Selena - Leyenda que trascendió la Muerte
Para Todos - Agosto/Septiembre 2008

Entrevista exclusiva con Abraham Quintanilla y Suzette, padre y hermana de Selena, la legendaria artista y modelo de muchos, 13 años después de su lamentable muerte

Selena nace en Lake Jackson, Texas un viernes, y también un viernes, -23 años después, nos deja con el más preciado de los recuerdos, su voz inconfundible, sensual y su extraordinaria revelación de artista hispana, plasmando su inigualable voz en nuestros corazones para siempre.

Selena es leyenda, su talento trascendió la muerte. Mientras muchos sólo nos dejan “fotos y recuerdos”, otros como ella, nos entrega un legado perdurable.

“El pueblo sigue queriendo a Selena porque no sólo es la música sino que es también la persona, su sencillez, su humildad y su carisma”, dice Abraham Quintanilla, padre de Selena. “El público sigue amando su música y admirando su historia de triunfo, familia y romance, que es la historia de Selena”, concluye.

Abraham y Marcela Quintanilla se ponen muy contentos cuando saben que Selena está en camino. Ya tenían a Abraham III (A.B.) de ocho años, y a una niña de cuatro, Suzette. Abraham sintió siempre gran conexión por la música, fue parte del grupo Los Dinos cuando sus hijos eran pequeños y es cuando comenzó a enseñarle el bajo a A.B. y los tambores a Suzette. Selena tenía sólo tres años cuando pidió a sus papá que la incluyera en el grupo y demostró que cantando podía ser parte del mismo. Ya a los seis cantaba en inglés y español, y a los nueve, su papá comienza el grupo Selena y Los Dinos, su debut fue en Papagayos, el restaurante de Abraham y amigo Santos Serda, atrapando a todos con su melodiosa voz. El restaurante se funde al poco tiempo y con eso también la familia Quintanilla. Resuelven viajar en un autobús viejo en donde cargan todos sus instrumentos musicales y se dedican a viajar y a hacen música en donde pudieran encontrar audiencia.

Selena graba y sale a su venta su primer disco, Mis Primeras Grabaciones en 1984, sin ninguna trascendencia. Su carrera comienza a despegar recién en 1986, cuando sale su segundo álbum, Alpha, por el que recibe el premio, Tejano Music Awards, para luego recibirlo por 10 años consecutivos. Ese año también la descubre el fundador de la organización que entrega esos premios, Rudy Trevino y un empresario del show #1 de la televisión en español, Johnny Canales. En el 88 lanza dos más, Preciosa y Dulce Amor y al año siguiente firma un contrato con la agencia EMI Latin. Su hermano A.B., Ricky Vela tecladista del grupo y Pete Astudillo escribían todas las canciones que cantaba Selena con un éxito asombroso. Las salas se aba-rrotaban de seguidores de esta atractiva y sensual cantante y el éxito colmó a toda la familia. Ese año conoce al guitarrista Chris Pérez. La familia lo contrata para que se sume a la banda en 1990 y dos años más adelante Selena se casa muy enamorada. También en 1990 Yolanda Saldivar, una de las segui- doras de Selena, propone a Abraham comenzar el Selena Fan Club, iniciando una estrecha relación con ellos.

Hablamos con su hermana y mejor amiga Suzette Quintanilla, quien compartió algunos recuerdos con nosotros.
Suzette, hermana de Selena, recuerda cuando las dos se fueron de viaje a Las Vegas, visitaron casinos y llegaron a Circus, Circus, jugueteando y disfrutando mientras caminaban por las salas grandes y desérticas del hotel. Suzette notó que Selena de repente se detuvo en uno de los salones, había descubierto una acústica particular, un gran eco, y de repente empezó a cantar. “Cantó con toda su voz. A Selena le encantaba cantar y cuando lo hacía, transmitía energía y pasión al que la escuchara”, dice Suzette.

