then; she simply hadn’t had the chance to do it. When the revolver fell out of her bag and onto the bed, Yolanda snatched it up and pointed it at Selena. For years, she had been obsessed with her, and she couldn’t accept that Selena never wanted to see her again.
Selena was terrified and tried to flee, but Yolanda pulled the trigger and shot her in the back, damaging an artery. What had begun as an argument rapidly became a deadly encounter that Selena never would have anticipated.
Selena’s Final Words
Selena had been fatally wounded by the gunshot and was bleeding heavily. She continued to run from Yolanda’s room and into the motel lobby, searching desperately for help. The blood trail behind her was 392 feet long. As she screamed for help with Yolanda in pursuit, motel staff leaped into action, later noting that Yolanda calmly returned to her room. Selena collapsed, and staff worked to stop the bleeding while calling for an ambulance.
Though she was terrified and in agony, Selena identified her shooter. Her last words were “Yolanda… 158”, letting everybody know exactly who had shot her and where. Devastatingly, these were Selena’s final words.
The Loss of a Superstar
Selena began losing consciousness in the motel lobby, and her body became limp. An ambulance arrived less than two minutes after being called, and she was rushed to hospital with a very slow heartbeat. A paramedic performed CPR to keep her alive, but they struggled to insert an intravenous needle because her veins had collapsed from blood loss. When she arrived at the hospital, Selena was declared clinically brain dead, with massive internal bleeding and trauma.
Doctors fought valiantly to save her, opening her chest and administering drugs into her heart. However, Selena eventually succumbed to her injuries. Meanwhile, Yolanda tried to run from the police and was later taken into custody by the FBI.
An Unexplainable Tragedy
Selena was an incredibly famous figure, and nobody could have predicted how tragically and brutally her life would end. She was officially pronounced dead at 1:05 pm on March 31, 1995, at Corpus Christi Memorial Hospital. The world was left reeling, and fans put immense pressure on the authorities to uncover what had happened to her. However, they found no comfort in Selena’s autopsy, which revealed that the singer’s death could potentially have been avoided.
The bullet fatally severed Selena’s right artery, but it was just one millimeter away from doing significantly less damage. The massive blood loss had greatly reduced Selena’s chances of survival, and it could have been reduced.
Honored With Roses
Immediately after her death was announced, vigils were held across Texas in Selena’s memory. On April 3, 1995, 600 guests attended her funeral, as well as fans who brought a collective 60,000 white roses to honor her. Selena had supposedly relayed a recurring dream that she had about being unable to catch a white rose thrown by a mystery person before bright white lights appeared. The rose was her favorite flower, but the dreams frightened Selena.
Some believe these dreams to be premonitions of her death. In the 1997 movie Selena, the singer, played by Jennifer Lopez, can be seen standing on stage as a white rose is thrown towards her.
Saying a Final Goodbye
Though nobody could believe it, Selena was gone. Her husband, family, and bandmates were all mourning a devastating loss, and the rest of the world echoed their grief. Selena’s songs played on repeat on the radio, and candlelit vigils were held across the country. At Selena’s funeral, her family arrived to say a tearful final goodbye. They also held an open-casket viewing, with fans lining up in a mile-long queue to pay their respects. Selena was laid to rest at Seaside Memorial Park.
Through the collective sorrow and grief felt by her loved ones and all the fans who had loved her, there was something fierce bonding everybody together: they wanted Yolanda to pay for her crime.
Justice For Selena
Yolanda Saldívar had cut Selena Quintanilla’s extraordinary life tragically short, but she refused to take responsibility for her actions, claiming that the shooting was accidental. She remained in custody while the wrath of the world grew. Yolanda pleaded not guilty, maintaining that she hadn’t shot Selena deliberately. However, on October 23, 1995, she was found guilty of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment without eligibility for parole for 30 years.
And Selena’s influence didn’t end with her death. The crossover album that she’d been so thrilled to create was released in July 1995, and her music still draws new fans to this day. Her life may have been short, but it was incredible.