Selena
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Selena Quintanilla was born on April 16, 1971, in Lake Jackson, Texas. As a performer, she was known simply as Selena. Selena was considered the "Queen of Tejano," a type of Mexican music that incorporated many different styles of music. Selena’s father was a musician who became the manager of the family band. Selena grew up speaking English, but her father taught her to sing in Spanish to increase her popularity with the Spanish-Speaking community. At 10, Selena became the lead singer in her family's band. The musical group started out playing weddings and clubs in their native Texas. The band featured her brother Abraham on bass guitar and her sister Suzette on the drums.
Selena released her first LP record at the age of 12 with her band, Selena y Los Dinos. At the 1987 Tejano Music Awards, she won the Female Vocalist of the Year award. She won this award eight times in a row. Selena signed a record agreement with EMI Latin in 1989. She released five Spanish-language albums with them, each having chart and sales success.
In 1993, Selena Live! won a Grammy Award. In 1994, Amor Prohibido was released and five of the singles became number one hits. In late 1994, the chairman of EMI Latin, believed that Selena was ready to release a cross-over album. Selena went to work on her first English-language album that she hoped would put her on the top of the U.S. pop music charts. Unfortunately, she did not live to see its success. On 31 March 1995, Selena was shot and killed by Yolanda Saldívar, a friend and president of Selena's fan club. Dreaming of You was released after Selena’s death and became a huge hit. The album hit number one on the Billboard Top 200 the week of August 5, 1995.
In spite of only living to the age of 23, Selena greatly influenced Tejano music and American culture. Two weeks after her death, Governor of Texas at the time, George W. Bush, made April 16th "Selena Day" in Texas. In 1997, a movie was released a movie about Selena's life. Actress Jennifer Lopez played the role of "Selena" in the movie. The role helped Lopez become famous. Even today, millions of fans visit the Selena Memorial in Corpus Christi to pay their respects to the Queen of Tejano.