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-[static crackling] -[loud beep]
[distorted] Yeah.
Yes. Yes, I am. I'm right here right now. Sorry.
We're not on air, are we?
-[man 1] Not yet. -'Cause it…
Yeah, this thing is comin' out.
[shrieks playfully, laughs]
Okay. [chuckles]
[soft music playing]
[man 2] You're on the brink of something 'cause you're on the brink of opening up
an entire new edge of the music world to America.
-Aren't you? -I hope so. I hope so.
[Selena] Did I sound nervous?
I can't believe it. I get caught on some words,
and I try to translate 'em in English, and…
-You… How… -[man 3] You were fine.
-[Selena] Was that okay? -[man 3] Fine.
[Selena, playfully] Okay. [laughs] They're fixing to do another one.
Well, I actually started singing when I was six and a half,
and I used to sing in front of the family and family get-togethers.
And I remember at that time, my father used to have to force us
on our relatives to… to play for 'em. [laughs]
And, uh, you know, we worked so hard.
We've suffered together,
and to finally see the light at the end of the tunnel,
the success happening, it's exciting.
I can't help but be taken away by everything that's going on in my life.
[speaking indistinctly]
I was very shy. Very shy when I was younger.
And I remember going through the stage
of wanting to do it, but yet I was like, "What are people gonna think?"
And we… we went through a lot, you know, to get where we are today.
I never thought I would, uh, be here now.
And to have a lot of people take notice of our music.
But here we are, 14 years later. [chuckles]
-[crowd cheering] -[exciting intro playing]
[reporter 1] The Hispanic community, for much of this century,
has been ignored, or worse, but there are some indications of change.
[cheering grows louder]
[reporter 2 in Spanish] Selena Quintanilla is one of our greatest prides
and the queen of Tejano music.
[reporter 3 in English] She lit up a whole road
of hope and possibility for a generation.
[reporter 4] She fought all the battles, all the barriers.
You know, the sex discrimination, the Mexican-American discrimination.
You know, the industry barriers.
How you doing, Houston, Texas?
[in Spanish] Thank you very much.
-Whoo! -[intro to "Bidi Bidi Bom Bom" playing]
♪ Hey, yeah ♪
[trills]
♪ Hey, hey, hey, yeah ♪
♪ Bidi bidi bom bom ♪
♪ Bidi bidi bidi ♪
♪ Cada vez… ♪
[Selena in English] A lot of Latin people, or Hispanics,
are more proud of their culture.
That's why they're growing.
And I feel like the music will continue to grow.
♪ Mi corazón se enloquece… ♪
[interviewer] Leading the way and that growth is you.
[Selena] I would love to take all the credit, but I think it's…
it's, uh, a work of a team.
My brother's a producer.
My father's a manager.
And my sister is a drummer in the band.
-[interviewer] This is a family affair. -Yes, it is.
♪ Hey ♪
-♪ Oh, y se emociona ♪ -♪ Que se emociona ♪
♪ Ya no razona ♪
♪ Y me empieza a cantar… ♪
[Selena] A lot of people have told me,
"How can you work with family, being with them 24 hours a day?"
We have this love and respect for each other besides the music.
And I think that's been one of our keys to our success.
We've been able to stick together.
And not a lot of people can do that for so long.
♪ Cuando escucho esta canción Mi corazón quiere cantar así ♪
[vocalizing]
♪ Me canta así, me canta así ♪
♪ Cada vez que lo veo pasar, oh… ♪
-[man] You're loving life right now. -I loved it before, but even more now.
[reporter 1] Selena y Los Dinos is now building a musical empire.
After years of…
[Selena] ♪ Y me empieza a palpitar Así, así… ♪
[reporter 2] The merging of the two cultures,
Latino cultures and American cultures.
[reporter 3] Selena was adored by millions of fans.
[reporter 4] Selena was the first star
who truly represented a bicultural community.
[reporter 5] Selena was set to become a major figure in American entertainment.
[reporter 6] What she was, who she was, what she meant to people around here…
[in Spanish] ♪ Houston, Texas! ♪
[crowd cheers]
[Selena] ♪ And our brothers from Mexico! ♪
[in English] The success happening
and everything that's going on around us, it's exciting.
