Selena Quintanilla-Perez

"Amor prohibido murmuran por las calles, Porque somos de distintas sociedades, Amor prohibido nos dice todo el mundo, El dinero no importa en ti y en mi, ni en el corazon, Oh oh baby" (Selena Quintanilla-Perez). What this amazing Latin singer is saying in this song is, forbidden love whispers in the streets because we are from different societies forbidden love everyone tells us, money does not matter to you or me, or the heart, oh oh baby, this was her number one hit and it went gold. You are probably wondering who this amazing singer is, many considered her the "Mexican Madonna", (biography.com). Her singing career started at the age of 9, her father Abraham would make herself, her sister, and her brother practice music, he didn't let them practice English songs, which was all they spoke he made her sing in Spanish. They soon started a little band called "Selena y los Dinos". They would perform at their family restaurant named Papagayos. She started to go to fairs and perform there, her voice got many people attention. When she got a bit older, and she got more attention she started doing mini concerts. Her dad added two more guitar players to her band. She fell in love with Chris Perez. They got married on April 2, 1992. They planned on having a beautiful family, but soon after she had a tragic end. The president of her fan club murdered her; Yolanda Saldivar still remains in jail to this day. She was a sweet and selfless person that should still be alive. Selena Quintanilla-Perez was a hero to not just myself but to many because she never let anyone get to her, she never gave up, she also gave other Latin singers hope to win a Grammy, just like she had accomplished, and lastly she inspired many to sing to the fullest, in other words to follow your dreams to the fullest.

Selena Quintanilla-Perez showed that she didn't care about others opinions multiple times.  In the article "My hero Selena", this quote caught my eye, "She never gave up, always showed her inner strength and her dedication to her career."(My Hero Project). This just explains how Selena Quintanilla-Perez's attitude was towards her success. This shows many people to not care what people say to put you down. You just have to dedicate your time to what you want. As well as this following quote, "Selena's talent crossed all boundaries: One of the many fan sites dedicated to her, Selena Forever, was started by Toronto, Canada, native John Wood in 2004 . not speaking Spanish, Wood told NBC News that the singer's Spanish songs are his favorite."(Hispanic Culture). Most people loved Selena's voice, her father was scared when she went on NBC, she only spoke in English and people made fun of the fact that she didn't speak much Spanish. But Selena didn't let that bother her. When she went out on the NBC news and spoke English but everyone loved her. "And that also hasn't stopped fans across the world from Tweeting pictures and remembrances - in Spanish and English - or posting their favorite songs. Dreaming of You, Selena's final album, topped the Billboard 200 chart and the Latin charts for nine months after her death, selling more than 2 million copies."(Hispanic Women). This quote shows that sense she didn't care what people said and did not dedicate her time on her haters she became the tejano queen.

Jennifer Lopez, Selena Gomez, These are amazing Latin singers. They all followed their dreams just like Selena Quintanilla-Perez did. Jennifer Lopez was in the movie they dedicated to Selena Quintanilla-Perez. "The impact that it had on my life, my career...It was a great thing for her to be my mentor, in a way, and to teach me so much about, yes, how to navigate this business, but also how to navigate through life,"(Jennifer Lopez). Selena had a big impact on Jennifer Lopez she is the reason she made her first record, "You have to live in the moment, you have to be present, you have to seize the day. So I decided right after that movie to make my first record. And I did."(Jennifer Lopez). Selena inspired Selena Gomez, her parents named her after the queen of tejano as said here, During an interview on The View, Selena said "was a big deal to my family and growing up from the get-go, I knew who she was and who I was named after" and it was "such [an] honor to be named after someone so amazing."(The View). Now Selena Gomez is in the singing career and is aiming for a Grammy. Jennifer Pera "feels Selena has influenced my life in tremendous ways, she was definitely a huge inspiration for me to even try singing in Spanish"(MTV). She inspired Jennifer Peña to try and sing in Spanish and now she does, Selena Quintanilla-Perez has inspired many Latin singers to follow there dreams.

Lastly Selena Quintanilla-Perez has made impacts on people's lives by letting them know that singing to the fullest, in other words to do what you love to the fullest isn't bad, not trying isn't cool. "Her tragic death was a flashpoint in time," George Reynoso, owner of the music store All That Music in El Paso, told The El Paso Times in an email. "That moment established her as the de-facto Mexican-American entertainment hero for a bi-cultural generation of young Latinos in the U.S." (People.com) This quote is explaining how her death just made her fans try harder to follow your dreams because that's what she showed us all. "Her kindness came through immediately in her videos. You could see how she treated her fans with such respect and how she truly loved them," said Wood. "She is someone who deserves to be remembered, because she was a great role model," he continued. (People.com). Selena Quintanilla-Perez shows to respect other to get respect back, she was a kind successful women. Everyone loved her.

Overall, Selena Quintanilla-Perez is considered a hero for all the actions that she made to be a successful Latin singer. She influenced many to be a better person overall. Selena will always have a place in everyone of her fans heart.  Selena Quintanilla-Perez was a hero to not just myself but to many because, she never let anyone get to her, she never gave up, she also gave other Latin singers hope to win a Grammy just like she had accomplished, and lastly she inspired many to sing to the fullest, in other words to follow your dreams to the fullest. Selena Quintanilla-Perez will always be my hero, she has showed me to follow my dreams and not let others negativity get to me. I love to sing but I have always been to scared to sing with others around me but I have gained confidence because of her and now I can sing to my family. She inspired singers to this day as well, mainly Jennifer Lopez. If it weren't for Selena Quintanilla-Perez, we wouldn't have Jennifer Lopez's amazing music.  

Works Consulted

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"The My Hero Project - Selena Perez." Myhero.com. N.p., 7 Nov. 2005. Web. 04 Feb. 2016.)

"Selena Quintanilla-Perez." Hispanic American Almanac: A Reference Work on Hispanics in

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"Selena." Notable Hispanic American Women. Gale, 1998. Biography in Context. Web. 2 Feb.

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"Selena Quintanilla Biography - Hispanic Culture | Latino Culture | Latin American Culture."

Hispanic Culture Latino Culture Latin American Culture. Marcela Hede, 04 Aug. 2013.

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: "Selena." Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians. New York: Schirmer, 2001. Biography

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