Ven Conmigo | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | November 12, 1990 | |||
Recorded | 1989–90 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 31:53 | |||
Language | Spanish | |||
Label | EMI Latin | |||
Producer | A.B. Quintanilla III | |||
Selena chronology | ||||
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Selena studio album chronology | ||||
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Singles from Ven Conmigo | ||||
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Ven Conmigo (English:Come with Me) is the second studio album by American singer Selena,released on November 12,1990,by EMI Latin. [1] 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.
After Ven Conmigo's release,the band hired guitarist Chris Pérez who introduced his hard rock sound to the band's music and performances,and further diversified Selena's repertoire. Her promotional tour for the album attracted upwards of 60,000 attendees to her shows,and critics praised the singer's stage presence. The album's single,"Baila Esta Cumbia" was the most played song on local Tejano music radio stations for over a month and helped Selena to tour in Mexico. Ven Conmigo peaked at number three on the US Billboard Regional Mexican Albums chart,her then-highest peaking album. It received critical acclaim,bringing Selena recognition as a Tejano singer and establishing her as a commercial threat.
In October 1991,Ven Conmigo went gold for sales exceeding 50,000 units,making Selena the first female Tejano singer to receive the honor. The event dissolved the male hierarchy in the Tejano music industry,which saw women as commercially inferior. Ven Conmigo received a nomination for the Tejano Music Award for Album of the Year –Orchestra at the 1992 annual event. The album peaked at number 22 on the US Billboard Top Pop Catalog Albums chart after it was ineligible to chart on the Billboard 200 following her shooting death in 1995. In October 2017,the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified the album triple platinum,denoting 180,000 album-equivalent units sold in the United States. In 2019,the album was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the United States National Recording Registry for being "culturally,historically,or aesthetically significant". [2]
In March 1989,Selena signed with EMI Latin,which had opened a Latin music division with JoséBehar as president. [3] Though EMI marketed her as a solo artist,her Los Dinos band continued to tour with her. [4] Initially,Behar and Stephen Finfer asked Selena for a crossover album. [5] After recording three demos for the heads of EMI Records' pop division,Charles Koppelman rejected them and suggested Selena perform songs that appealed to her fan base. [6]
Before her debut album with the company,her brother A.B. Quintanilla III had fought to remain the singer's principal producer and songwriter. Feeling they were "gambling" in the Latin music market, [7] EMI Latin entered into an agreement with Quintanilla III that if he failed to produce a successful record he would be replaced by a Grammy Award-winning producer and songwriter. [8] Selena's debut album outperformed other recordings by contemporaneous female Tejano singers and enjoyed moderate success. [9] [10] A.B. was allowed to continue as the singer's producer and songwriter for Ven Conmigo. [11]
Ven Conmigo was recorded at record producer Joey Lopez' Zaz Studios in San Antonio. [12] The band entered the studio "with more musical firepower than ever before". [12] Quintanilla III arranged the album and chose what would be included on it, [11] "carefully select[ing] the songs [that would] jumpstart [Selena's] transition into a larger Latino market". [4] Keyboardist Ricky Vela programmed the entire project, while band members contributed to the recording by composing seven of the album's ten songs. [13] Ven Conmigo contains half cumbias and half rancheras. It includes musical influences from: salsa, rock and roll, rap and soul music, [13] traditional Mexican music, Mexican folk, polka, country, and Colombian music. [4] Abraham Quintanilla Jr.—the group's manager and Selena's father—suggested the idea of having a variety of genres on the album: "I always felt that the buyer, the listener, would enjoy this and would not get bored hearing just one particular style of music." [11] The compositions for the album were musically varied— more "broader-based and more adventurous than any mainstream Tejano act" according to biographer Joe Nick Patoski. [12] Selena and her band were "evolving a rhythmic style that demonstrated its prowess for catchy cumbias". [14]