But I'd like to see the group growing internationally.
[in Spanish] Let's hear some screams!
[in English] You know, making the group world-renowned.
[in Spanish] But with more energy!
[in English] It's gonna be a lot of work, but I'm ready for it.
I'm ready for it.
[Selena humming]
[vibrant Tejano music fades]
-[playing "My Girl"] -♪ I've got sunshine ♪
♪ On a cloudy day ♪
♪ When it's cold outside ♪
I've always said that music is like a… a drug addiction.
You get addicted to it.
Once it gets into your system,
it'll be like that for the rest of your life.
♪ What can make me… ♪
[in Spanish] I am Abraham Quintanilla Jr.
Here comes my family.
This is my beautiful wife,
Marcella Quintanilla.
She's a little shy, but…
This is Selena Quintanilla, the smallest. She is the little coyote.
Suzette Quintanilla, and my boy A.B., Abraham III.
[Marcella in English] When I first met him,
I did not know he was a singer.
["Ride Your Pony" by Los Dinos playing]
I didn't find out until after I got married.
[Abraham] When I was about maybe around 15 years old,
I joined a group called The Dinos.
And, uh, all the songs, we had recorded in English.
We didn't know one Spanish song.
And, uh, it was kind of embarrassing.
because my first language was Spanish, even though I was born here.
I grew up in an era of, uh, segregation.
We are a group of people who feel
that we have been treated like second-class citizens.
We would like to be…
[Abraham] I remember that we were supposed to play in a club.
It's an Anglo man that owns a club, and a whole bunch of Mexicans walk in.
So he was surprised.
He says, "Hey, hey, hey, what do you people want in here?"
And so we told him, "We're The Dinos."
He thought The Dinos was an Italian group or something.
And he told us, "Can you wait outside?"
And then gave me a check for five dollars.
You know, it was a rejection because we were Mexicans.
So I figured that if we wanted to be successful,
then we've gotta start playing for Mexican-Americans.
And that's when we changed completely to Tejano music.
["Confidencias de Amor" by Los Dinos playing]
[Abraham] As the group became popular, we played everywhere,
all in the United States.
[Marcella] I had little A.B., and Abraham toured.
He was gone maybe a week, sometimes two weeks, sometimes a month.
It was very hard.
When Suzette was born,
he took me to the hospital, and he had to say bye
because he had to go on a… on a gig.
[Abraham] In fact, there were times when I came home
and A.B. didn't recognize me.
You know, he was scared of me.
That's when I started thinking, and I said… "I gotta quit this."
[projector whirring]
[narrator] Ethylene, power, lime kilns, magnesium, bromine.
[Abraham] And… And I quit and moved to Lake Jackson, Texas.
Started working for Dow Chemical.
It was hard because I didn't like accepting
that that's your life from now on.
["Como La Flor (Lullaby Version)" playing]
After a few years, Marcella was feeling, uh, something in her body.
You know, a woman can tell. She was pregnant.
And a little girl was born, but we didn't have a name.
So a lady there at the hospital told Marcella, she says,
"If I would have had a little girl, I had picked the name Selena."
I said, "I like that name." It's not very common among Mexicans.
And I looked up the name.
It's a Greek name, and it means moon goddess.
I would come home before Marcella fixed supper.
I'd start messing with the guitar.
And one day, Selena, she was six years old,
sat down next to me, and she started singing.
That's when I found out, "Oh, girl, you got a talent to sing."
[Abraham] Four.
[band performing "Feelings"]
♪ Feelings ♪
♪ Trying to forget… ♪
[Marcella] It was… It was amazing, how talented she was.
Even when she was very young.
♪ Feelings… ♪
[Abraham] I went and bought some, uh, instruments.
Got a bass for my son, A.B.
[A.B.] I'd put it on, put the tie on and everything,
and I would get the bass, and I would look in the mirror.
I'm just like, "Yeah. You'll be a rock star, man."
"I'm gonna be a rock star one day."
[Suzette] They started talking about, "Well, who's gonna play the drums?"
And I just remember, my dad goes, "Well, we only have one more kid left!"
And then he looks at me. He goes, "Suzette's gonna play the drums!"
And I look… I look like, "Wait, what?"
