Selena Quintanilla, an American singer and fashion designer, was one of the most famous Mexican-American entertainers of the late 20th century. She rose to prominence in the 1980s and 1990s.
Because of her many accomplishments in the fields of music and fashion, Selena Quintanilla is commonly referred to as the “Queen of Tejano music.” Billboard magazine placed her at number three on their list of the “Greatest Latino Artists of All Time” in 2020. This ranking was determined by the sales of Latin albums and Latin singles.
Because of the way that she dressed, the media began to refer to her as the “Tejano Madonna.” The singer is credited with popularising the Tejano type of Latin music and is hailed as one of the greatest Latin performers of all time. He is also credited as being one of the most outstanding performers in Latin music history.
On March 31, 1995, the former manager of Selena Etc Boutiques and her companion, Yolanda Saldivar, were responsible for shooting and killing Selena.
What kind of racial background does Selena Quintanilla have? Is she Hispanic?
Selena Quintanilla had both Italian and Mexican ancestry in her family tree. Her mother was born in the United States and was of Italian origin, while her father was of Mexican descent and was an American-Mexican.
After her passing, a number of well-known individuals cast doubt on whether or not Selena should continue to serve as a model for Hispanic women. In her documentary about Selena, which was released in 1999, filmmaker Lourdes Portillo pondered the question of whether or not the singer served as a positive example for young women.
Selena’s dancing while dressed in a way that suggested hypersexualization, as Portillo saw it, was sending the incorrect picture to young girls, he said.
In 1987, Selena Quintanilla was recognised as the outstanding female vocalist in the Tejano Music Awards.
Selena is credited with helping to redefine a number of different subgenres of Latin music, including Tejano, Cumbia, and Latin Pop. Selena pushed the boundaries of what was considered Latin music at the time. She is widely acknowledged as one of the most influential Mexican-American vocalists of the latter half of the 20th century.
In a poll conducted by People magazine, Selena was ranked as one of the most intriguing people of the 20th century. In an article for The Monitor, Zach Quaintance referred to her death as “the most tragic loss” in the history of Tejano music.
At the time of her death, Selena was the most well-known Mexican-American vocal vocalist and the most well-liked Latin musician in the country. Selena was a pioneer in the genre of Mexican-American music. She gained a following that has been described as “cult-like” among Hispanic people.
Selena Quintanilla Parents
Selena Quintanilla was the youngest child of Abraham Quintanilla Jr., who had a career as a singer, and Marcella Ofelia Quintanilla (née Samora), who was also a musician. Selena was born to parents who were members of the Jehovah’s Witnesses religion.
When Quintanilla Jr. first took notice of the young woman’s musical ability, she was only six years old. After quitting his job as a shipping clerk at Dow Chemical, Selena’s father, Abraham Quintanilla Jr., founded Papa Gayo’s in Lake Jackson. Selena, together with her siblings A. B. Quintanilla III (on bass guitar), and Suzette Quintanilla (on drums), would frequently perform there.
The home of the insolvent family was repossessed shortly after the filing of the bankruptcy petition. They established their home in Corpus Christi, Texas, where Quintanilla Jr. started working as the band’s manager and promoter for Selena y Los Dinos, a group that he had officially founded with his kids.
They played at weddings, quinceaneras, fairs, and even on street corners to make money because they were desperately in need of it. As Selena’s career as a singer progressed and she gained more notoriety, the demands of her concert and travel schedule began to interfere with her ability to continue her studies. Her father took her out of school when she was in the seventh grade, which was a difficult time for her.
As their mode of transportation throughout the country, the Quintanilla family travelled on a remodelled school bus that Quintanilla Jr. dubbed “Big Bertha.”
During the early years of the tour, the family was so poor that they were forced to sing in order to pay for their meals, and they barely had enough money to cover their petrol expenses. In 1984, Selena released her very first long-playing album, which was titled Selena y Los Dinos and was produced in collaboration with the record label Freddie Records.
The History of the Quintanilla Family, Where Selena Comes From
Quintanilla’s paternal great-grandfather, Eulogio Quintanilla Longoria Sr., was a resident of Heroica Matamoros, which is located in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas. A.B. Quintanilla, a musician, and Suzette Quintanilla are her siblings.
Up until the time of her passing, Selena was married to Chris Pérez, who was active in the music and writing industries.
On April 3, 1995, the funeral for Selena was held in Seaside Memorial Park in Corpus Christi, Texas. It was attended by 600 people, the majority of whom were members of Selena’s immediate family. Without the family’s knowledge or consent, a radio station serving Corpus Christi and San Antonio broadcast the funeral in its entirety live online.
The intention of Quintanilla Jr. was to preserve Selena’s image as one that was pure and centred on the family. In 1989, beer businesses tried to sponsor her, but her father turned down the sponsorship opportunities. Tejano clubs frequently refused to book Selena for performances due to the fact that she was a female artist in a profession that was predominately dominated by men.
Within the 10-part podcast miniseries Anything for Selena, which was broadcast in 2021 by WBUR and Futuro Media, Latina journalist Maria Garcia “goes on an affectionate, revelatory quest to comprehend how Selena has become a potent symbol for conflicts around race, class, and body politics in the United States.”