Ven Conmigo scrapped the conventional styles and track organization of the typical Tejano album of "a two-sided single sandwiched between a bunch of polkas and oldie-but-goodie [songs]". [15] On "Yo Te Amo", the band decided to go with a bridge–interlude format rather than a typical chord progression they had recycled; "[W]e were growing, we were evolving" as Vela later put it. [11] It was "neither Texan nor Mexican" in its form, but a representation of international Spanish music "under the guise of a slow cumbia". [15] Similarly, "Yo Me Voy" has the same qualities as "Yo Te Amo". [15] Vela enjoyed Rocío Dúrcal's 1987 version of "Yo Me Voy", a Juan Gabriel song. He wanted Selena to record it and played Dúrcal's recording to A.B. who agreed that the song would suit Ven Conmigo. A.B. collaborated on the arrangement with Vela. [11] Local songwriter, Johnny Herrera, wrote "Aunque No Salga el Sol", which was originally written for Lisa Lopez as a follow-up to her 1982 number-one single "Si Quieres Verme Llorar". [11] Lopez had rejected the song, finding it weaker than other recordings that were provided to her. [16] Patoski thought the song was "one of the most poetic works ever written by a Texas composer". [15] It was given to Selena to record in 1985 for Bob Grever's record label; she later re-recorded it for Ven Conmigo. [11] Vela used "more percussion and sequencing" than similar pop ballads. [11]
Quintanilla III worked with Pete Astudillo on a concept melody he had thought of while the band was resting following a concert in West Texas. Called "Baila Esta Cumbia" it was recorded for Ven Conmigo. Beginning with this album, Selena started experimenting with vocal arrangements during recording sessions. [11] She added an outro to "Baila Esta Cumbia", her first attempt at adding "counter melodies [ sic ]" to finished projects; "she would often change vocal [notes] to suit her and what she thought [sounded] better" recalled Chris Pérez. [11] "Baila Esta Cumbia" echoed works by Fito Olivares, [15] and became a hit single in Mexico, "opening the doors" for the group in that country. [11] Astudillo co-wrote the title track, "Ven Conmigo", with A.B. using the same stylistic sounds found in música norteña recordings. Vela and A.B. traveled to Poteet, Texas, and hired David Lee Garza, his brother, and father to play and record the accordion, drums, and bajo sexto, respectively for the track [17] that gave it "a Tejano flavor". [15]
After discovering that Behar invited high-profile pop music executives to the 1990 Tejano Music Awards, Abraham argued that a hip-hop-esque song could impress them and solidify a crossover deal. [11] A.B., Astudillo, and Vela worked on the idea through the night at a Motel 6 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, using eight keyboards, a mixing console, and monitor systems. "[B]ack then we didn't have the fancy computers with all the sequencing" A.B. recalled during a retrospect interview. [11] They created a Spanish-language translation of "Is It the Beat?", an English language demo track she had recorded the previous year, entitled "Enamorada de Ti", a freestyle dance-pop track that drummer Suzette Quintanilla compared to a Top 40 recording that illustrated Selena's "soul side". Selena recorded the track before the Tejano Music Awards on March 9, 1990, and rehearsed a routine with backup dancers for the event. [11] Quintanilla Jr. suggested the idea of reworking the popular Cuban song "Guantanamera" into a house music track. Quintanilla III created an instrumental. Quintanilla Jr. liked it and encouraged Quintanilla III to write lyrics for it, resulting in "No Quiero Saber". [11] Astudillo recalled how he worked with Quintanilla III on the track, noting that "No Quiero Saber" was lyrically different from their repertoire of love songs and the heartache of failed relationships. [11]
The night before the photo shoot for the album, Selena cut and dyed her hair jet black and stained a small patch of skin behind her ear. She insisted on a black-and-white photograph of her posing with a mohawk to distract from the stain. [11] EMI Latin was adamantly opposed to the singer shortening her hair and its styling. They wanted to market her based on beauty standards at that time, [18] and believed the style would have a negative impact on Selena's "good girl" image. [18]
