The Life and Death of Selena Quintanilla

A Star is Born

Selena Quintanilla-Perez was brought into this world on April 16th, 1971, in Lake Jackson, Texas. The future “Queen of Tejano Music” was raised in a Mexican-American family, but she only spoke “Kitchen Spanish.” Selena originally learned Spanish to expand her singing career, but she continued to take intensive classes to sharpen her pronunciation and vocabulary of the language.

Selena as a young girl.

Source: Twitter

Selena was the third and youngest child of Mexican-American parents, Abraham and Marcella. She was raised in a musical family, and her dad formed a band with Selena and both of her siblings. Selena was just six years old at the time, but her talent was apparent. Her father knew right away that she was destined to be a star.