"No, no, no, no, no, no. Dad, no. No."
-[Abraham] Get the drummer. -[A.B.] Back! The drummer's gotta smile!
[audience cheers]
[Abraham] All right.
Now we got the guitar player, the drummer, and the singer.
I got a complete group.
[Selena] When you're a kid, you want to go out, play, be with friends.
And Dad, every day, would call us in to practice for just 15 minutes a day.
And we would scream and holler. I mean, we'd cry.
-[performing "La Bamba"] -♪ Para bailar la bamba ♪
♪ Para bailar la bamba se necesita… ♪
[Abraham] It wasn't easy.
I was strict.
"You're gonna learn it."
I saw a way back into the music world.
And that's when the wheels start turning again.
[audience applauds]
[Abraham] No experience at all in restaurant business.
And we got this place. It was a big place.
When we opened the restaurant, I was excited.
It was something different.
[Abraham] I built a little dance floor and a little stage.
And that's where my kids started playing.
And people would get up and dance on the little dance floor.
[A.B.] Through us, I guess he saw potential.
Like, "Okay, you know, the Jacksons are out there."
I can make the Mexican Jacksons.
[Suzette] I was in middle school.
My dad would say we'd have to play the weekends,
and that was really embarrassing.
Selena loved it 'cause they used to tip her.
And she would be all, you know, "Oh my gosh." You know?
[Selena] It's a lot of hard work.
But, uh, I think it's great.
[Abraham] You know, it was a wonderful time in our life.
Unfortunately, uh, they stopped drilling for oil,
and that area just, the economy just went… whap!
Pfft! Killed everything.
[reporter] The low oil price means it doesn't pay to drill,
means the oil business and its workers are heading into a long, cold night.
[Marcella] We hung on, trying not to lose our restaurant.
And we had to close it down.
[somber music playing]
Of course, that affected, uh, also, uh, our home.
We were losing our home also.
We finally had to… move out.
[Abraham] Whatever money I had had been invested in the restaurant, and
I'm broke.
So Marcella says, uh, "We gotta go get… get some food stamps."
We go over there, and we walked in, and it's packed with people.
And this big old, heavyset woman, as soon as we walked in, she saw Selena.
She says, "Look, it's the little girl that sings at the restaurant."
And when she said that, I stopped,
and I said, "I think we're in the wrong place."
And I made a U-turn and walked out.
I said, "I'm not going back in there."
The next trick up Abraham's sleeve is to move to Corpus
and move in with my uncle Hector.
We're 13 people living in one house, which is crazy to think about.
[Suzette] That was a really difficult time. I remember that.
You would hear Mom and Dad talking, you know, in the other room.
And you can tell when your parents are stressed out about stuff.
[Selena] We… We lost everything.
And for a long time, um, it was very difficult,
putting food on the table.
[Abraham] It… It was hard times. I'm not gonna deny that, uh…
I couldn't find a job here.
So I told my wife, Marcella,
"Look, the only other thing I know is music."
"So I'm gonna start booking it."
[indistinct chatter]
[A.B.] Dad, I believe, he was out in the streets when he was really young.
And he didn't want that for us.
-[performing "Cuando Nadie Te Quiera"] -♪ Todas con el alma en pedazos ♪
[Abraham] They were already getting good at what they were doing.
And people really enjoyed that.
And so I knew that there was something that they had that was extra.
And Selena was an added… a completely added attraction.
She was the star.
♪ Me tendrás que querer ♪
[ballad ends]
Thank you.
Hello, Abraham III.
How are you doing, son?
-Uh, what do you think about the reunion? -Oh, it's nice.
Are you all fixing to do a little music for us?
Uh, yes, we will try.
-Do you enjoy doing this? -Uh, yes.
I find… I find it a very interesting hobby.
[Abraham] Okay, thank you very much. And also with us is Suzette Quintanilla.
Would you like to say something, Suzette?
-[giggles] No. -[Abraham] You didn't say nothing.
You just giggled. [chuckles]
[continues giggling]
[Abraham] Now we're gonna talk to Selena.
What grade are you in, Selena?
Fifth.
[Abraham] Okay, uh…
Tell me also how old you are and why you like to play in the band.
