| Selena albums discography | |
|---|---|
| Studio albums | 11 |
| Live albums | 3 |
| Compilation albums | 20 |
| Soundtrack albums | 2 |
| Box sets | 3 |
| Remix albums | 3 |
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, [1] Selena remains the best-selling Tejano recording artist in history, selling over 18 million records worldwide. [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] She was named the top-selling Latin artist of the 1990s decade in the US by Billboard magazine. [7]
Selena's career began as lead vocalist of Los Dinos in 1980. Her albums with Los Dinos on the indie labels failed to gain any chart success. [8] She signed with EMI Latin nine years later as a solo artist though her band continued to tour with her. [9] She released her self-titled debut album that same year, which peaked at number seven on the U.S. Billboard Regional Mexican Albums chart. With Selena, the singer outsold other competing female Tejano artists. [10] Her second album, Ven Conmigo , was released a year later and was billed as the first Tejano recording by a female musician to achieve gold status in the United States. [nb 1] In 1992, Selena released her "breakthrough album", [16] [17] [18] Entre a Mi Mundo , which helped launch the singer's career in Mexico along with its single "Como la Flor". [19] [20] Entre a Mi Mundo became the first Tejano recording by a female artist to sell over 300,000 copies, [nb 2] and was the best-selling Regional Mexican Album of 1993, [23] it also ranks second on the Regional Mexican Albums All-time chart. [24]
In 1993, Selena released Live , which contained three studio tracks. Live won Selena a Grammy and peaked at number two on the newly formed U.S. Billboard Top Latin Albums chart and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipments of 500,000 copies. Selena released Amor Prohibido in March 1994; it was certified double Diamond by the RIAA, denoting shipments of two million copies in the United States. Additionally, the album spawned four consecutive US Latin number-one singles. By December 1994, Amor Prohibido became the second Tejano recording to achieve year-end sales of 500,000 copies. [25] It was considered her "biggest album" and was credited with popularizing Tejano music among a younger and wider audience than any time in the genre's history. [26] [27] With Amor Prohibido, Selena was considered "bigger than Tejano itself", and broke barriers in the Latin music world. [28] This prompted EMI to begin marketing Selena as an American pop artist, believing she had reached her peak in the Latin music market. [29] The singer recorded four tracks slated for what would have been her English-language crossover album by March 1995. On March 31, 1995, Selena was shot dead by Yolanda Saldívar, her friend and a former employee of her Selena Etc. boutiques over disputed embezzlement claims. [30]
EMI Records and EMI Latin jointly released Dreaming of You in July 1995. It sold 175,000 copies its first day of release, a then-record for a female vocalist. [31] [32] Dreaming of You debuted on top the Billboard 200 chart with 331,000 units sold its first week, the second largest first-week sales for a female musician. [33] [34] [35] Dreaming of You became the first and to date the only predominantly Spanish-language album to debut and peak at number one on the Billboard 200 chart. [36] Dreaming of You was among the top ten best-selling debuts for a musician, best-selling debut by a female act, and was the fastest-selling U.S. album in 1995. [37] Dreaming of You went on to become the best-selling Latin and Latin pop album for two consecutive years. [38] [39] At the time, Dreaming of You helped Selena to become the fastest-selling female act in recorded music history, [40] and has since been ranked among the best and most important recordings produced during the rock and roll era. [41] [42] With Dreaming of You peaking at number one, Tejano music entered the mainstream English market. [43] [44] [45] [46] [43] As of January 2015, Dreaming of You has sold five million copies worldwide, and remains the best-selling Latin album of all-time in the United States. [47] Since Selena's death, there have been twenty-three posthumous releases with the most recent, Lo Mejor de...Selena , released on the twentieth anniversary of her death.
| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| Selena y Los Dinos |
|
| Alpha |
|
| Muñequito de Trapo |
|
| And the Winner Is... |
|
| Preciosa |
|
| Dulce Amor |
|
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart, ineligible, or was not released in that territory. | |
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Sales | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [48] | US Latin [49] | MEX Reg. [50] | CAN [51] | ||||||||||
| Selena | — | — | 7 | — | |||||||||
| Ven Conmigo |
| — | — | 3 | — |
| |||||||
| Entre a Mi Mundo |
| 97 | 4 | 1 | — |
|
| ||||||
| Amor Prohibido |
| 29 | 1 | 1 | — |
|
| ||||||
| Dreaming of You | 1 | 1 | — | 16 | |||||||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart, ineligible, or was not released in that territory. | |||||||||||||
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Sales | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [58] | CAN [59] | ||||
| Selena: The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack |
| 7 | 36 |
|
|
| Selena: The Series Soundtrack |
| — | — | ||
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [48] | US Latin [49] | MEX Reg. [50] | |||||||||||
| Selena Live! |
| 79 | 2 | 1 |
| ||||||||
| Live! The Last Concert |
| 176 | 2 | — |
| ||||||||
| Unforgettable: The Live Album |
| — | 26 | 14 | |||||||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart, ineligible, or was not released in that territory. | |||||||||||||
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Sales | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [48] | US Latin [49] | MEX Reg. [50] | CAN [51] | |||||||||||
| 16 Super Exitos Originales [61] |
| — | — | 22 | — | |||||||||
| Personal Best [62] |
| — | — | — | — | |||||||||
| Entertainers of the Year [63] |
| — | — | — | — | |||||||||
| Mis Mejores Canciones – 17 Super Éxitos |
| — | — | — | — |
| ||||||||
| Selena [64] |
| — | — | — | — | |||||||||
| 12 Super Exitos |
| 64 | 2 | 2 | — |
| ||||||||
| Las Reinas Del Pueblo |
| 147 | 5 | 5 | — | |||||||||
| Musipistas: 10 Exitos De Selena [65] |
| — | — | — | — | |||||||||
| Éxitos y Recuerdos |
| — | 13 | 7 | — | |||||||||
| All My Hits: Todos Mis Éxitos |
| 54 | 1 | 1 | — |
| ||||||||
| All My Hits: Todos Mis Éxitos Vol. 2 |
| 149 | 1 | 1 | — |
|
| |||||||
| Ones |
| 42 | 2 | — | — |
|
| |||||||
| Greatest Hits |
| 117 | — | — | — | —
| ||||||||
| Momentos Intimos |
| — | 11 | 7 | — | |||||||||
| Remembered |
| — | 61 | — | — | |||||||||
| Dos Historias |
| — | 21 | 3 | — | |||||||||
| Through the Years / A Traves de los Años |
| — | 28 | 13 | — | |||||||||
| Serie Verde [71] |
| — | — | — | — | |||||||||
| 10 Great Songs [72] |
| — | — | — | — | |||||||||
| Lo Mejor de...Selena |
| 102 | 2 | 2 | — |
|
| |||||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart, ineligible, or was not released in that territory. | ||||||||||||||
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Sales | Certifications | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [48] | US Latin [49] | MEX Reg. [50] | |||||||||||
| Anthology |
| 131 | 1 | 1 |
|
| |||||||
| Unforgettable: Ultimate Edition [75] |
| — | — | — |
| ||||||||
| La Leyenda |
| — | 7 | 4 |
| ||||||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart, ineligible, or was not released in that territory. | |||||||||||||
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [48] | US Latin [49] | MEX Reg. [50] | |||||||||||
| Siempre Selena |
| 82 | 1 | 1 |
| ||||||||
| Enamorada de Ti |
| 135 | 1 | 1 |
| ||||||||
| Moonchild Mixes |
| — | 8 | 2 | — | ||||||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart, ineligible, or was not released in that territory. | |||||||||||||
Selena Quintanilla-Pérez, known mononymously as Selena, 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.
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 sustained 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 sundry 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.
Dreaming of You is the fifth and final studio album by American singer Selena. Released posthumously on July 18, 1995, by EMI Latin and EMI Records, it was an immediate commercial and critical success, debuting atop the United States Billboard 200—the first predominately Spanish-language album to do so. It sold 175,000 copies on its first day of release in the U.S.—a then-record for a female vocalist. With first week sales of 331,000 units, it became the second-highest first-week sales for a female musician since Nielsen Soundscan began monitoring album sales in 1991. Billboard magazine declared it a "historic" event, while Time said the recording elevated Selena's music to a wider audience. It won Album of the Year at the 1996 Tejano Music Awards and Female Pop Album of the Year at the 3rd annual Billboard Latin Music Awards.
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.
