Portal:Selena
 Selena Quintanilla-Pérez (April 16, 1971 – March 31, 1995), known by the mononym Selena, was an American singer, songwriter, spokesperson, actress, and fashion designer. Called the Queen of Tejano music, her contributions to music and fashion made her one of the most celebrated Mexican American entertainers of the late 20th century. Billboard magazine named her the "top Latin artist of the '90s", the "best selling Latin artist of the decade". She is often called the "Mexican American equivalent" of Madonna for her clothing choices, by media outlets. The youngest child of the Quintanilla family, she debuted on the music scene in 1980 as a member of the band Selena y Los Dinos, which also included her elder siblings A.B. Quintanilla and Suzette Quintanilla. Selena began recording professionally in 1982. In the 1980s, she was often criticized and was refused bookings at venues across Texas for performing Tejano music—a male-dominated music genre. However, her popularity grew after she won the Tejano Music Award for Female Vocalist of the Year in 1986, which she won nine consecutive times. Selena signed with Capitol EMI Latin in 1989 and released her self-titled debut album the same year, while her brother became her principal music producer and songwriter. Her 1990 album Ven Conmigo was the first recording by a female Tejano artist to achieve gold status by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Selena released Entre a Mi Mundo (1992), which peaked at number one on the U.S. Billboard Regional Mexican Albums chart for eight consecutive months. The album's commercial success led music critics to call the album the "breakthrough" recording of her musical career. One of its singles, "Como La Flor", became one of her most popular signature songs. Live! (1993) won Best Mexican/American Album at the 1994 Grammy Awards, becoming the first recording by a Tejano artist to do so. In 1994, Selena released Amor Prohibido, which became one of the best-selling Latin albums in the United States. It was critically acclaimed as being responsible for Tejano music's first marketable era as it became one of the most popular Latin music subgenres at the time. Selena began recording English-language songs for her crossover album. Aside from music, Selena was active in her community and donated her time to civic causes. Coca-Cola appointed her its spokesperson in Texas. Selena became a sex icon; she was often criticized for wearing suggestive outfits in light of her comments about being a role model for young women. Selena and her guitarist, Chris Pérez, eloped in April 1992 after her father raised concerns over their relationship. On March 31, 1995, Selena was shot dead by Yolanda Saldívar, her friend and former employee of her Selena Etc. boutiques. Hispanics reacted negatively to the news of her death, which was compared to the reactions following the deaths of John Lennon, Elvis Presley, and U.S. president John F. Kennedy. Her posthumous crossover album, Dreaming of You (1995), debuted atop the Billboard 200, making Selena the first Latin artist to accomplish this feat. Two weeks after her death, George W. Bush—governor of Texas at the time—declared her birthday Selena Day in Texas. In 1997, Warner Bros. released Selena, a film about her life and career, which starred Jennifer Lopez as Selena. As of 2012, Selena has sold over 60 million albums worldwide. Template:/box-footer Template:/box-header Abraham Isaac Quintanilla Jr often known by the mononym Abraham was born on February 20, 1939 in Corpus Christi, Texas. Abraham was a Mexican American singer-songwriter and record producer for his band Los Dinos and for Selena y Los Dinos, which mostly consisted of his children that ceased after Selena's death. Abraham is mostly known as the father of Selena, whose passion for music arose in his teens when he joined the group Los Dinos (English: The Guys) in the 1950s. The band's successful single Give Me One Chance sold 150,000 copies and became the band's signature song when the single hit airplay, at the time of its released, in South Texas. Abraham's group were discriminated by Whites for being Americans of Mexican decent. Los Dinos were booed out of buildings for not knowing any Mexican music. The bands' popularity dwindlwed in numbers and record sales began to plummet. Abraham quit the band in the early 1970s to support his family. During the mid-1970s, while trying desperately to leave the music world, Abraham's youngest child Selena, sparked a music-frenzy for Abraham to start up a new singing group, featuring his three children. The new band Selena y Los Dinos prosper during the 1980s and began to become popular. But Selena, like her father, had to face discrimination in the music world due to being a female in a male-dominant genre. By the 1990s, Selena's popularity reached new heights and she won a Grammy Award for her album Selena Live!. By 1995, Selena had a legend of fans and was working on a major crossover album that would've impelled Selena as an American solo pop artist. Selena was murdered by Yolanda Saldivar in March of the same year. Abraham's love of music continued to grow with his opening of Q-Productions and appearing in documentary shows, mostly about his daughter. Christopher Gilbert "Chris" Pérez (born August 14, 1969), known as Chris Pérez, is an American guitarist, songwriter and author best known as the lead guitarist for the Tejano band Selena y Los Dinos. He married the frontwoman of the group, Selena, on April 2, 1992. Pérez grew up in San Antonio, Texas as one of two children of Gilbert Pérez