I'm ten, and the reason I like to play in the band, good money. [giggles]
[Abraham] Oh, really? You make pretty good money in it, huh?
-Yes. -[Abraham] Very good.
Um, are you gonna sing for us now in a little bit?
Yes.
-[performing "Contigo En La Distancia"] -♪ Es que te has convertido ♪
♪ En parte de mi alma… ♪
[A.B.] Dad has us learning all these traditional Mexican songs,
Spanish songs, and they're just these… just slow songs.
And back then, I just didn't get it.
I actually had no connection with my Latino roots whatsoever.
[Marcella] When they were very young,
they were taught to speak nothing but English.
We never spoke… We hardly spoke Spanish at home.
[A.B.] Where we grew up, in Lake Jackson,
there wasn't a very big Mexican-American community.
Corpus is different in the sense that everybody spoke Spanish.
I didn't understand what they were saying.
[Suzette] We listened to no Spanish at all up to that point.
It was a lot of English-speaking acts like Taste of Honey, The Eagles.
Men at Work, Duran Duran.
Van Halen was like the band.
-["Jump" playing] -♪ I get up ♪
♪ And nothing gets me down… ♪
All this cool music, and I want to play that.
["Todos Dicen" playing]
[A.B.] But my dad thought it would be a good thing
to try to do more of the Spanish music, the Tejano thing.
[man] To me, Tejano means music from this part of the country,
the American Southwest.
A mix of Mexican cumbias and, uh, polkas,
song forms like that, uh, mixed in with elements of American rock,
pop, and country.
That's what makes up Tejano as we know it today.
♪ En los brazos de un amigo ♪
♪ Luego dicen que no vales ni la pena… ♪
[Abraham] You can't escape the fact that we are Mexicans.
Born here on this side, but we're Mexicans.
And we're surrounded by that kind of music everywhere we go here in… in Texas.
And if you can make some money off it, it becomes a business.
[performing "La Tracalera"]
♪ Sali de Corpus Porque no pagué la renta ♪
♪ En San Antonio Me encontré con otra cuenta… ♪
[Selena chuckling] I really didn't have a decision when I started out.
All the songs usually have to pass through my father.
And he decided we'd play Tejano music.
♪ Por eso ahora ♪
♪ Me llaman Tracalera… ♪
I remember thinking, "Why are we going to Tejano music?"
And Dad pretty much, in a nutshell, just kind of said, you know,
"Because we can make more money doing this,
and we can perform more, play more."
[A.B.] And so, that was the plan.
We're going to try to do more of the Tejano thing.
And so we started our hustle grind again,
trying to find musicians to build Los Dinos back up.
When they approached me in '83, I had no idea who they were.
The pay wasn't much in the beginning, but, you know, but that…
[sighs] I was 21. I was still living at home.
[performing "Ya Se Va"]
[Ricky] Selena, at that time, she had to have been like 12 years old.
And Suzette, I guess 16 or so.
They were just kids.
♪ Ya se va ♪
♪ Se va mi amor ♪
♪ Quedaré tan sola con tu ausencia… ♪
[A.B.] I remember the first time we met Ricky,
his impression of the band was not very good, of us.
We got to rehearsals, and Suzette and Selena were clowning around.
I remember we were at the Boys & Girls Club,
and Selena and I were running around like idiots, like, playing. [chuckles]
We were really young.
You know, my dad's yelling, and we were like fighting.
So I'm sure we were a lot.
[Selena] Can you do this?
[Suzette] Wasn't that the same shirt you were wearing yesterday?
So?
[Suzette] Gross. You're gross.
You wore that last week, and haven't washed it.
[Suzette] I washed it!
Do you wash your underwear every day?
[Suzette] No…
[both laugh]
[Suzette] I wear different ones every day.
She wears brown underwear so she won't have to change it.
[Suzette] Stop it, Chucha.
Chucha.
-I'm tired. -Come here, baby!
[performing "Yo Te Daré"]
♪ Todo lo que pido de ti ♪
♪ Es que me des todo tu amor ♪
♪ Y me des tus besos también… ♪
[Suzette] We started traveling a lot.
We were performing, um, Friday, Saturdays, and Sundays.
So Selena, she would miss school quite often because she was tired.