Roger Garcia, the band's lead guitarist, got married before Ven Conmigo was released. [19] [20] Quintanilla III discovered 17-year old Pérez, who was the guitarist for Shelly Lares. [21] He auditioned to be part of the group. Quintanilla III's music production style was Pérez' inspiration to become part of Selena y Los Dinos. [21] At first, Quintanilla Jr. dismissed Pérez, seeing him as more of a rocker, feeling he was ill-equipped for a Tejano band. [20] Betty Cortina, editor-at-large for People magazine, wrote that Pérez was the antithesis of Quintanilla Jr.'s "clean-cut good kids" image. [20] Quintanilla III persuaded Abraham that Pérez was capable of performing Tejano music, adding that his rocker image was harmless. Pérez was hired as the band's guitarist after the band finished recording Ven Conmigo. [19] Critics felt Pérez' hard rock style combined with Selena's basic Tejano sound, added to her already diverse musical repertoire. [4]
Selena's concerts began to attract upwards of 60,000 attendees. [22] She shared a Houston venue with La Mafia and Emilio Navaira that drew 9,000 spectators in the summer of 1991. [23] She later shared another venue with Ramón Ayala, Olivares, and Pandora at the ninth annual Hispanic State Fair in San Antonio. [23] Selena was invited to the Johnny Canales Show in 1991, her third appearance. [23] The show introduced Pérez as the band's new guitarist. He seemed "unsure of himself as he practiced his Temptations-style dance steps in time to the music". [23] Author Joe Nick Patoski described Pérez's choreography on the show as "tentative", however, "the rock licks he played on his guitar were like spitfire, bringing a hard edge to the band that it had previously lacked." [23] Vilma Maldonado of The Monitor wrote that Selena can "sing [and] improvises [her] dances" calling her "unpredictable, attractive, and talented" after an April 1991 concert. [13] The Fort Worth Star-Telegram described Selena's performance at a Cinco de Mayo celebration as "electrifying". Selena performed the title track as a duet with A.B. which was called "one of the highlights of the performance". [24] Three singles were released from the album including "Ya Ves", "Baila Esta Cumbia", and "La Tracalera". [25] "Baila Esta Cumbia" was the most played song on local Tejano music radio stations for a month and a half, leading to the band touring Mexico for the first time. [26] It was later certified six times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for 360,000 digital sales. [27] Promotional single, "Ya Ves" was the most played song on KTXZ-AM for five consecutive weeks, [28] beginning on October 25, 1990. [29] While promotional singles "Yo Te Amo" reached number six, [30] and "Yo Me Voy" reached number eight. [31]
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Allmusic | [32] |
Following the album's release, Selena was called the Gloria Estefan, Janet Jackson, [13] and Madonna of Tejano music. [4] Selena responded to these comparisons saying she did not like to be stereotyped. [13] She explained: "I think it's good to be different, and if you're first at it, it's even better." [13] Selena's popularity "surged" following Ven Conmigo's release. [33] It was the first album to bring her recognition within her field of music, [34] and established her name on the Tejano music scene "as a true artist to be reckoned with". [35] The album expanded Selena's "vocal talents", [4] and made her "unstoppable". [36] Ven Conmigo was nominated for the Tejano Music Award for Album of the Year – Orchestra, while its single "Baila Esta Cumbia" was nominated for Single of the Year and Song of the Year. The single "Yo Te Amo" was nominated for Vocal Duo of the Year at the 1992 Tejano Music Awards. [37] Selena received her third consecutive win for Female Vocalist of the Year and Female Entertainer of the Year. [38]
Ven Conmigo debuted at number eight on the US Billboard Regional Mexican Albums chart the week ending November 3, 1990. [39] It was the highest debut album of that week, and surpassed Selena as her highest debuting album on the chart at the time. [39] The following week, the album fell to number ten. [40] It reached number six on the Regional Mexican Albums chart in its sixth week, surpassing Selena as her highest charting album, [41] before peaking at number three. [42] Ven Conmigo remained in the top ten on the Regional Mexican Albums chart for 16 consecutive weeks before falling into the top 15. [43] It surpassed the record for most weeks on the chart for a female Tejano album—56 weeks. At the same time "Baila Esta Cumbia" reached number eight on local Tejano radio stations' list of the most requested songs for that week. [15] Ven Conmigo ended 1991 as the fourth best-selling Regional Mexican Album. [44]
