Selena Quintanilla Pérez was an American singer. Referred to as the "Queen of Tejano Music", her contributions to music and fashion made her one of the most celebrated Mexican-American entertainers of the late 20th century. In 2020, Billboard magazine put her in third place on their list of "Greatest Latino Artists of All Time", based on both Latin albums and Latin songs chart. Media outlets called her the "Tejano Madonna" for her clothing choices. She also ranks among the most influential Latin artists of all time and is credited for catapulting the Tejano genre into the mainstream market.
Amor Prohibido is the fourth studio album by American singer Selena, released on March 22, 1994, by EMI Latin. Having reached a core fan base, the label aimed to broaden her appeal with the next studio release. Finding it challenging to write a follow-up hit after "Como la Flor" (1992), Selena's brother A. B. Quintanilla enlisted the assistance from band members Ricky Vela and Pete Astudillo with writing the album's songs. The resulting album has a more mature sound featuring experimental production that blends diverse musical styles from ranchera to hip-hop music. Amor Prohibido is a Tejano cumbia album modernized with a synthesizer-rich delivery using a minimalist style that was quintessential in early 1990s Tejano music.
Ven Conmigo is the second studio album by American singer Selena, released on November 12, 1990, by EMI Latin. The singer's brother, A.B. Quintanilla III remained her principal record producer and songwriter after her debut album's moderate success. Selena's Los Dinos band composed and arranged seven of the album's ten tracks; local songwriter Johnny Herrera also provided songs for Selena to record. Ven Conmigo contains half cumbias and half rancheras, though the album includes other genres. Its musical compositions are varied and demonstrate an evolving maturity in Selena's basic Tejano sound. The album's structure and track organization were unconventional compared with other Tejano music albums. The songs on Ven Conmigo are mostly love songs or songs following a woman's struggles after many failed relationships.
Entre a Mi Mundo is the third studio album by American singer Selena, released on May 6, 1992, by EMI Latin. The label endeavored to bolster Selena's popularity within the Latin music market in the United States with this release. Selena's brother, A. B. Quintanilla kept his role as the singer's producer and, in collaboration with Selena y Los Dinos members Pete Astudillo and Ricky Vela, composed tracks for the album. The ensuing recording encompassed an eclectic array of songs, attributable to the members' diverse backgrounds, which facilitated the modernization of the many genres they explored. Entre a Mi Mundo is a Tejano cumbia album that encapsulated Selena's quintessential sound, characterized by engaging tunes harmonized with her distinctive, plaintive vocals and a relaxed, danceable cumbia beat. The album incorporates musical inspirations from power pop, R&B, disco, rock, funk, and synthesized Tejano music.
Live! or Selena Live! is a live album by American Tejano pop singer Selena, which was released on May 4, 1993, by EMI Latin. The album was re-released on September 22, 2002, as being part of the Selena: 20 Years of Music collection; which included spoken liner notes by her family, friends and her former band members Selena y Los Dinos. Live! includes three cumbia-influenced studio tracks, while the rest of the album consists of live versions of previously released songs. The album was recorded during a free concert at the Memorial Coliseum in Corpus Christi, Texas, on February 7, 1993. It was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America in its first year, double platinum in 1995, and 8× platinum in 2017.
American singer Selena released eleven studio albums, three live albums, three boxsets, three remix albums, two soundtrack albums, and twenty compilation albums. Credited for elevating a music genre into the mainstream market, Selena remains the best-selling Tejano recording artist in history, selling over 18 million records worldwide. She was named the top-selling Latin artist of the 1990s decade in the US by Billboard magazine.
Siempre Selena is the second posthumously released album by American singer Selena, released by EMI Latin on October 29, 1996. The album contained mostly unreleased recordings and remixes of previously released content. Songs on the album range from a 14-year-old Selena on "Soy Amiga" (1986) to the shelved Don Juan DeMarco (1995) soundtrack song "Siempre Hace Frio". Siempre Selena was a result of the impact of Selena's death in March 1995, where the singer's father and manager Abraham Quintanilla Jr. began receiving requests from fans of her music. Abraham rediscovered forgotten tapes of songs Selena recorded for various projects. Following her death, Abraham expressed how he wanted to keep the singer's legacy alive and that public knowledge of Selena was very important to him. Critical reception of Siempre Selena was mixed, with varying reviews suggesting that the album was more for Selena's fan base and found no particular track on the album to be of any interest, while others favored its diversity and remastered songs.
