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25 Years Later, Selena Quintanilla's Legacy Is Stronger Than Ever

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Photo Credit: AFP Contributor / Getty Images

It’s hard to believe it’s been 25 years since Selena Quintanilla’s life was cut short in 1995 at the tender age of 23.

Selena made a name for herself as “La Reina de Tejano Music” (the queen of Tejano music) and rose to the top of the charts at such a young age. By the age of 23, the Mexican-American artist had taken over Tejano music, a completely male-dominated field. She was the first recording artist ever to place five Spanish-language albums simultaneously on the Billboard 200.

Her Grammy-nominated 1994 release, Amor Prohibido, went platinum, as did her 1993 Grammy Award-winning album, Selena Live!, and her 1992 album, Entre a Mi Mundo. She was well on her way to an English crossover and the posthumous release of her English album, Dreaming of You, proved there was a market for it.

Since her passing, Selena Quintanilla has influenced and inspired many of today’s music, fashion and its culture overall. Selena was the first artist to reveal the power of the Latino audience. In many ways, her success and the outpour of love after her death formed the catalyst for the “Latin invasion” in the late ‘90s that saw artists like Shakira and Jennifer Lopez (who owes her own stardom to her breakout role in the biopic “Selena” find crossover success).

Drake is one of the many celebs who's paid homage to Selena with a custom-made shirt featuring a hand-painted image of the late singer’s face, which he posted to his Instagram in March 2015.

Beyonce has also been touched by Selena’s music. “I did actually meet Selena in the Galleria Mall in Houston, but I didn’t say much to her because I wasn’t a celebrity,” the singer said in an MTV Tres interview. “I just saw her and said hello and kept it moving. Definitely growing up in Texas, I heard her on the radio. I think listening to her album — even though I didn’t know exactly what she was saying — it helped me in the studio with my pronunciation. I think she is a legend. I admire her. She was so talented.”

Big Sean is another one who's paid tribute to Selena in the form of custom t-shirts. “Selena’s a legend. She did it big; she was the first,” Sean told Billboard in 2015. “I’m going to rock her on the tee, just like I rock Tupac, just like I rock Biggie.”

Netflix is also in the process of launching a new biopic based on the Latina-Tejmex queen set to be released sometime this year. Meanwhile MAC cosmetics released its first capsule collection inspired by Selena in 2016 and a second Selena collection is launching this month on April 2020.

Needless to say, Selena achieved the “American Dream” at just 23-years-old. Selena and her family didn't have much when she was younger, but they did have a big vision that they weren't going to give up on. With the support of one another, they were able to create one of biggest Latina superstars to ever exist, with a lasting legacy that only continues to grow.

25 years later and Selena Quintanilla's legacy is stronger than ever!

We miss and love you, Selena. 🌹


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