PT- Cuál es tu opinión sobre el impacto que ha dejado Selena en la música…
Suzette Quintanilla- Antes que nada estoy muy orgullosa. En el tiempo que estábamos tocando en vivo y grabando, no pensábamos que nuestra música iba a tener el impacto que ha logrado en los admiradores de Selena, y no pensaba lo que significaban las canciones para ellos. Creo que es algo muy bello, que 13 años después de su muerte Selena todavía es recordada por su música y a las personas aún hoy les encanta. Hay muchos niños que vienen al museo que ni siquiera habían nacido y hablan de ella como si la conocieran, eso sucede porque sus padres introdujeron la música de Selena a ellos. Es muy gratificante para mi alma saber que no se olvidan de ella, como persona y como artista.

Una de las cualidades que leí de Selena era su felicidad al trabajar con su familia…
-Así es. Nuestro hermano A.B. era el que producía la música y las canciones. Yo toqué el tambor durante los 17 años de su carrera musical. La producción fue hecha por mi padre y mi hermano, y eventualmente continuó sólo mi hermano.
Era natural trabajar juntos. Mientras A.B. trabajaba, Selena y yo dábamos nuestras opiniones, pero escribir la música era asunto de A.B. Por su- puesto otras personas ayudaron al grupo como Ricky Vela y Pete Astudillo, ellos colaboraron en muchas canciones con mi hermano. Y lo que sucedía muy a menudo era que ellos estarían escribiendo la melodía y las canciones mientras nosotros nos íbamos de compras (risa), nos divertíamos mucho. Cuan- do venía nuestra parte estábamos allí en forma puntual. Todo fluía muy bien.

¿Así que Selena y vos se divertían mientras todos trabajaban?
-(Risas) Básicamente, sí. Mucha gente no se da cuenta que producir y escribir canciones es difícil. Crear melodías y una canción llamativa es muy complicado. Una de las cosas que hizo que esto funcionara tan bien fue que todos sabían cual era su lugar en el grupo. Trabajar con la familia no es fácil y no te estoy diciendo que nunca nos peleábamos, pero la mayor parte del tiempo todo funcionaba bien. Siempre consideramos esto como un trabajo y lo manejábamos como tal. Todos nos tratábamos igual, no había favoritismo. Mi papá nunca nos hizo pensar otra cosa, y hasta los otros músicos que no eran parte de la familia eran tratados igual, éramos un equipo.

Hay artistas que están cantando algunos de los éxitos de ustedes, por ejemplo Thalia cantó Amor Prohibido.
-Escuchando la música de Selena, todas sus canciones son clásicas, como que son eternas, y siempre serán éxitos. Es fantástico escuchar canciones como Bidi Bidi Bom Bom o Techno Kumbia, esas canciones eran ya éxitos antes de que Selena muriera. Esa música se hizo 15 años atrás, y toda- vía se mezcla con la música de hoy, y eso dice mucho. Cuando se graba la música no se piensa más allá, pero cuando la escucho hoy, no puedo creer lo lejos que llegó.

(this spanish version was taken from Para Todos website)

English Version:

Selena, A Lengend Transcending Death
Para Todos - August/September 2008

Exclusive interview with Abraham Quintanilla and Suzette, father and sister of Selena, the legendary artist and icon for many, 13 years since her unfortunate death.

Selena was born in Lake Jackson, Texas on a Friday, and also on a Friday- 23 years later, she left us with the most precious of memories, her unforgettable, sensual voice and her extraordinary revelation as a Hispanic artist, forging her inimitable voice on our hearts forever.

“People continue to love Selena not only for her music but also for herself, her simplicity, her humility and her charisma,” says Abraham Quintanilla, Selena’s father. “Our people continue to love her music and admire her history of success, family and romance- Selena’s story,” he concludes.

Abraham and Marcela Quintanilla were very happy to learn baby Selena was on her way. They were already parents to Abraham III (A.B.) who was then eight, and Suzette- four. Abraham had always felt connected to music; he had been part of the band Los Dinos when his children were small. Still small children he started teaching A.B. the bass and Suzette the drums. Selena was three when she asked her father to be included in the group and showed them that she could sing. By six she was singing in both English and Spanish, and by nine, her father started the band Selena and Los Dinos, they debuted at Papagayos, a restaurant operated by her father and Santos Serda, captivating everyone with her melodious voice. The restaurant failed shortly after and with it also the Quintanilla family. They decided to travel on a tour bus, so they loaded up all their musical instruments and toured the land offering concerts to any audience who would listen.