All My Hits: Todos Mis Éxitos is a greatest hits album by American singer Selena. It was released posthumously on March 9, 1999, through EMI Latin to commemorate its ten-year anniversary since entering the music industry. The album coincided with the fourth anniversary of Selena's death, though then-president Jose Behar rebuffed the idea that the album was an exploitive ploy by the company. Following Selena's death on March 31, 1995, Abraham Quintanilla expressed his interest in preserving his daughter's memory through her works. Selena's family has been criticized by fans and the media for exploiting the singer and cannibalizing her murder by commercializing her repertoire. According to the singer's brother, A.B. Quintanilla, one of Selena's wishes was for her to "never go away", citing a conversation he shared with Selena and their sister Suzette Quintanilla, that if anything were to happen to any one of them, their wish would be to continue on with their music.
All My Hits: Todos Mis Éxitos Vol. 2 is a greatest hits album by American singer Selena that was released on February 29, 2000, through EMI Latin. After Selena's murder in 1995, her father Abraham Quintanilla stated his commitment to preserving her music and EMI Latin pledged ongoing support for her releases. In 1999, the label's president José Behar acknowledged Selena, who remained the label's top-selling artist, for her contributions to establishing EMI Latin as "the house that Selena built". In March 1999, to commemorate the label's tenth anniversary, it released All My Hits: Todos Mis Éxitos; it achieved commercial success and a sequel was announced. All My Hits: Todos Mis Éxitos Vol. 2 contains 16 songs ranging from tracks featured on Selena's Muñequito de Trapo (1987) to the posthumous 1997 club remix of "Enamorada de Ti" (1990).
Momentos Intimos is a compilation album by American singer Selena and released posthumously on March 23, 2004, through EMI Latin. The album contains 24 tracks, though the last eight are spoken liner notes provided by the singer's family, friends, and her Los Dinos band. The songs on the album range from "Como Te Quiero Yo A Ti" (1988), a re-recorded version modernized and remixed on the album, to "Puede Ser", an unreleased duet with Nando "Guero" Dominguez, recorded two weeks before Selena was shot and killed in March 1995. Following Selena's death, her father Abraham Quintanilla expressed his interest in persevering his daughter's memory through her works. Selena's family has been criticized by fans and the media for exploiting the singer and cannibalizing her murder by commercializing her repertoire.
"No Me Queda Más" is a song by American singer Selena on her fourth studio album, Amor Prohibido. It was released as the third single from the album in October 1994 by EMI Latin. "No Me Queda Más" was written by Ricky Vela, and production was handled by Selena's brother A.B. Quintanilla. A downtempo mariachi and pop ballad, "No Me Queda Más" portrays the ranchera storyline of a woman in agony after the end of a relationship. Its lyrics express an unrequited love, the singer wishing the best for her former lover and his new partner.
"Fotos y Recuerdos" is a song recorded by American recording artist Selena for her fourth studio album, Amor Prohibido (1994). It was released by EMI Latin in January 1995, as the fourth single. A cover version of the Pretenders' 1983 single "Back on the Chain Gang", "Fotos y Recuerdos" was written by Chrissie Hynde with Spanish-language lyrics by Ricky Vela. Lyrically, the song describes a lonely female protagonist who "kisses the photo of her [lover] each night before falling asleep."
Pedro Astudillo, known as Pete Astudillo, is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and dancer. Referred to as "the Latino Babyface" by The Daily Journal, he is regarded as the architect behind Selena's sound, as he collaborated or coauthored the singer's top-selling and most popular recordings that cemented him into music history. Astudillo wrote or collaborated on some of the most popular Tejano music songs of the 1990s and was inducted into the Tejano Roots Hall of Fame in 2019. His impact on the United States Latin music scene lies in his role as a songwriter collaborator, according to Billboard magazine.
"Amor Prohibido" is the title song of American Tejano singer Selena's fourth studio album of the same name (1994). Released as the lead single through EMI Latin on April 13, 1994, it was written by Selena, her brother and music producer A.B. Quintanilla III, and her band's backup vocalist Pete Astudillo. A popular interpretation compares it to Romeo and Juliet.