During the same year, Selena was honoured with the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award; however, her family accepted the award on her behalf.
Murder
In the beginning of 1994, the Quintanilla family hired Yolanda Saldvar to oversee Selena’s shops. Selena appointed Saldvar as her registered agent in San Antonio, Texas, eight months later. Saldvar relocated from San Antonio to Corpus Christi after the agreement in order to be near Selena. The boutiques started to experience problems in December 1994 after both locations’ staffing levels dropped. Employees claim that Saldvar frequently let go of workers she didn’t like. Selena frequently heard complaints from store employees about Saldvar’s behaviour, but she ignored them since she thought Saldvar wouldn’t significantly affect Selena’s fashion business with his erratic judgments. Quintanilla Jr. claims that the staff eventually focused on him and started explaining Saldvar’s actions to him. Quintanilla Jr. took the allegations seriously and cautioned Selena, warning her that Saldvar might not be a good role model. Selena ignored her father’s questions because he had a history of mistrusting individuals. By January 1995, Selena’s cousin Debra Ramirez, Martin Gomez, a fashion designer, and customers had all voiced their disapproval of Saldvar’s conduct and managerial abilities. Reporters from The Dallas Morning News claimed that Saldvar’s attachment to Selena was bordering on obsession during a 1995 interview with Saldvar.
Quintanilla Jr. claims that he started his investigation after getting calls from followers in January 1995 who said they had paid for membership in the Selena fan club but had received nothing in return. Quintanilla Jr. learned that Saldvar had stolen more than $30,000 using fake checks from the stores and fan club. On the evening of March 9, Quintanilla Jr. met with Selena and Suzette at Q-Productions in order to confront Saldvar. Saldvar was provided by Quintanilla Jr. with the contradictions regarding the missing money. Quintanilla Jr. warned her that he would contact the local police if she did not present proof that refuted his claims. Saldvar was forbidden by Quintanilla Jr. from communicating with Selena in any way. Selena did not want to discontinue their friendship, either, as she believed Saldvar was crucial to the popularity of the clothing line in Mexico. In addition, Selena wanted to keep her close since she possessed the financial documents and bank records needed for filing taxes.
Saldvar put off turning over the bank statements and financial information by claiming Selena had experienced physical and sexual abuse in Mexico in the days leading up to her passing. On March 31, 1995, Saldvar and Selena showed up at a clinic, ostensibly so that Saldvar could be evaluated for an incident that Selena said occurred in Monterrey. Saldvar was given a quick physical examination by the clinic’s doctor during that visit, but it was not a gynaecological examination that is only performed in cases of sexual assault. Saldvar was told by nurse Carla Anthony that he should have the rape examination in San Antonio because he lived there, the clinic they were visiting was in Corpus Christi, and the assault took place there. Selena and Saldvar subsequently reconnected at her hotel room at the Days Inn in Corpus Christi. Selena sought the financial documents at the hotel. Saldvar pulled a revolver out of her purse and pointed it towards Selena around 11:48 a.m. (CST). Saldvar shot Selena once in the right lower shoulder as she tried to get away, severing the subclavian artery and resulting in a significant blood loss. Despite being seriously hurt, Selena sprinted into the lobby, leaving a 392-foot (119-meter) blood trail in her wake. Saldvar was still following her and calling her a “bitch” as she collapsed to the ground while the clerk dialled 911. Selena identified Saldvar as her attacker and provided the number of the room where she had been shot before falling. Saldvar attempted to drive away in her pickup during this time. However, a responding police cruiser noticed her. After a standoff with police and the FBI that lasted about nine and a half hours, she gave herself up. At that point, hundreds of supporters had arrived, and many of them began to cry as the police removed Saldavar.
When Selena was brought to Corpus Christi Memorial Hospital at noon (CST), her pupils were fixed and dilated, there was no sign of neurological function, no vital signs were present, and she was deemed clinically brain dead. When heart surgeon Dr. Louis Elkins arrived at Memorial Hospital, he reported witnessing medical professionals making “heroic efforts” to revive Selena. After opening Selena’s chest and discovering severe internal bleeding, they were able to sustain a “erratic heartbeat” long enough to move her to the trauma centre. They also started blood transfusions in an effort to restore blood circulation. By the time Elkins arrived, her heart had stopped beating and an emergency physician had started “massaging” it. Elkins indicated that all efforts had been ineffective and claimed that if he had been Selena’s doctor, he would not have administered any therapies. After the emergency department doctor decided to revive the singer, he felt “obligated to continue.” [148] She was pronounced dead from blood loss and cardiac arrest at 1:05 after 50 minutes of surgery (CST). Due to the overwhelmingly positive media coverage, an autopsy was carried out that day. The right subclavian artery was severed, the bullet entered Selena’s upper right back near her shoulder blade, travelled through her chest cavity, and finally left her right upper chest. Additionally, since this was a homicide, her official cause of death was listed as “exsanguinating internal and external haemorrhage due to perforating gunshot wound,” resulting in “massive bleeding,” and an internal examination revealed she had not ingested any drugs. She was also not pregnant, despite a rumour that started spreading after her death.