Arts & Entertainment

Selena: A family business going strong 27 years after her death

By Nora Quintanilla

New York, May 18 (EFE).- Selena Quintanilla, the “Queen of Tex-Mex music,” continues to captivate new generations and even garner awards 27 years after her murder thanks to her own hard work during her lifetime and the continued efforts of her surviving family members.

Suzette Quintanilla and A.B. Quintanilla III, older siblings of the American Tejano singer, took part Tuesday in an event in New York where the Mexican-American media company TelevisaUnivision unveiled its 2022-2023 content lineup, a programming slate that includes “Por Siempre: Selena” (Selena Forever), a two-hour live music special that celebrates the iconic star’s enduring legacy and popularity.

Suzette, who was drummer of the family band Selena y Los Dinos and now runs the Latin Music entertainment company Q-Productions, the Selena Museum in Corpus Christi, Texas, and other businesses related to her late sister, gave little away about its content.

She said only that she is thrilled to finally announce that upcoming program, though adding that it will not be released until 2023.

“At this point, we’re still in the initial stages,” A.B., the bass player for Los Dinos and co-writer of some of Selena’s most famous songs, told Efe.

He also achieved fame in his own right after Selena’s death as the creator of the bands Kumbia Kings and Kumbia All Starz, as well as through his work as producer of Mexican singer Thalia and other artists.

Selena was shot and killed on March 31, 1995, by the president of her fan club and manager of her boutiques, Yolanda Saldivar, who had been accused by the family of embezzling tens of thousands of dollars.

Over the past 27 years, Selena’s father and manager, Abraham Quintanilla Jr, and the other members of the family have preserved the singer’s legacy while creating a lucrative brand in the process.

The most recent proof of their marketing success was the arrival of Selena’s life story on Netflix in a two-part biopic: “Selena: The Series,” in which Suzette served as one of the executive producers.

Prior to that series, a score of posthumous albums had been released that included her fifth studio album, compilations, unreleased tracks and remixes.

Suzette, however, says that the task of preserving her sister’s legacy has not been an easy one, adding that coping with her absence has been hard on the entire family and will continue to be for the remainder of their lives.

A.B., for his part, recalled a phrase that his late sister would often say: “The goal isn’t to live forever but to create something that will.”

CREATING SOMETHING THAT ENDURES

In that regard, a new album is in the works that has sparked controversy among the singer’s fans.

Selena’s father revealed recently that A.B. took songs Selena recorded as a teenager and digitally altered them so her voice is closer to how she sounded at 23 – the age when she died.

A.B. did not indicate a release date but said the new album will have “a little EDM (electronic dance music) flavor” with cumbia, while Suzette, who praised her brother’s work, said the album will satisfy fans’ hunger for Selena’s music.

“It’s old music being remixed and made new for this newer generation that’s just really wanting more of Selena and our music, and I think that it’s gonna fill that little void that is happening or that has happened, and it’s gonna just make it continue and people are going to love her,” she told Efe.

The Quintanilla family are often asked what their sister would be like today, considering that at the age of 20 she was breaking down barriers as a singer, actress and fashion entrepreneur.

A.B. said she probably would have wanted to have a family, since that is something that has “always been important for us.”

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