[interviewer] How do you keep up with your, uh, schoolwork?
Um, I can't say that I'm not in school.
I'm still in school, but I don't go to public school.
I get my… I get my work at home from Chicago.
I have American school, and I graduate through that.
I don't have a teacher.
I just do all my work by myself. Then send it in through the mail.
[interviewer] How do you feel? Is that better?
Or do you like that better, or would you prefer going back to school?
I kind of miss going to school 'cause I don't see my friends as much.
But I think it's better this way because I don't have as many distractions
as I would in school.
You know. You know how it is. [laughs]
-Uh, well… How do your friends treat you? -[giggles]
I'm not gonna lie to you. I don't have that many friends that I…
I don't really go out, you know, to the movies and stuff.
But I do this mostly with my family, and, um… [clicks tongue]
I gue… You know, I have a lot of friends, but at school.
'Cause I don't go to school, I never get to see 'em.
And I kinda lost contact with them, so…
When I was in school, they treated me real nice too.
[interviewer] Music is a business, right?
[Selena] Yes, it is.
I see it as a business. Um…
I get paid for it.
No one in our… in our family has a job.
We make a living off of it.
And that's why it means so much to us, for that reason.
The main reason, number one reason we're in this business
is because we enjoy doing it.
Number two is because we make our living off of it.
-[performing "Con Esta Copa"] -♪ Y fui la tierra ♪
♪ Donde pisaste mal ♪
♪ Pero no sabes que tú mismo te condenas ♪
♪ Y la desgracia… ♪
[Selena] You have to sacrifice something in life in order to get ahead.
I lost a lot of my youth, traveling professionally with my family.
You know, you… you can't play.
You're always working.
At the same time, you don't understand when you're that young.
But I look at life now,
and I'm very thankful that my father started us out that young.
[Marcella] It takes a person that knows the business.
So he had that experience already.
So he knew what he had to do with… with their, uh, talent.
[Abraham] I took Selena with me, and I went to San Antonio to Cara Records.
"Cara" means face.
At first, they were skeptical because it's a girl.
And then a young girl.
I said, "Well, let's give it a try one time."
And we recorded a song.
-[performing "Corazoncito"] -♪ Corazoncito, corazoncito… ♪
[Abraham] When he heard the song, he says, "Hey!"
[speaks Spanish] "Bring me a contract over here."
And he signed Selena right there.
♪ Te enamoraste de mil amores ♪
♪ Y te ha dejado puros dolores… ♪
[man] I was working for the studio owner, Manny Guerra.
And one of the first artists he had signed was Selena.
♪ Ya no te vuelvas a enamorar… ♪
[chuckling] And so that… that was, uh, the beginning of a long journey.
I think the thing that made them different to begin with was their youth.
They were still just kids.
But grown musicians that had been doing it for years
were not at the stage that Selena and her band were at.
I thought, "Wow, these kids can play." [laughs]
"These kids are good."
[host] Selena and the Dinos, a beautiful name.
Where did you get the name, Selena y Los Dinos?
Selena y Los Dinos? Uh…
Well, first of all, Selena comes from me.
-[host] That's your real name? -Yes, it's… No.
-Is that your real name? -Yes.
What is it, Sephaina?
-Then you changed it to Selena? -No, it's Selena.
No, and we got the "Los Dinos" from the original Dinos, my father.
He was the original singer.
I understand you've been real busy. Touring a lot of cities?
We did this album, my first album, Alpha, with Manny on GP Productions.
Things have been picking up for us a lot. Thankfully.
After that album came out, Selena's name was getting known.
She was creating a buzz in the… in the music business.
I saw them grow from pulling up in front of the studio in an old blue Ford van
with a homemade trailer
and all of their faces stuck to the window from the heat.
And, uh, they'd come and lay all over the floor of the studio
because it was air-conditioned.
That was the beginning.
Is this cute enough? [giggles]
[Suzette] No.
Did y'all put that shoebox in there with my shoes in it?
No. I don't know. I hope not.
-With my silver boots and my… -Suzy, did you put her shoes back there?
[interviewer in Spanish] What has been the most difficult for you
in the past two, three years, with all the attention?
