Long Live the Queen of Cumbia: The Life of Selena Quintanilla

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at FSU chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

Before there was J-Lo or Shakira, there was Selena Quintanilla, the aptly named “Queen of Cumbia.” Reinventing the Latin music genre, Selena was a pop icon in the making with her danceable music, memorable concerts, and generous personality.

2025 marks the 30th anniversary of this treasure’s passing, and since then, the popularity of her music has only grown. Selena once said, “If you have a dream, don’t let anybody take it away.” She’s remembered as a young woman who had big dreams and achieved them to the greatest degree.

Selena’s early life

When Selena was eight years old, her father, Abraham Quintanilla, found her singing “Funkytown” by Lipps Inc. and was convinced that he needed to start a family band. After being in a band himself when he was young, Los Dinos, he wanted his kids to have that same experience.

He gathered all his children and started a band. He put his son, A.B., on bass guitar; his eldest daughter, Suzette, on drums; and Selena as lead singer. They called themselves Selena y Los Dinos. They performed all over their hometown of Corpus Christi, Texas, at nursing homes, weddings, quinceañeras, and at their family restaurant, Papagayo’s.

Unfortunately, in 1981, their restaurant went bankrupt, forcing the Quintanilla family to move in with their relatives. Even though they were all sleeping in one room, Quintanilla kept the band alive. They performed at any venue they could, and that finally paid off.

First time for everything

From 1981 to 1986, Selena y Los Dinos were starting to find a little success. They were signed by a few minor record labels, but because of their presumed naïveté, they were often swindled by power-hungry music producers.

That doesn’t mean they weren’t having a good time. In 1984, Selena y Los Dinos released their first album, Mis Primeras Grabaciones. This was the first piece of music that they toured. Selena’s father bought a massive RV for the band, which they aptly named “Big Bertha,” and traveled across the southern U.S. and parts of Mexico.

Subsequently, Selena y Los Dinos released several more long-playing records (LPs), leading up to their first album, the self-titled Selena. This was their first big break, but for Selena, it was bittersweet. She obviously wanted the success of the album, but because of her age and her father being her manager, she didn’t get to put out the album she wanted. Down to the photoshoot, Selena’s word was overruled by producers and the press.

Nevertheless, this era was when she truly started to gain traction amongst the Tejano music scene. She was invited on a popular Mexican talk show, The Johnny Canales Show, to promote her album, and over the years, she became a beloved regular. In 1986, at just 15 years old, Selena won her first award at the Tejano Music Awards for Female Vocalist of the Year. She went on more tours, released more songs, and began to leave her mark on the world of Latin music.

Her first hit

Selena’s album, Entre a Mi Mundo, was her first major hit, specifically her song “Como La Flor.” The intoxicating beat and relatable lyrics catapulted her career into the stratosphere. Fans across the United States and Mexico were in love with this song, and they were falling in love with the woman behind it.

Months before the release of Entre a Mi Mundo, Selena was deep into a secret romance with a guitarist, Chris Pèrez. Just before the album was released, Selena and Pèrez secretly got married at a courthouse in Corpus Christi. She wanted to keep it a secret, especially from her father, but reporters got hold of it and broke the news before she even got home.

Selena’s father didn’t approve of this marriage, and he ended up isolating himself from his daughter for a while. He couldn’t stay away for long because of the success of Entre a Mi Mundo, meaning he had to come back, fulfill his manager duties, and keep the band going.

Skyrocketing to Success

The next several years were a complete whirlwind for Selena. She released two albums: a live album entitled Selena Live! and another new album, Amor Prohibido, which held some of her most famous tracks such as “Bidi Bidi Bom Bom,” “No Me Queda Más,” and, of course, “Amor Prohibido.” She won the Grammy for Best Mexican-American Album for Selena Live! in 1994.

Beyond her music career, Selena began dabbling in other endeavors, the most notable being her boutiques. Throughout her life, Selena had been very passionate about fashion. Even in the earliest iterations of her band, she and her sister were always working away, making costumes for their performances.

In January 1994, Selena opened her first boutique, Selena Etc. It functioned as a hair salon and as a clothing store, including some of her own designs. The store was run by the president of her fan club, Yolanda Saldívar, who would go on to be Selena’s murderer.

Still, while the shop was running, it had great success. At this time in her life, Selena was becoming more focused on her business and her family, slightly stepping away from music, but she was still performing. The biggest performance of her career was at the Houston Astrodome. The audience was over 60,000 people. She performed her most popular songs and covers of some songs she loved. It’s regarded as her most impressive performance.

Her legacy

Selena is often remembered for everything but her incredible career and life. Oftentimes, people only talk about her death, which isn’t to be overlooked, but there’s so much more to this incredible woman.

Selena has served as an inspiration for countless musicians, both big and small. Even Beyoncé said that she was inspired by Selena, and she even met her at a mall in Selena’s hometown. More so, young Latinas across North America found her story and her music deeply inspirational and proved that anyone could make a life for themselves.

Selena was a woman full of life who wanted to share her gift and spirit with the world, and she gave all she had to give. Now, 30 years after her passing, her family still does everything in her honor, keeping her legacy alive and her voice singing.

Want to see more HCFSU? Be sure to follow us on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, YouTube, and Pinterest!