Selena Quintanilla-Pérez -known simply as Selena- was born in Texas (United States) on April 16, 1971, and was an American singer of tex-mex music, ranchera, ballads, mariachi, Latin pop, and Mexican cumbia.
Selena -also known as the Queen of Tex-Mex- is regarded as one of the major figures in Latin music, with over 90 million records sold worldwide.
Her career began when she was just 10 years old alongside her siblings Suzette and Abraham Quintanilla. At 14, she recorded her first album, and it was in 1987 that her popularity soared after winning the Tejano Music Awards for Best Female Vocalist. Following that award, she signed a contract with EMI, and her fame continued to grow throughout the 1990s.
Her album Live! from 1993 won a Grammy for best Mexican-American music album, making her the first Tejano artist to win one. In 1994, Selena released Amor prohibido, which would ultimately become one of the best-selling Latin albums in the United States. Additionally, it was ranked 19th among the 150 best albums made by women.
On March 31, 1995, Selena was murdered at the age of 23 by Yolanda Saldívar, the president of her fan club and manager of her Selena boutiques.
Two years later, her life was brought to the big screen with the film Selena, starring Jennifer Lopez.
