Inside the life and legacy of Selena as Netflix documentary set to premiere on November 17
Tejano superstar Selena Quintanilla was known for her music and as an icon for the Mexican-American community, which will be explored in the upcoming Netflix documentary Selena Y Los Dinos
Netflix is releasing a new documentary about the life of Tejano music superstar Selena Quintanilla, titled Selena Y Los Dinos, which begins streaming on November 17.
While she is an icon in the Mexican-American community, especially in Texas, many may not know who she was and why her legacy has endured beyond the Latinx community 30 years after she was tragically murdered when she was just 23 years old. Selena is remembered not only for her music but also for her iconic fashion sense and her bubbly personality.
The 1997 music biopic Selena kick-started the career of pop superstar Jennifer Lopez, who portrayed the singer-songwriter in the film, and cemented Selena's legacy in history as one of the most iconic cultural figures of the 20th century and beyond.
The highly anticipated documentary, directed by Isabel Castro, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 25, 2025, and explores the life of the Queen of Tejano Music through never-before-seen photographs and video footage provided by the Quintanilla family and her widower, Chris Pérez.
After a bidding war, Netflix, which had also produced a biographical series about the singer in 2020, acquired the film's rights.
Selena Quintanilla was born to Mexican-American parents Abraham and Marcella on April 16, 1971, in Freeport, Texas, and grew up in the coastal city of Corpus Christi, Texas.
She began singing at the age of 6, and when her father recognized her tremendous talent, he formed a family band called Selena y Los Dinos with her siblings, A.B. and Suzette. The band played mostly Tejano music, with Selena learning how to speak Spanish through singing.
Between 1989 and 1995, as a solo act, she released the albums Selena, Ven Conmigo, Entre a Mi Mundo, and Amor Prohibido, along with her English crossover album Dreaming of You, which was released shortly after her death. Dreaming of You was the first predominantly Spanish-language record to debut at the top of the Billboard 200 chart.
In 1994, she won the Grammy Award for Best Mexican/Mexican-American Album for her album Selena Live!, making history as the first female Tejano singer to win the award. Many of her songs, including Amor Prohibido, Bidi Bidi Bom Bom, and Como La Flor, among others, topped the Latin Billboard charts for weeks at a time. At the 2021 Grammy Awards, she received the Recording Academy’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
Her musical influences included Gloria Estefan, Janet Jackson, Madonna, and Paula Abdul. Selena was also passionate about fashion and ran a boutique that sold her own designs, many of which she wore during performances.
Selena's life and career were tragically cut short on March 31, 1995, when she was shot and killed by her friend and fan club president, Yolanda Saldivar, after it was discovered that she was embezzling money from Selena's businesses. Yolanda is serving a life sentence in prison for the senseless murder. Her death sent shockwaves around the world, especially in the Mexican-American community.
Since her passing, she has received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, inspired a makeup line at MAC Cosmetics, been honored with her own Barbie doll, and had a bronze statue of her likeness erected in her hometown of Corpus Christi, Texas.
Her music remains extremely popular, and her legacy continues to influence stars such as Beyoncé, Kacey Musgraves, Jennifer Lopez, and Becky G, among many others. She is a symbol of empowerment for Mexican-American women, and a trailblazer for other women in Tejano music and beyond.
Selena Y Los Dinos will be streaming on Netflix on November 17.
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