[Selena in English] I think I've enjoyed it so much
that I forgot about the bad times.
I don't think, well… Every band goes through the bad times,
but we've had so much fun doing it.
We enjoy what we do, and it…
and I don't think that we can remember all the bad times.
[interviewer] And what's your final goal?
-Have you set a final goal? -[Selena] A Mercedes-Benz.
[both laughing]
That's my goal. Everybody asks me, "What's your goal?" Mercedes-Benz.
I don't care if I have to live in it. [laughs]
[energetic music playing]
[Suzette] It was such a great time.
Like, our band was amazing.
They were like family.
Everybody was… cool.
Everybody was chill. Everybody knew their role.
[Marcella] My husband and the kids, they were the band side of it.
I did mostly stay behind the scenes.
When you have a mom, this is… this is what they're for.
She's sewing my pants.
[Marcella] I was just there to support my family.
Mom? Mom!
Especially if they pay you 20 bucks to do it.
I was only joking. [laughs]
[Marcella] And I remember there was a concert outside,
and Selena's zipper broke on her pants.
I had to sew the zipper.
And I said,
"You're not gonna to be able to use the bathroom for a long time."
Because she had to perform.
And we were laughing about that.
[indistinct, excited chatter]
[Abraham] It was a good time.
All the family traveling together.
Now it's not me and a whole bunch of musicians.
It's me and my family.
I went and bought a… an old bus.
But I spent half of that time underneath it, all full of grease.
'Cause it would break down.
-["La Carcacha" playing] -♪ Uno ♪
♪ Dos… ♪
[A.B.] Bertha had no air conditioning.
Only the top window opens.
So there's no air circulation.
But to have a bus back in the day, it was something of status.
You had a bus… [clicks tongue] …you were headed somewhere.
We had a bus. We were headed somewhere. At least, we thought we were.
[indistinct chatter on radio]
[Suzette] How was it?
[Selena] I sleep when I hit the road.
Well, after the dance, I'm pretty hyper.
You know, I get hyper on candies and Coca-Colas and everything.
The other groups, they'll stay up and play cards or whatever.
But on the road, during the day, everybody, as soon as they hit the bus,
they fall asleep.
[Suzette] My mom would be in the back, and we would just talk,
like, about anything and everything, what most moms and daughters talk about.
We'd talk about food.
We'd talk about, um, clothes.
Or we'd talk about, like, if Selena was going to a show,
what is she gonna wear?
-[performing "Oh, Mamá"] -♪ Brilla en mi mente sin descansar… ♪
[Suzette] She had so much vision. You know, it wasn't just about her voice.
It was about her presence, how she presented herself.
So a main focus for her was the outfit.
♪ Oh, mamá, estoy enamorada ♪
♪ Oh, mamá, él me ha besado… ♪
[host sings fanfare]
[in Spanish] The thing is, if I interview you later…
Right now you're going to change clothes, and you're going to dress a little more…
-Dressy. -More "dressy," no?
These suits of yours, you made them, right?
-They were all white, right? -Mm-hmm.
And from there, how did you do it? How did you all paint it?
[in English] With paint.
[in Spanish] Yeah, but--
[in English] Splattered it with permanent, fluorescent paint.
[host in Spanish] Okay. And the people who are listening to us in Mexico,
how would they know how you did it?
[Selena, hesitating] Uh, they painted them.
[both laugh]
[host] Hey, look.
[teasingly] They painted them. We painted them.
Look, to speak like that in English…
No.
No, I knew you would have some trouble.
I told Mr. Rayas that there are kids who come and don't speak much Spanish,
so I have to interview them in English.
[in Spanish, English] But I'll translate, okay?
[Selena in English] Okay.
[host in Spanish] How did they paint them?
-[in English] Is this better now? -Yes, very much.
[in Spanish] You haven't said anything.
[in English] Because you're doing all the talking.
[Suzette] Looking back at it, I know that, because she was the face of the band,
there was an immense sense of pressure
for her whenever it was time to do interviews,
you know, especially in Spanish.
It was a big deal for the press to get over the fact
that we weren't that fluent in Spanish.
And it was kind of one of those things, are they gonna accept you?