Selena recorded her first album and released Mis Primeras Grabaciones (My First Recordings) in 1984 with little notice. It was not until 1986 that her career started to take off, after her second album, Alpha, for which she receives the award, Tejano Music Awards, and then won it for the following consecutive ten years. That year she was also discovered by the founder of the awards, Rudy Trevino who was the impresario of the #1 television show in Spanish, Johnny Canales. In 1988 she published two more singles, Preciosa (Precious) and Dulce Amor (Sweet Love) and the following year she signed a contract with the agency EMI Latin. Her brother, A.B., Ricky Vela the keyboard player and Pete Astudillo wrote all the songs Selena sang with amazing success. The concert halls were filled with followers of that attractive and sensual chanteuse and her success astounded the entire family. That year she met the guitarist, Chris Perez. The family contracted him to become part of the band in 1990 and two years later Selena married him, very much in love. Also in 1990 Yolanda Saldivar, one of Selena’s fans, proposed to Abraham a Selena Fan Club, thus beginning a close relationship with them.

We spoke to her sister and best friend Suzette Quintanilla, who shared some of her memories with us.
Suzette, Selena’s sister, remembers when the two of them went on a trip to Las Vegas; they visited casinos and ended up in Circus Circus, playing and enjoying themselves while they walked through large and deserted rooms within the hotel. Suzette noticed that Selena all of a sudden stopped in one of the rooms, she had discovered a particular acoustic, a great echo, and suddenly she began to sing. “She sang with her whole voice. Selena loved to sing and when she did it, she transmitted energy and passion to anyone hearing her,” says Suzette.

PT- What is your opinion regarding the influence Selena’s music left us?
SQ- Above all I am very proud. At the time we played live and recorded, we never thought our music would have the impact it had on Selena’s admirers, and we didn’t realize what these songs meant to them. I believe it is something very beautiful, that 13 years after her death people still remember her music and still love it. There are many children who come to the museum who were not even born and speak about her as if they know her, that’s because their parents introduced them to her music. It’s very comforting to my soul to know they haven’t forgotten her, as a person and as an artist.

One of the qualities I noted about Selena was her joy in working with her family.
-So it was. Our brother, A.B. produced the music and songs. I played the drums for the 17 years of her career. My father and brother took care of the production, and eventually my brother took over. It was natural to work together. While A.B. worked, Selena and I would give our opinions, but writing music was A.B.’s business. Of course others helped in the group such as Ricky Vela and Pete Astudillo, they collaborated on many songs with my brother. What happened often was that they would write the songs and melodies while we went shopping (laughter), we had a lot of fun but when it was our turn we were there punctually. Everything flowed beautifully.

So you and Selena had a good time while everybody else worked?
-(Laughter) Basically, yes. Many people don’t realize that to write and produce songs is difficult. To create an outstanding song is very complicated. One of the things that made this work so well was that everyone knew their position in the band. Working with the family is not easy and I’m not saying we never had an argument, but most of the time things went well. We considered this a job and we acted accordingly. We were all equals; there was no favoritism. My father never made us feel any other way; and even the musicians who joined the band were treated as equals, we were a team.

Today there are artists who are singing your songs, for example Thalia sang Amor Prohibido (Forbidden Love.)
-Listening to Selena’s music, all her songs are classics, they’re like eternal, and they will always be hits. It’s fantastic to hear songs such as Bidi Bidi Bom Bom and Techno Kumbia, those songs were already hits before Selena died. That music was made 15 years ago. That says a lot. When music is being recorded you don’t think beyond that, but when I hear it today I can’t help but wonder how far it has come.

It is wonderful to keep memories alive regarding certain things. Amor Prohibido has sold so many copies.
I believe it is the music, and the artist singing the songs. Everything has to flow well together.

Is one of these songs special to you?
-Honestly, all of them are very special to me. And it’s funny when someone asks me if I carry music in my car and I answer no, because usually in this business one doesn’t listen to what one records. But in our case it’s different because Selena is no longer here, when I listen to our music, each song makes me feel special, takes me to a special time. When I hear, Si Una Vez (If Once), I imagine her standing in front of me, singing in San Antonio at an event. Our music takes me to another time, another place. Every song means something to me, and brings me memories.

