The Queen of Tejano Music

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Welcome to my last action project for Journalism. During this unit, we focused on documenting voices and how impactful recordings can be. For this action project, we were tasked with choosing an impactful voice of the 20th century and creating a short podcast about that individual. I chose Selena Quintanilla-Perez. Selena Quintanilla-Perez known as simply Selena, was an American singer, songwriter, actress, and fashion designer. She was named the "Queen of Tejano music" and was also known as the "Mexican Madonna". Selena was born as the last child of a Mexican-American father. She released her first LP record at the age of 12 with her Selena y Los Dinos band. At the 1987 Tejano Music Awards, she won the Female Vocalist of the Year award. She won this award nine times in a row. In 1989 Selena signed a record deal with EMI Latin. She released five Spanish language albums with EMI Latin, each having successful charts and sales. Selenas life was sadly cut short when she was murdered by Yolanda Saldivar. Selena's legacy continues to live on through the many museums, memorials, her songs, her interviews, and movies dedicated to her life. Selena created songs that brought a fresh, feminine, and modern twist to Latin music. Selena was a role model to all and forever changed Tejano music. 




Podcast Transcript:


[00:01] - Music 

(Selena live from Astrodome | Bidi Bidi Bom Bom)


[00:11] - CH & Bidi Bidi Bom Bom instrumental

Selena Quintanilla was an American singer, songwriter, businesswoman, actress, and fashion designer. Referred to as the "Queen of the Tejano music", her contributions to music and fashion made her one of the most celebrated Mexican-American entertainers of the late 20th century. Billboard magazine put her in third place on their list of "Greatest Latino Artists of All Time" with being the highest-ranked female. Media outlets called her the "Tejano Madonna" for her clothing choices. She also ranks among the most influential Latin artists of all time.


[00:39] - CH & Bidi Bidi Bom Bom instrumental

Of the youngest children of the Quintanilla family, she debuted on the music scene as a member of the band Selena y Los Dinos, which included her elder siblings. In the 1980s, she was often criticized and was refused bookings at venues across Texas for performing Tejano music- a male-dominated music genre. However, her popularity grew after she won the Tejano Music Award for Female Vocalist of the Year in 1987, which she won nine consecutive times. She signed with EMI Latin(Record Label) in 1989 and released her self-titled debut album in the same year, while her brother became her principal music producer and songwriter. Selena released Entre a Mi Mundo in 1992, which peaked at number one on the US Billboard Regional Mexican album chart for eight consecutive months.


[01:28] - CH & Bidi Bidi Bom Bom instrumental

The album's commercial success led music critics to call it the "breakthrough" recording of her musical career. One of its singles, "Como La Flor", became one of the most popular signature songs. Selena won Best Mexican American album at the 1994 Grammy Awards, becoming the first recording by a female Tejano artist to do so.

[00:01:50] - Music

(Selena live from Astrodome | Como La Flor)


[02:12] - CH

It was critically acclaimed as being responsible for Tejano music's first marketable era as it became one of the most popular Latin music subgenres at the time.


[2:23] - 911 Operator & Clerk & Guitar

(911 call from the Days Inn in Corpus Christi, Texas | Selena shot)

(acoustic guitar begins playing)


[02:34] - CH & Guitar

Selena was shot and killed on March 31, 1995, by Yolanda Saldivar, her friend and the former manager of Selena boutiques. Selena's murder had a widespread impact, reactions to her death compared to those following the deaths of musicians John Lennon and Elvis Presley and that of US President John F. Kennedy. Her funeral drew 60,000 mourners and many of whom traveled from outside the United States. The news struck the Hispanic community extremely hard. Many fans traveled thousands of miles to see Selena's house and boutiques and the crime scene.


[03:08] - Ale & Guitar

Her death, really? I wasn't born when she died, so I would always hear that story from my mom like, oh, she died at a very young age. Her assistant killed her.


[03:20] - CH & Guitar

Major television networks interrupted the regular programming to break the news, and radio stations in Texas played her music nonstop. On April 12, 1995, two weeks after Selena's death, George W. Bush, the governor of Texas at the time, declared her birthday April 16, Selena day in the state, he said Selena represented the essence of South Texan culture. In 2002, under a judge's order, the gun used to kill Selena was destroyed, and the pieces were thrown in the Corpus Christie Bay. Fans and historians disproved of the decision to destroy the gun, saying the event was historical and the gun should have been put in a Museum.


[04:01] - CH & Guitar

Although Selena did not write most of her songs, she incorporated R&B, Latin, technopop, country, Western, and disco into her Tejano music repertoire.


[04:12] - Ale & Guitar

Her music was really inspiring. I would say it set the mood for everything. It was just amazing to hear her sing. I really wish I would have been able to see her or see one of her concerts.


[04:29] - CH & Guitar

Selena wore outfits that accented her physical attributes and was not afraid to wear outfits she liked. Despite criticism from her parents who thought Selena's choices of outfits were inappropriate for young girls who began emulating Selena, her views on public image and fashion industry were bothersome. She said she was opposed to the image that all women should be "rail thin" and the notion that they must wear certain outfits and be super young to be beautiful. Selena was credited as the first woman to change public perceptions of feminine beauty in the Tejano market.


[04:57] - CH & Guitar

A feminist, she blazed a trail for other female artists during her career.


[05:03] - Ale & Guitar

Now we have Netflix series. Now we have movies. We have YouTube. We have all of that. That helps us stay connected to her music. And it's crazy that after so long of her dying, her music is still popular, which really lets us know that she was an amazing artist and that's how amazing she was in general. Like it's crazy. But it was really well deserved for her.


[5:28] - Guitar

(acoustic guitar continues playing - slowly fading out)


[5:46] - Guitar

(acoustic guitar ends)



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