In October 1991, Ven Conmigo went gold for sales exceeding 50,000 units, the first Tejano album by a woman to receive a gold certification. [10] [45] [46] This dissolved the male hierarchy in the Tejano music industry where women were seen as commercially inferior. It also ended the long-standing view that a female performer could not draw comparable audiences to a man. Selena later said in an interview: "[T]he more doors they shut on us, the more determined we became. We've just started seeing a change." [45] She credited the gold certification to EMI Latin's marketing team, and felt it inspired other women in the field to believe they were capable of producing gold records. [46] Following the album's certification, Selena performed at a 2,000-seat McAllen, Texas venue owned by Nano Ramírez who had denied her the opportunity to play there earlier in her career. [45]
On March 31, 1995, Selena was shot and killed by Yolanda Saldívar, her friend and former manager of her boutiques. [47] The resulting media attention helped increase sales of Ven Conmigo. It debuted at number 24 on the US Billboard Top Pop Catalog Albums chart. [48] It was ineligible to chart on the Billboard 200 following a revision that excluded titles older than 18 months appearing on it. [48] The following week, Ven Conmigo peaked at number 22, while her 17 Super Éxitos (1993) compilation album spent its second week at number one. [49] In 1995, catalog titles made up nearly 50% of the music consumed in the United States. Ven Conmigo and 17 Super Éxitos contributed to the $5 billion revenue reported that year by the music industry. [50] The RIAA certified the album platinum for shipments of 200,000 units in the United States; her fifth platinum record. [51] In October 2017, the RIAA updated the certification to triple platinum, denoting 300,000 album-equivalent units sold. [27]
All tracks are written by Pete Astudillo and A.B. Quintanilla III, and produced by Quintanilla III, except where noted. Credits adapted from the liner notes of Ven Conmigo [11]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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1. | "Ya Ves" | 3:13 | |
2. | "Aunque No Salga el Sol" | Johnny Herrera | 3:24 |
3. | "Ven Conmigo" | 2:26 | |
4. | "Yo Te Amo" (duet with Pete Astudillo) | 3:39 | |
5. | "Enamorada de Ti" | 4:05 | |
6. | "La Tracalera" | Herrera | 2:50 |
7. | "Baila Esta Cumbia" | 2:57 | |
8. | "Yo Me Voy" | Juan Gabriel | 3:28 |
9. | "No Quiero Saber" | 2:54 | |
10. | "Después de Enero" | Herrera | 2:57 |
Total length: | 31:53 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
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11. | "No Quiero Saber" (2000 mix) | 3:34 | ||
12. | "Enamorada de Ti" (club mix) | 6:07 | ||
13. | "Spoken Liner Notes" (commentary recollections provided by Selena's family, friends, and her band) | Nir Seroussi | Suzette Quintanilla | 13:39 |
14. | "No Quiero Saber" (music video) | 3:37 |
Credits adapted from the liner notes of Ven Conmigo. [11]
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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United States (RIAA) [52] | 3× Platinum (Latin) | 180,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
Selena Quintanilla Pérez, known professionally 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 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.
Selena is the self-titled debut studio album by American Tejano singer Selena, released on October 17, 1989, by EMI Latin. Its music incorporates a range of contemporary genres with a mix of cumbia and regional styles of Mexican music. The album was released following company president Jose Behar's failed crossover request for the singer. The project was denied by the heads of EMI Records' pop division, believing the singer should first strengthen her fanbase. Selena's brother and principal record producer and songwriter, A.B. Quintanilla III fought to remain the singer's producer. The band introduced Pete Astudillo and Joe Ojeda, who contributed to the album's experimental production and songwriting. Aside from A.B., Selena worked with two Mexican songwriters, Alejandro Montealegre and Reinaldo Ornelas.
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.
