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Who hasn’t heard of Selena Quintanilla? The Queen of Tejano music left an indelible mark on pop culture that prevails even today, almost 30 years after her passing. However, beyond her iconic songs and style, there are untold stories about her life. Here are some fascinating, lesser-known facts about this legendary singer.
Selena grew up very poor. Her family faced financial struggles, especially after her father, Abraham Quintanilla, lost his job during the 1980s economic recession.
During her childhood, Selena lived with 12 other family members under the same roof. They all shared one bathroom. The family used food stamps to be able to eat.
To make ends meet, Selena and her siblings began performing at a young age, with Selena singing in the family band, Selena y Los Dinos. Selena’s father acted as their manager.
Just like Selena Gomez, Selena Quintanilla and her siblings began performing at a young age. She was only 9 years old when she started singing with the family band.
Her first recorded songs came later, in the 1980s, when she was a teenager. One of her earliest recordings was “Se Acabó Aquel Amor” in 1983 when she was 12 years old.
Her official debut album, Selena, also came at a very young age. It was released in 1989 when the singer had just turned 18 years old.
Although it might sound crazy to some, Selena’s band, Selena y Los Dinos, faced challenges early on because they had a female vocalist in a male-dominated genre.
Tejano music, traditionally led by male performers, was not accustomed to female lead singers, and many venues were hesitant about them and had doubts about booking them.
Her father and manager, Abrhamad, had a hard time booking the band shows because promoters and audiences often doubted that a young woman could succeed in this style of music.
Although she grew up in a Mexican-American household, Selena did not know how to speak Spanish fluently when she first started singing.
Her primary language was English. When she began performing Tejano music, which is typically sung in Spanish, her father, Abraham Quintanilla, encouraged her to learn Spanish.
Selena initially learned to sing phonetically in Spanish, and through time, she became more fluent in the language through practice and speaking with Spanish-speaking people.
During the early years of her career, Selena used to tour with her band in an old bus that they baptized as “The Big Bertha.”
The bus was famously purchased by her father, Abraham Quintanilla, in the 1980s, and despite its rundown appearance, it became a symbol of their hard work and dedication.
This famous tour bus is currently on display at the Selena Museum in Corpus Christi, Texas. The museum was created by her family to honor her legacy.
Selena’s father took her out of school in the eighth grade. Many of her teachers disapproved of Selena’s involvement in music, threatening to report him to the Texas Board of Education.
Selena’s teachers argued that the environment was unsuitable for a girl her age and that Selena came to school exhausted. However, her father dismissed their concerns.
Despite this, at seventeen, Selena earned her high school diploma through the American School of Correspondence. She later enrolled at Pacific Western University.
It might sound hard to believe, but early in her career, Selena had stage fright and was often nervous before performing.
Despite her confidence on stage later in life, she battled this anxiety for years. Apparently, she got better at handling her anxiety through time.
Even when she rose to stardom and performed in front of thousands of people every night, she still would ask, “How did I do?” after every performance.
The Texas-born music superstar Beyoncé has mentioned in several interviews that she met Selena Quintanilla briefly as a child. Can you believe it?
This historical encounter took place in the early 1990s at a mall in Houston, Texas, where both Beyoncé and Selena were living at the time.
At the time, Beyoncé was a young girl and hadn’t yet achieved fame, while Selena was a well-known Tejano singer. Beyoncé has said that she was starstruck during the encounter.
Not many people know this, but “Bidi Bidi Bom Bom,” one of Selena’s most iconic songs, was born during one of her band’s playful jam sessions.
It wasn’t initially planned to be a hit single but rather a lighthearted tune the band would perform for fun in between other “proper” songs.
The song, which reflects the feeling of butterflies that comes when someone you love walks by, became an instant hit for the band. Who would’ve thought?
Selena married her longtime boyfriend, Chris Pérez, on April 2, 1992. The couple had been dating for a few years, but Selena’s father disapproved of their relationship.