Las Reinas del Pueblo is a compilation album by American Tejano music singer Selena and Mexican banda singer Graciela Beltrán. It was released on April 4, 1995, by EMI Latin in the wake of Selena's death on March 31, 1995. The decision to produce a compilation album featuring Beltrán emerged after her tribute to the singer at a Houston memorial. The title was inspired by Mexican newspapers that referred to Selena as "an artist of the people" during a 1992 press tour in the nation and subsequently dubbed her "La Reina del Pueblo" in the aftermath of her death. Las Reinas del Pueblo encompasses six tracks by Selena and six by Beltrán, encapsulating their respective tenures with EMI Latin. Las Reinas del Pueblo peaked at number four on the US Billboard Top Latin Albums and Regional Mexican Albums chart, both behind other Selena releases. The recording peaked at number 147 on the American Billboard 200 chart. The album peaked at number ten on the Spanish albums chart in 2010. Beltrán's participation in the album yielded substantial promotional and sales enhancements.
"Como la Flor" is a song recorded by American singer Selena. Written by A. B. Quintanilla and Pete Astudillo, it was released as the second single from her third studio album Entre a Mi Mundo (1992). The song was written by Quintanilla, who was inspired by a family selling illuminated plastic flowers at a concert in Sacramento, California, in 1982. A decade later, Quintanilla was seized with an infectious melody and abruptly dashed out of the shower in a hotel room in Bryan, Texas, to recreate it on a keyboard with Astudillo. He completed the music in just 20 minutes, while Astudillo took another hour to complete the lyrics. "Como la Flor" is an up-tempo, Tejano cumbia torch song that blends tropical cumbia rhythms with hints of reggae and pop music. Its lyrics describe the feelings of a female protagonist addressing her former lover, who abandoned her for another partner. The narrator is uncertain of her ability to love again, while at the same time, wishing her former partner and his new lover the best.
"Si Una Vez" is a song recorded by American recording artist Selena for her fourth studio album, Amor Prohibido (1994). It was written by Pete Astudillo and produced by Selena's brother-producer A.B. Quintanilla. "Si Una Vez" is a mariachi fusion song and draws influence from cumbia and Latin dance music. Lyrically, Selena questions why she ever fell in love with an abusive partner, saying she will never repeat her mistakes. The lyrics suggest unrequited love and female empowerment.
American singer Selena released twenty-four official singles, seven promotional singles. Her career began as the lead vocalist of Los Dinos in 1980. Her albums with Los Dinos on indie labels failed to achieve any chart success. In 1987, her remake of Ritchie Valens' "La Bamba" peaked at number 19 on the United States Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart, her first entry. She signed with EMI Latin nine years later as a solo artist though her band continued to tour with her. Selena appeared on "Buenos Amigos" with Salvadoran singer Álvaro Torres. The track peaked at number one on the U.S. Hot Latin Songs chart in 1991, the singer's first number one song. Subsequent singles, "Baila Esta Cumbia" and "Como la Flor", became popular songs on Mexican radio, with "Como la Flor" launching the singer's career in that country. "Como la Flor" peaked at number six on the Hot Latin Songs chart, despite popular culture claims that it was the singer's first number one single. The track has charted on the U.S. Regional Mexican Digital Songs list since its inception in 2010 and remains the singer's signature number and most popular recording.
Enamorada de Ti is the second remix album by American Tejano singer Selena. It was released posthumously on 3 April 2012 through Capitol Latin and Q-Productions. Enamorada de Ti was produced by Sergio Lopes, Leslie Ahrens, Andres Castro, Moggie Canazio, Cesar Lemons and Chilean record producer Humberto Gatica. Gatica had the idea of modernizing songs recorded by Selena into today's popular music genres. Selena's family had already been working on a similar idea, but they set it aside in favor of Enamorada de Ti, which had gained the approval of Capitol Latin. The selection of artists to sing duets with Selena began in late summer 2011. Gatica and Selena's family chose American singer and actress Selena Gomez, Puerto Rican singer Don Omar, Samuel "Samo" Parra from the Mexican rock band Camila, Mexican singer Cristian Castro, Spanish DJ mixer Juan Magan, and the Carlos Santana band, while the remaining songs selected were remixed.
