Picture this: A small child, around age 4, is ready to go to school. Pre-Kindergarten to be exact; the father picks up the child and places her in the back of his black trail blazer. The car is so big she can stand inside of it without hitting her head on the ceiling. The child hears the engine start to rumble as the father pulls out of the driveway. The next thing that is heard is a warm, velvety, voice of a Mexican American singing Bidi Bidi Bom Bom out of the speakers of the car. This singer is Selena Quintanilla Perez; not only a singer but a songwriter, actress, spokesperson, and a fashion designer. This small child was me.
Selena Quintanilla Perez was born on April 16, 1971 in Lake Jackson Texas. Her parents’ names are Abraham Quintanilla, Jr and Marcella Ofelia Samora. Perez had two siblings, a sister, Suzette Quintanilla, and a brother, A.B. Quintanilla III.
Selena y Los Dinos is the band that Abraham Quintanilla, started when Selena and her siblings were young. This is the same band Selena was a part of when she passed away on March 31, 1995. The murder was done by her registered agent named Yolanda Saldívar. Initially, she seemed like a good influence that wanted nothing but good things for Selena, her career, and her fashion boutiques. Turns out, she embezzled more than $60,000 in forged checks from both the Selena’s fan club and the boutiques. Saldívar border lined on obsession with Selena–which is clearly not healthy.
Selena Perez died at the young age of 23. She not only left her family, b
ut her husband Chris Perez, an American guitarist, songwriter. The man she married a few years back in 1992. Like most couples–this one planned on having little family and a farm together. Sadly, this never happened.
Growing up, my father played Perez’ music all the time. Although I didn’t know what she was saying some of the time, I loved the music. My father constantly tried to teach me Spanish when I was younger and this was one of his ways he taught me. My dad is Puerto Rican as well so I’m sure that helped influence this music as well. I can honestly say that Selena was a great role model for me because she was such a successful woman. She was able to handle her singing career with everything she was doing.
Selena was so influential, a movie was made about her. It is titled “Selena” starring Jennifer Lopez. I love Selena so much that I own this movie on DVD. It is biographical drama covering the important events in Perez’ life. It’s such a great movie because you can gain more insight on her life, especially if you were old enough to recognize her work when she was alive. I want to close by saying Happy Birthday Selena you are truly loved and missed.
http://www.caller.com/entertainment/chris-perez-selenas-husband-authors-book-about
https://beta.prx.org/stories/82581
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selena
Below is a clip of the ending of the movie “Selena”–enjoy!
iShanti's Infinite Radiance 