Anthology is the first box set by American singer Selena. It was released posthumously on April 7, 1998, through EMI Latin to commemorate the singer's works. The collection comprises 30 tracks, dispersed across three genre-themed discs: "Pop / English" showcases uptempo pop compositions, "Mariachi" highlights Mexican ballads featuring poignant narratives of heartache, and "Cumbia" presents danceable tropical rhythms. The album encompasses recordings from a 14-year-old Selena on her Alpha (1986) album to the posthumous "Disco Medley" (1997). With a limited number of unaltered tracks, Anthology predominantly features reworked and remastered musical arrangements, while preserving the singer's original vocals. Selena's death in March 1995 prompted an influx of requests from her admirers. The singer's father and manager, Abraham Quintanilla, expressed a desire to maintain his daughter's legacy through her music. However, Selena's family has faced criticism from both fans and the media, who accuse them of capitalizing on her death and commodifying her repertoire.
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 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. 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).
Ones is a compilation album by American singer Selena, released in the United States on October 1, 2002 by EMI Latin. It was released on November 11, 2002 in Spanish-speaking countries, while the limited edition included a bonus DVD of her music videos. Ones was released building on the popularity of the 1997 biographical film Selena. The album was aimed at Selena's new generation of fans, and its release marked the singer's twentieth year in the music industry. Ones features six number one singles namely, "Amor Prohibido", "Bidi Bidi Bom Bom", "No Me Queda Más", "Fotos y Recuerdos", and her duets with Álvaro Torres on "Buenos Amigos" and the Barrio Boyzz on "Donde Quiera Que Estés".
"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.
"Bidi Bidi Bom Bom" is a song recorded by American Tejano singer Selena. It was released as the second single from her fourth studio album, Amor Prohibido (1994). Originally written about a cheerful fish swimming freely in the ocean, the song's title is an onomatopoeic phrase suggesting the palpitating heartbeat of a person lovestruck by the object of their affection. "Bidi Bidi Bom Bom" was written by Selena and her backup vocalist and dancer Pete Astudillo.
"Techno Cumbia" is a song recorded by American singer Selena for her fourth studio album, Amor Prohibido (1994). It was posthumously released as the b-side track to "Dreaming of You" through EMI Latin on August 14, 1995. Techno Cumbia would be put on her fifth and final studio album Dreaming of You (1995) and would be the fourth single for Dreaming Of You. "Techno Cumbia" was written by Pete Astudillo and co-written and produced by Selena's brother-producer A.B. Quintanilla. The song is a dance-pop and tecnocumbia recording with influences of dancehall, rap, Latin dance, and club music. Lyrically, Selena calls on people to dance her new style the "techno cumbia" and calls out those who cannot dance.
"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, 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. Posthumously 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.
"Donde Quiera Que Estés" is a duet recorded by American Latin pop quintet the Barrio Boyzz and American Tejano singer Selena. Released on the Barrio Boyzz' album of the same name, "Donde Quiera Que Estés" was written by K. C. Porter, Miguel Flores, Desmond Child, and produced by A.B. Quintanilla III, Domingo Padilla and Bebu Silvetti. The lyrics explore feelings felt after a breakup between first-time lovers who hope that their love will one day return. "Donde Quiera Que Estés" is a dance pop song with influences from hip-hop music.
On the morning of March 31, 1995, American singer Selena Quintanilla-Pérez was shot and fatally wounded at the Days Inn in Corpus Christi, Texas. Although paramedics tried to revive Selena, she died of hypovolemic shock at Corpus Christi Memorial Hospital at age 23. The killer, Yolanda Saldívar, was the president of Selena's fan club who was exposed as having embezzled thousands of dollars from Selena's earnings.
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.
This is a list of notable events in Latin music that took place in 1995.
{{cite magazine}}: |last1= has generic name (help){{cite magazine}}: |last1= has generic name (help)Saldana, Hector: "According to Nielsen SoundScan, her top selling records are "Dreaming of You," 2.8 million; the "Selena" soundtrack, 1.6 million: "Amor Prohibido," 954000; and "All My Hits – Todos Mis Exitos," 456000."
{{cite magazine}}: |last1= has generic name (help){{cite magazine}}: |last1= has generic name (help)| Studio albums | |
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| Related articles | |