In response to the pressure and fear that they wouldn’t be allowed to be together, Selena and Chris decided to elope. They married in secret at the Nueces County Courthouse in Texas,
Although her father was initially upset, he eventually accepted their marriage, and Chris became an integral part of Selena’s life and music career as the guitarist for Selena y Los Dinos.
In the late 1980s, during Selena’s early stages of her career, both Sony Music Latin and EMI Latin were interested in representing the young artist.
She was gaining popularity in the Tejano music scene, and major record labels took notice. Sony Music Latin offered a larger financial deal, but Selena chose to sign with EMI in 1989.
The reason? Her father and manager believed that EMI would provide greater creative control and better opportunities to cross over into the mainstream English-language market.
Selena was a spokesperson for Coca-Cola. She began her partnership with the brand in 1989, and her popularity helped make her one of Coca-Cola’s most successful Latina spokespeople.
She signed the contract with Coca-Cola when she was just 17. She appeared in three commercials and several promotional campaigns for the company, further elevating her visibility.
Coca-Cola even commemorated Selena with limited-edition collectible bottles featuring her image to celebrate her five years with the brand. Amazing, right?
One of Selena’s favorite foods was pizza. In interviews, she often mentioned how much she loved it and could eat it every day.
She often mentioned that her favorite restaurants were Pizza Hut and The Olive Garden. She bragged about often eating a whole medium pizza by herself.
Apparently, her favorite pizza topping was mushrooms. However, it is unclear if she liked making pizza from scratch at home or if she preferred to order it.
Not many people know this, but Selena had an extensive collection of lookalikes of Fabergé eggs and kept about 500 in glass cabinets in her living room.
What are Fabergé eggs, you may ask? They are luxurious, jeweled eggs created by Russian goldsmith Peter Carl Fabergé, known for their intricate designs.
Selena’s eggs ranged from gold to diamond eggs of all sizes. Her collection is now displayed at the Selena Museum in Corpus Christi.
Selena made a brief appearance in the 1995 film “Don Juan DeMarco.” The American romantic comedy-drama starred Johnny Depp as John Arnold DeMarco.
In the movie, Deep plays a man who believes himself to be Don Juan, the greatest lover in the world. Selena played a singer.
This was the singer’s first and only film appearance before her death on March 31, 1995. In fact, the movie premiered months after her passing.
It might seem surprising, but Selena only won one Grammy during her lifetime because her career was tragically cut short when she was murdered at the age of 23 in 1995.
Despite her incredible talent and growing popularity, especially in the Tejano and Latin music scenes, she did not have the opportunity to fully break into the mainstream market.
However, In 1994, she won her Grammy for Best Mexican-American Album for Live!, which was a significant achievement as it made her the first female Tejano artist to win that award.
At the beginning of her career, Selena designed many of her own outfits. She had a passion for fashion, and her stage outfits often blended glamour with her unique style.
According to her sister, Suzette Quintanilla, Selena had a sketchbook that she was always sketching in when she and her band were on the road.
Selena’s designs included bold, bedazzled bustiers, high-waisted pants, and stylish jackets that became iconic in her performances. Soon, her fans started to imitate her style.
In the mid-1990s, Selena opened three boutiques called Selena Etc. The boutiques featured clothing, accessories, and jewelry, reflecting her passion for fashion and beauty.
She opened two locations, one in Corpus Christi, Texas, and another in San Antonio, Texas, in the mid-1990s. The stores also offered beauty services like hair styling and manicures.
Unfortunately, the Selena Etc. boutiques closed after her passing in 1995, but they remain an important part of her legacy as a multifaceted artist and entrepreneur.
Seeing her parent struggle financially during her childhood made Selena realize she should always have a “plan b” in case music didn’t work for her.
The singer enrolled at Miramar California University, where she earned her degree in Business Administration. That degree would later allow her to open her fashion boutiques.
According to her, she took up this major to better understand the business side of her growing career and to manage her own boutique and fashion ventures.
Not many people know this, but one of Selena’s dreams was to have a farm. She had gotten serious about it towards the end of her life.
In 1994, Selena and her husband Chris purchased 10 acres of land just outside of Corpus Christi, Texas. They planned to build a frame there.
