Selena Quintanilla Podcast!

Celina Quintanilla, known as the Queen of Tejano Music, was born into a musical family and gained fame with her band Celina y Los Dinos. She learned Spanish by singing and released her first album in 1989. Celina's career skyrocketed, and she explored different music genres. She became the first Tejano artist to win a Grammy in 1994. Her biggest achievement was performing at the Astrodome in Houston, Texas, but it was also her last concert as she was tragically shot and killed by her former employee, Yolanda Zaldivar. Celina's music and identity resonated with many, breaking stereotypes and influencing Latin music worldwide. She is remembered through tributes, a statue, and a Netflix series about her life. Celina Quintanilla will always be the Queen of Tejano Music. La Reina de Musica Tejana. That was the nickname given to Celina Quintanilla when she debuted as a Tejano music artist with her band Celina y Los Dinos. Born in 1971, Celina was born into a musical family with her father, Abram Quintanilla, already being a musician. He always pushed Celina and her two siblings, Los Dinos, to perform at their family restaurant in Corpus Christi, Papagayos. These performances soon spread to other events such as weddings, quinceañeras, and fairs. Though we know her for her Spanish-rooted music, Celina surprisingly only learned to speak Spanish by singing it. As Celina gained attraction in the musical industry, she released her first self-titled record in 1989 at the age of 18. This was a huge highlight in her career, seeing as it was the first released album without Hilo Dinos following her name. This, in turn, only increased her audience. Over a number of years, Celina gained fame internationally and went on several tours. By 1994, she had sold more than 60 million albums, that's double all of Canada's entire population. As more people demonstrated their interest in this new star, Celina broadened her musical horizons. She explored genres such as regional mexicano, tecnocumbia, rock and roll, and her most famous contribution, Tejano music. One of her many achievements was being the first Tejano artist ever to receive a Grammy in 1994. As her career was on a lightning speed rollercoaster upwards, Celina had her biggest achievement yet. On February 26th of 1995, Celina performed at the Astrodome here in our very city, Houston, Texas. Nearly 67,000 people attended, witnessing what would later become Celina's last concert. What people loved most about this great star was her ability to invoke passion through her voice and lyrics. Young girls felt a connection with her because of her Mexican-American identity, and Mexican immigrants living in the States were able to reconnect with their roots and feel more at home here. As a whole, Celina greatly influenced the world's interest in Latin music. She broke many generational stereotypes and completely altered Anglo's perspective on Latin culture. She even had her own fan club and two boutiques. In fact, rumors had begun to spread about Celina's right-hand woman, Yolanda Zaldivar. After many failed packages, arrivals to fans, and over $67,000 missing, it was believed that Zaldivar was embezzling money. With much thought and evidence, she was fired. Celina Incorporated later realized that Yolanda was still in possession of many crucial documents. Celina took initiative and set up a meeting at a local motel in Corpus Christi to confront Yolanda. After arguing several minutes, it was reported that Yolanda Zaldivar pulled out a .38 caliber and shot the young prodigy in her back. Upon examination at the hospital, she was determined clinically brain dead. Though there were many rumors surrounding her death, some say she was denied a blood transfusion due to her religious affiliation with Jehovah's Witnesses. Others even say she was pregnant when she was killed. None of these rumors have ever been confirmed and never will be. Upon the death of this great star, fans were devastated and heartbroken that this young girl, age 23, was robbed of her future. Mi Ador de la Flor. That was a bronze statue honoring Celina's career and impact on her community. In that same year, a movie was released to spread her inspiring story so fans would be able to remember Celina as the star she was. It wasn't until recently when a series was released on Netflix retelling the story of this Tejano legend and going deep into detail about her childhood, career, and personal life. There have been several tributes and memoirs dedicated to this tremendous legend. Celina Quintanilla will forever be remembered as the queen of Tejano music.