Alpha is the second independent studio album by American Tejano music group Selena y Los Dinos. Released on June 11, 1986 under Manny Guerra's G.P. Productions, it followed the group’s debut album, which was recorded under Freddie Records. Selena y Los Dinos, led by vocalist Selena, recorded mostly cover songs. Wanting to stand out, bassist A.B. Quintanilla requested original material from Luis Silva after noticing his track record for writing award-winning songs. Silva ignored A.B.'s request and he was inspired by Abraham to write songs himself. The group expanded to include keyboardist Ricky Vela and guitarist Roger Garcia. Vela collaborated with A.B. on "Dame un Beso", while he collaborated with Abraham on "Dame Tu Amor". A.B. became Selena y Los Dinos' music producer and songwriter, while Abraham encouraged them to record songs of various genres to appeal to a wider audience. Despite her limited Spanish, Selena recorded all nine tracks phonetically.
Mis Mejores Canciones – 17 Super Éxitos is a greatest hits album by American singer Selena released on September 17, 1993, through EMI Latin. Beginning in January 1993, the label released a comprehensive collection that spotlighted its Latin music artists as part of its Latin Classics series. Mis Mejores Canciones – 17 Super Exitos encompasses 17 tracks, ranging from songs recorded on her debut album with EMI Latin, to songs present in Entre a Mi Mundo (1992). The album received a positive response from music critics who enjoyed the label's catalog releases and praised the tracks on the album for showcasing Selena's early popular recordings. Following the shooting death of Selena on March 31, 1995, Mis Mejores Canciones – 17 Super Exitos debuted at number one on the US Billboard Top Catalog Albums chart, the first Spanish-language recording to do so. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified the album diamond (Latin), denoting 600,000 units shipped in the United States.
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 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).
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.
"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.
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.
"La Carcacha" is a song recorded by American singer Selena for her third studio album, Entre a Mi Mundo (1992). The song was written by A.B. Quintanilla and Pete Astudillo. It was inspired by a dilapidated car and an experience in which A.B. observed a woman's willingness to court the owner of a luxury car. The song, characterized by its rhythmic melodies and satirical portrayal of life in the barrio, highlights the importance of love and genuine connection over material wealth. It is a Tejano cumbia song that is emblematic of Selena's typical style, while music critics found it to be musically similar to "Baila Esta Cumbia".
"Ya Ves" is a song recorded by American singer Selena on her second studio album Ven Conmigo. The song was written by A. B. Quintanilla and Pete Astudillo. "Ya Ves" was released as the lead single off Ven Conmigo in September 1990 and received critical acclaim from music critics, who recognized its significant contribution to the rise of Selena's popularity across the United States, Mexico, and Latin America. Following the unveiling of the United States Postal Service's commemorative Forever Stamps featuring Selena, "Ya Ves" debuted and peaked at number 20 on the US Billboard Regional Mexican Digital Song Sales chart in April 2011. In 2005, Bobby Pulido performed the song at the Selena ¡Vive! benefit concert.
"Baila Esta Cumbia" is a song recorded by American Tejano singer Selena for her second studio album, Ven Conmigo (1990). It was released as the second single by EMI Latin on August 28, 1990, behind "Ya Ves". It was composed by her brother–producer A.B. Quintanilla, and Selena y Los Dinos backup dancer, Pete Astudillo. The recording is an up-tempo Mexican cumbia song. It was well received by music critics who enjoyed its cumbia-feel and rhythm.
16 Super Éxitos Originales is a greatest hits album by American singer Selena released on March 3, 1990, through EMI Latin. The label aimed to release a compilation containing recordings by Selena y Los Dinos prior to their contractual agreement in 1989, to illustrate the band's musical progressions up to that point. 16 Super Éxitos Originales encompasses 16 tracks re-recorded under new arrangements, ranging from compositions recorded through Freddie Records in 1983 to the group's Dulce Amor (1988) album. The album received critical acclaim from music critics, who found it to have contained recordings that solidified Selena's status in the Tejano music market and introduced her to a broader audience. The album peaked at number 22 on the US Billboard Regional Mexican Albums chart. EMI Latin posthumously re-issued 16 Super Éxitos Originales under the title Mis Primeros Éxitos on August 13, 2002.