The couple wanted to raise horses and build their own house. Selena had already picked out the furniture. Sadly, she passed away before they could finish the project.
Selena thought it was essential to inspire children and young adults to stay in school. She frequently visited high schools to emphasize the value of having a diploma.
She enjoyed speaking at public middle and high schools, encouraging students to stay in school and avoid both drugs and alcohol.
In 1993, she held a free concert for Texas students who had significantly improved their grades and contributed $2,500 to support school programs.
Selena had a very special connection with the Houston Astrodome. Her first major concerts took place there in 1993. She performed in front of 60,000 people.
Selena’s final televised performance also took place at the Astrodome on February 26, 1995. There were 61,041 at her last big performance.
Not many people know this, but her actual last performance was made a few days before her tragic passing for a children’s charity.
It might sound hard to believe, but sadly, it was the Quintanilla family who unknowingly allowed her murdered, Yolanda Saldívar, into the singer’s life.
Yolanda initially approached the family in the early 1990s, expressing her admiration for Selena and her desire to start a fan club. Impressed by her dedication, the family allowed it.
Saldivar eventually became closer to Selena, and the singer later promoted her to manage her boutiques. Yolanda gained her trust and became closely involved in Selena’s personal life.
Yolanda Saldívar murdered Selena due to financial issues. The singer had discovered that Saldívar embezzled money from Selena’s fan club and boutiques.
On March 31, 1995, Selena met Yolanda at a Corpus Christi motel to retrieve financial records. An argument escalated, and Yolanda shot Selena as she tried to leave.
Selena was able to reach the motel lobby but died from her injuries. Yolanda claimed it was accidental, but evidence pointed to a deliberate act out of desperation.
Around 22,000 actresses from all over the world auditioned to play Selena in the 1997 biographical film of the same name as hers, “Selena.”
The casting call was one of the largest at the time, as many actresses wanted the opportunity to portray her. The only casting call that saw more actresses was the one for Scarlett O’Hara.
Ultimately, Jennifer Lopez was chosen for the lead role, which became a defining moment in her career. The film covered Selena’s rise to fame and her tragic death.
In the following years after Selena’s death, her husband, Chris Perez, maintained a close relationship with her family. They supported each other in coping with the tragedy.
However, in 2016, there was a legal dispute between Chris and the Quintanilla family. At the time, Perez announced that he wanted to turn his memoir, To Selena, with Love, into a TV show.
Selena’s father filed a lawsuit claiming that Chris had violated an agreement signed after Selena’s death, which gave the Quintanilla family exclusive rights to her image. They settled out of court.
Soon after the singer’s passing, George W. Bush, who was then the governor of Texas, declared April 16, 1995, as “Selena Day” in Texas.
This date was chosen because it was Selena’s birthday, and the proclamation came shortly after her tragic death on March 31, 1995. The declaration was made to honor her music.
Selena’s Day also commemorated her influence on the Latino community and her cultural impact. Through the years, there have been attempts to make the day an annual celebration.
Selena was featured on a US postage stamp in 2011 as part of the Latin Music Legends series, which honored influential Latin music artists.
The series, released by the United States Postal Service, also included other prominent artists like Tito Puente and Carmen Miranda.
The stamp commemorated Selena’s lasting impact on music and culture, further cementing her status as an icon loved by millions all over the country.
After getting married, Selena and Chris Pérez created a mini animal sanctuary in their backyard, adopting five dogs, including a Husky and a Bull Mastiff.
Chris had always wanted a pet snake, so they also got a ball python named Bugsy. One time, the four-foot snake escaped its tank and hid inside their mattress.
Apparently, Selena did not like that at all and started screaming like a mad woman. According to Chris, “That poor python looked just as scared as Selena was.”
Even today, Selena is recognized for bringing Tejano music into the mainstream and remains the best-selling artist in the genre.
She has sold over 18 million records worldwide. Billboard magazine even named her the top-selling Latin artist of the 1990s in the U.S.
Many of the big names in Latin music have named her as a big influence in their career. That list includes names like Shakira, Enrique Iglesias, and Ricky Martin.
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