and Carmen Medina. In 1986, he joined Shelly Lares' band. By the late 1980s, Pérez was reputed among Tejano musicians for his guitar skills. This caught A.B. Quintanilla's attention; at the time, Quintanilla III was seeking another guitarist for the band he produced, Selena y Los Dinos. Shortly after Pérez joined the band, he and Selena began a personal relationship. Selena's father, Abraham Quintanilla, Jr., forced them to end their relationship because he felt Pérez' image might damage Selena's career. They ignored his threats to disband the group, and continued their relationship. Quintanilla Jr. fired Pérez from the band, forbidding Selena to go with him. They later eloped, and Selena's father accepted the relationship. Pérez was asked to collaborate on several of Selena's songs with Quintanilla III and other members of the band, using his guitar to piece out melodies and incorporating a number of musical genres into their songs. A few years after Selena's death, he married Venessa Villanueva. That year, Pérez formed the Chris Pérez Band and began writing songs for their debut album. They signed with Hollywood Records and released their first album, Resurrection, which won a Grammy Award for Best Latin Rock or Alternative Album. The band disbanded after their second album, Una Noche Mas (2002), was released. Pérez and Villanueva had two children, Cassie and Noah, before divorcing in 2008. Pérez continued in the music business and often played with Quintanilla III's groups, the Kumbia Kings and the Kumbia All-Starz. He left both groups and formed another band (the Chris Pérez Project, which included Puerto Rican singer Angel Ferrer) in 2010. In 2012 Pérez wrote a book about his and Selena's relationship entitled To Selena, With Love, which received a positive reception from critics and fans. Template:/box-footer Dreaming of You is the sixth and final studio album and second posthumous album by Mexican American Tejano pop singer Selena. The album was first released on July 18, 1995, and was re-released, being part of the 20 Years of Music Collection series, on September 24, 2002, with extra tracks, music videos, and spoken liner notes by her family, friends, and her former band, by EMI Records and EMI Latin. The album itself is classified as a double album with unreleased English language tracks and Spanish language tracks that were previously released prior to the album's release, which was given a Caribbean remix like dance hall and reggae. The album incorporates slow and mid-tempo R&B ballads and pop songs, while the rest of the album incorporates Latin-inflected grooves. Debuting at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, it sold more than 330,000 units in its first week, making her the first Latin singer to accomplish this feat, and Dreaming of You the second highest debut after Michael Jackson's HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I. On its release date, the album sold over 175,000 copies, a record for a female pop singer. Critics received the album with mixed to positive reviews with many of them stating that Dreaming of You was not Selena's peak as an artist, while stating that her previous record, Amor Prohibido, is a more consistent release that it was an effective introduction, and showed why she was adored by Tejano fans alike. Dreaming of You has proven commercially successful, selling over 2,000,000 copies in its first year. Template:/box-header "Bidi Bidi Bom Bom" (English: "Little Bidi Bubbles") is a song by Mexican-American Tejano pop singer Selena. Bidi Bidi Bom Bom was the second single released from her album Amor Prohibido (1994). The song was written by Selena and Pete Astudillo. It was produced by A.B. Quintanilla III – Selena's brother – and Bebu Silvetti. The song was released on August 13, 1994 in the United States. It was picked up by Tejano, rhythmic contemporary and Contemporary Latin radio stations "Bidi Bidi Bom Bom", widely known as Selena's signature song, was an unplanned song. After its first draft by Selena, the unfinished song was performed on her Entre A Mi Mundo Tour during 1992 to 1993. Selena had wanted to see her fans' reaction before completing it. Despite the positive reaction of fans, the song was not recorded at that time. It was modified to a roots reggae style to become accessible for Hispanics who were not acquainted with her music. It won the award for 'Most Performed Song of the Year' at the 1996 Broadcast Music Incorporated Latin Awards. At the 1994 Tejano Music Awards, "Bidi Bidi Bom Bom" won 'Song of the Year', while at the 2010 ceremony, it won 'Best 1990s Song'. "Bidi Bidi Bom Bom" and the music video were given mixed to positive reviews. Bidi Bidi Bom Bom had extensive airplay in the United States, peaking at number-one on Billboard Hot Latin Tracks, the second consecutive number-one single from Amor Prohibido. The single failed to impact any music chart, globally. Music critics from Portugal, Ireland, Spain, Cuba, and Ecuador complained about its lack of chart success in their countries. Selena had promoted the song during three world concerts including, the Entre A Mi Mundo Tour (1992-93), Selena Live! Tour (1993-94), and the Amor Prohibido Tour (1994-95). The accompanied music video was released on May 10, 1994 on the major Spanish-language television channels. The song has been covered by many artists, with the most notable example being by Alejandra Guzmán, who both recorded and sang in homage to Selena during the Selena ¡VIVE! tribute concert, which was held on April 7, 2005.
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