I admire Selena’s videos; I admire her contagious smile and her constant happiness. When do you believe she was happiest?
-When she married Chris. And when she opened up her line of clothing, which was a short time before her death. In those days she was talking about starting a family, I would definitely say that was when Selena was the happiest. She was very positive, and from the day we began to play publicly, she didn’t care if there were only ten people in the audience. The band didn’t want to even play for 30, but my father said those 30 people would talk about our show and more would come the next time. There’s no doubt about it, we worked hard but her smile and good nature were contagious. She was always happy and we enjoyed everything we did together.

Selena transmitted a very positive energy.
-Yes, my father always said, when things don’t go well, get up and try again- advice Selena always practice.

Tell me what Selena was like at home on an ordinary day.
-No doubt she was singing. It was funny because when we asked her to sing she would say, “Ahh! You’re going to make me sing again.” And I would answer, “But you were just singing!” I have so many memories of her. She was very funny.

Our readers consider Selena a legend.
-How fantastic! That was one of the lovely things about her life, even though we lost Selena tragically, there are always so many positive things that people say about her, or recognitions they give her like this one. I listen to her CD’s to feel near her.

And she is there for the rest of the world through her music, her CD’s and her simplicity and good sense of humor, motivating the coming generations to also give the best of themselves.

More about her achievements:
Selena’s first record was released in 1990, and she became the first Texan woman to reach top sales with her song, Ven Conmigo (Come With Me)- a Gold Record, and she got her first hit with Buenos Amigos (Good Friends) a duet with Alvaro Torres. Ven Conmigo, Baila Esta Cumbia (Dance this Cumbia,) Entra en Mi Mundo (Come Into My World,) Como la Flor (Like the flower,) La Carcacha (The Jalopy,) transported Selena to stardom. Her album, Selena Live, earned her the Grammy for the Best Mexican-American performance. 1994 was her best year because that year she became a diva. That year she released Amor Prohibido (Forbidden Love) that even beat Gloria Estefan’s record, Mi Tierra (My Country.) By March 1995, 400,000 copies were sold. Amor Prohibido includes other hits by her such as Bidi, Bidi, Bom, Bom; Fotos y Recuerdos; No Me Queda Mas( There’s Nothing Left for Me to Do,) and El Chico del Apartamento 512 (The Boy in Apartment 512.)

Selena dreamed of designing clothes and jewelry from the time she was a child and that year she opened her boutique and salon, Selena, Etc., in Corpus Christi, and another in San Antonio, Texas.

February of that same year the Houston Astrodome was sold out of what would come to be her last concert, for the Houston Livestock and Rodeo, breaking the record for any event held. Also in February some problems arose with the Selena Fan Club. People were complaining that they weren’t receiving the packages they paid for. The Quintanilla family asked Yolanda Saldivar for an accounting. She was in charge of the boutiques and it was also noticed that money was missing from Selena’s account, etc. Saldivar was stealing and on March 12, 1995 Selena fired her. Since some documents were still missing, on March 30th Selena and Chris Perez went to the motel where she was staying and she gave them some papers, but when the couple got home they noticed some others were still missing. The following day Selena returned to the motel to confront her and that was when Saldivar fired that infamous shot that killed Selena. Selena ran to the motel entrance crying for help but she died at the hospital at 1PM, Friday March 31, 1995.
The news of her death touched the whole world, her admirers could not believe that their queen of Tejano music would no longer be with them, and many thousands came to wish her good-bye, some crying disconsolately.

Lamentably, the diva of Tejano music, the queen was unable to enjoy having reached her furthest dream, to be able to crossover to music in English. Her last musical gifts are recorded on her album, Dreaming of You, released in July, four months after her death. That record was not only the most successful record of Selena’s career, but also the most successful crossover of all times with more than 27 million copies sold, more than double the number of copies sold by Shakira for her first crossover to English.

Selena and her music will last throughout the ages because she sang to our Latino spirit and has become a symbol of our Latino heritage.

Interpretation by peggyedwards4@yahoo.com (this english version was taken from Para Todos website)