Since the tragic anniversary of Selena’s death is coming up I decided to read the book that her ex-husband Chris Perez wrote just for her called To Selena, With Love. Selena Quintanilla was a Tejano singer. People call her “the Queen of Tejano Music” and “the Mexican Madonna.” Selena is from Lake Jackson, Texas and she had many hits like “Amor Prohibido,” “Como La Flor,” “Dreaming of You,” “Bidi Bidi Bom Bom,” and many more. Selena had many memorable moments, like when she won the Grammys for Best Mexican-American Album in 1994 also in 2021 she won the Lifetime Achievement award.
Selena did not only want to be a singer but she also wanted to open a clothing store and she did, Selena Etc., that was opened on January 27, 1994. She actually designed her band’s clothes for her concerts. Another memorable moment for her was performing in the Astrodome three years in a row! She also signed with Capitol/EMI Latin and that’s when she popped up. At the age of six her dad had discovered her hidden talent and then he started a family band called Selena y Los Dinos like the band that he was in called Los Dinos. Selena’s brother A.B. was the guitarist and later went on to be Selena’s producer, Selena’s sister was on the drums, and Selena was the singer.
Selena’s dad Abraham opened up a Mexican restaurant and Selena and her crew would sing there to entertain people. She would be at fairs, wedding, and parties. She stopped going to school in 8th grade but later stopped singing. My favorite album by Selena might be Amor Prohibido and my favorite song from that album may be “El Chico Del Apartamento 512” and “No Me Queda Más.” Fun fact, Selena didn’t actually write it; her keyboardist Ricky Vela did and he wrote it for Selena’s sister Suzette. Selena was not only a singer and fashion designer, but she also acted in a movie called Don Juan DeMarco starring Johnny Depp. She acted as a singer, just as in real life.
Sadly on March 31, 1995 Selena died due to her own “best friend” and the president of Selena’s fan club Yolanda Saldívar shooting her, three days before Selena and her husband Chris Perez’s anniversary. She actually showed Selena the gun days before the crime but Saldívar said it was for protection because she had been getting threats and recently in the documentary Selena and Yolanda: The Secrets Between Them, she said that she was scared of Abraham. Selena’s funeral was held on April 3, 1995.
Perez talks about how Selena and he met and how any chance they got to sneak out they would, because no one could know about their relationship. She was so funny and she was a great person. I never understood how Saldívar could do such a thing and if it was out of jealousy. Selena and Perez had a secret wedding that not even their family knew about. Perez wrote how he had been kicked from the band for getting caught with Selena. It’s one of my favorite moments of Perez’s book because it shows how much their love meant to them. It also mentions how many of Selena’s close friends were very suspicious of Saldívar. Selena’s employees had all put in money to buy Selena something but then Saldívar said she could buy it and to just give her the money. But when she bought Selena an egg ring she did not mention how all the employees saved up to buy this, and instead she said that she bought it all by herself. Abraham made a meeting with Saldívar to confront her about her stealing money from the fan club. On March 30th Saldívar had called Selena to come and pick up some paperwork but Perez had went with her that time. People thought that if Perez wasn’t there Saldívar would’ve done it right then and there but in the night Selena got a call and it was Saldívar telling her that she forgot to give Selena one more document for the fan club because Saldívar had been fired and then Selena went alone the next day.
More than 6,000 people attended Selena’s funeral, which shows that many people loved Selena and still do to this day. At the funeral people did not belive that Selena was dead and thought they were lying so Abraham opened the casket so they would believe them. If it hurts us now imagine how it hurts for Selena’s family. Selena is a role model to me and one thing she said in an interview was, “Always believe that the impossible is always possible.” Selena’s legacy will forever be remembered for her great music. She was so young and barely started her career; she had a lot of things planned. Now Selena has a museum that is located in Corpus Christi, Texas and has Selena’s outfits that she wore to her concerts and to the award shows, all her makeup and collaborations that she made, and her red Porsche that caused her to have many speeding tickets, because Selena use to love to speed.
