March 31^st, 2020, marks 25 years since the death of legendary Queen of Tejano music Selena Quintanilla Perez.  Selena’s legacy has lived on in her fans, her music and anyone who is introduced to her charisma, talent and influence.  In these 25 years, her relevance continues to grow.  In 2015, she became the best-selling female artist in Latin music history, after selling more than 65 million units worldwide. The following year, MAC cosmetics released a sold-out limited edition makeup line inspired by the artist that broke internet record sales and Madame Tussauds Wax Museum  immortalized  her in a wax representation. In 2017, she joined other entertainment  luminaries  as she was honored with a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame.

In these last 25 years, “La Reina de Tex-Mex”, has had numerous tributes. Several homages have been published in newspapers and magazines . You may browse these stories and more from your home computer, with a New York Public Library card, by accessing these databases:

Academic Search Premier; Academic One File (Gale); ProQuest Research Library; PressReader; and Flipster.

Many Latinx artists have credited the Grammy award winner, as a leading pioneer of the mainstream explosion of Latin music. In the years following her death, she has become an international icon and inspiration to many entertainers in countless fields.

Selena resonates with people as the girl next door who accomplished the “American dream.” Her story, career struggles, dreams, and family life are relatable to all. 

 To learn more about Selena, you can search through the following databases:

Biography in Context; International Bibliography of Theatre and Dance with Full Text; Oxford Music Online; Smithsonian Collections Online; Latin American Newsstand; and Latino American Experience.  (All accessible from home with an NYPL Library card) You may use the search terms: "Selena" and "Selena Quintanilla"

You can also read her husband Chris Perez's, account of their personal and professional relationship in: To Selena, with love

Resources:

Martin, C. (2016, November 10). Dreaming Of Selena: How the Latina icon became a makeup phenomenon. New York Times.

Morales, M. (2020, April). Selena 25 Años Después. People En Español, 23(2), 62–78.

Parédez Deborah. (2009). Selenidad: Selena, Latinos, and the performance of memory. Durham: Duke University Press.

Ramsey, J. (2016). Selena in Wax. Texas Monthly, 44(10), 56.

Segarra, L. M. (2017). Selena Honored With Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Time.Com, 1

Winkler, J. (2015, September). AMOR PROHIBIDO. Texas Monthly , 43(9), 106–226.