noxious.sunshine
04-04-2014, 07:33 PM
Nooooo. Not Selena Gomez (although she -was- named after the artist I'm talking about).
Selena Quintanilla-Perez.
I forgot about the anniversary of her death on the 31st.
It's been 19 years since she was senselessly murdered by her fan club president, Yolanda Saldivar.
I, like pretty much everyone not born & raised in Texas / isn't Mexican/ whatever, didn't know about her until she died and J.Lo portrayed her in the biopic (Yes, I think J.Lo nailed the role perfectly and is probably her best work to datw).
I didn't think much about her after that for a few years, until I learned Spanish and got more into Spanish music (aka: stuck listening to Chalino Sanchez with my ex in Phoenix non-stop).
But then I got really into her- watching live performances, interviews, reading articles written about her and learning of her accomplishments and how she was as a person- never said "no" when someone asked for an autograph, always doing charity work & speaking to schools in her community, and even staying in Corpus Christi in a house next to her parents for awhile.
She never acted like a diva, though she had every right to. Her voice was amazing. I've watched tributes, including the "Selena Vive!" concert they replay every year on Univision.. And while it's really heartwarming and neat to see all these Spanish-language artists pay tribute to her, their covers of her songs just sound horrible to me. That might sound mean/harsh, but it's the truth.
Aside from her amazing vocal talent & ability to draw in a crowd, Selena was also very fashion-forward.. Those hi-lo skirts & dresses? Selena did those. Cut-out patterns on her jump suits & bustiers? Selena was doing that too.
She designed all of her own outfits as well as those of her band members and went on to open 2 boutiques in Texas- both of which wound up making her a cool $5M together.
For me, Selena is the ultimate artist/singer. Her musuc, to me, never sounds like it was made in the 80s or 90s (except for her English language songs- I Could Fall In Love & Dreaming of You.. Those do). Her songs sound as fresh to me today as they did almost 10 years ago when I started really getting into her, and as fresh as they were when first recorded.
Sadly, I'm not sure that she would've made it big as a crossover artist, releasing an English album. Sure, there's a strong possibility she could have, but I think that her death is what catapulted her popularity over here in the mainstream English market. And I think that had she lived, it would've taken some time for Los Dinos to find the right sound to get her where they all hoped to be.
Spanish language-wise, though, chick had it in the bag from day 1.
Anywho... This is my little tribute to her.
Parker has always loved her music just like I do. We used to sing "Bidi Bidi Bom Bom" together when she was younger because those words were easy for her to pick up and say.
But I also absolutely love "Si Una Vez", "El Chico del Apartamento 512", "Amor Prohibido", "La Carcacha" & many others...
<3
Selena Quintanilla-Perez.
I forgot about the anniversary of her death on the 31st.
It's been 19 years since she was senselessly murdered by her fan club president, Yolanda Saldivar.
I, like pretty much everyone not born & raised in Texas / isn't Mexican/ whatever, didn't know about her until she died and J.Lo portrayed her in the biopic (Yes, I think J.Lo nailed the role perfectly and is probably her best work to datw).
I didn't think much about her after that for a few years, until I learned Spanish and got more into Spanish music (aka: stuck listening to Chalino Sanchez with my ex in Phoenix non-stop).
But then I got really into her- watching live performances, interviews, reading articles written about her and learning of her accomplishments and how she was as a person- never said "no" when someone asked for an autograph, always doing charity work & speaking to schools in her community, and even staying in Corpus Christi in a house next to her parents for awhile.
She never acted like a diva, though she had every right to. Her voice was amazing. I've watched tributes, including the "Selena Vive!" concert they replay every year on Univision.. And while it's really heartwarming and neat to see all these Spanish-language artists pay tribute to her, their covers of her songs just sound horrible to me. That might sound mean/harsh, but it's the truth.
Aside from her amazing vocal talent & ability to draw in a crowd, Selena was also very fashion-forward.. Those hi-lo skirts & dresses? Selena did those. Cut-out patterns on her jump suits & bustiers? Selena was doing that too.
She designed all of her own outfits as well as those of her band members and went on to open 2 boutiques in Texas- both of which wound up making her a cool $5M together.
For me, Selena is the ultimate artist/singer. Her musuc, to me, never sounds like it was made in the 80s or 90s (except for her English language songs- I Could Fall In Love & Dreaming of You.. Those do). Her songs sound as fresh to me today as they did almost 10 years ago when I started really getting into her, and as fresh as they were when first recorded.
Sadly, I'm not sure that she would've made it big as a crossover artist, releasing an English album. Sure, there's a strong possibility she could have, but I think that her death is what catapulted her popularity over here in the mainstream English market. And I think that had she lived, it would've taken some time for Los Dinos to find the right sound to get her where they all hoped to be.
Spanish language-wise, though, chick had it in the bag from day 1.
Anywho... This is my little tribute to her.
Parker has always loved her music just like I do. We used to sing "Bidi Bidi Bom Bom" together when she was younger because those words were easy for her to pick up and say.
But I also absolutely love "Si Una Vez", "El Chico del Apartamento 512", "Amor Prohibido", "La Carcacha" & many others...
<3