-[performing "Un Primer Amor"] -♪ Un año ha pasado ya ♪
♪ Y tenemos que… ♪
[Suzette] Selena, she automatically knew, "I need to speak fluent Spanish."
"I need to really, uh, learn this for us to cross over."
So she wanted to be prepared for whenever she went and did interviews.
She just worked really hard.
[Selena] My father started teaching us Spanish music and what the words meant.
And you wish that you would've grown up speaking Spanish.
You wish you'd have been close to your culture.
You perform, your show gets better.
[in Spanish] Last time I saw you, you put on a heck of a show.
We congratulate you.
[in English] This album that you have out, it's been on the market, how long?
-Three weeks? -About three weeks.
I feel the same thing. A while back, I'm always…
They never ask me any questions because I never know anything.
I just go pack my bags and sing. [laughs]
[Abraham] I began to notice that people were fascinated with Selena.
Everywhere that she played, she would pack the house.
♪ Volví por un momento ♪
♪ A los tiempos más felices Que pasé… ♪
[Abraham] The word spread that Selena will bring in people to dances.
♪ A veces que yo pienso… ♪
[Abraham] And we traveled all over United States.
["Only in my Dreams" playing]
[Marcella] It takes a lot of work.
And, uh, it's very hard out there.
You can't just say, "Oh, I'm gonna be… They're going to become stars."
No, it's a lot of work behind that.
[narrator] Welcome to the fifth annual Tejano Music Awards.
[band playing fanfare]
All I want to say is, as mayor, I am overwhelmed and proud
of what this represents.
Every one of us…
[in Spanish] …all of us Mexicans, Mexican-Americans,
they are supporting this great effort,
so that we celebrate the talent we have in the Chicano community.
Chicano music.
Congratulations to each and every one of you.
Thank you.
[Suzette in English] The Tejano Music Awards
was such a great award show because it celebrated our music.
Nominees for the female vocalist of the year…
Selena Quintanilla.
[Suzette] It was a really cool moment. Here comes this young little girl,
making noise and being nominated for the first time.
[presenter] Ready for this?
Laura Canales!
[crowd cheering]
[A.B.] I didn't feel good about our music.
I felt we were just recording stuff, and I just felt still,
we were not being given the right songs to take on the market.
Know what I'm saying? So I felt we were still hitting a wall.
Nominees for Songwriter of the Year.
At one point, there was a songwriter, and he was controlling the whole market.
Everything.
The winner is Luis Silva.
[A.B.] I went, and I said, "Mr. Silva."
Thank you.
[A.B.] "I don't have that hit song."
"I'm hoping that you might be able to help me out with this."
He says, "Tell you what, come to my office on Monday, and I'll give you two songs."
[performing "Corazón Abandonado"]
[A.B.] And I told, excitedly, told my dad, told Selena and everybody.
I said, "That's it."
We've got the missing factor, the missing piece of our puzzle.
And Wednesday night, his secretary calls and says,
"Mr. Silva doesn't authorize you to use those songs."
"He gave 'em to somebody else."
For the first time, I had my own room.
I had a sleeping bag, zipped myself up in the sleeping bag,
and I started crying.
I was like, just started crying out of frustration.
[performing "Un Primer Amor"]
[A.B.] My dad said, "A.B., Luis Silva's a musician."
I says, "Yes, I believe."
He goes, "You're a musician too, right?" I go, "Yeah?"
He says, "What's stopping you from being Luis Silva or better than him?"
"What's stopping you?"
The first hit for Selena was "Dame Un Beso."
[in Spanish] It's called "Give Me a Kiss." A complete success for Selena y Los Dinos.
From Corpus Christi, Texas, Selena y Los Dinos.
[in English] Take it away.
[A.B.] "Dame Un Beso," the song.
I would literally sit there with pen and pad
and study exactly what sounds the groups were using,
what techniques, how they were playing it.
From there, I was able to make my own formula for Selena.
[Ricky] Whenever you write a song, there's usually what's called a hook.
It's a catchy little part in there
that you want to make sure that that works and it gets spotlighted.
And that little thing… [humming hook]
-[performing "Dame un Beso"] -♪ Dame un beso ♪
♪ Demuestra tu amor con un beso… ♪
[A.B.] It was a feeling like, finally we're catching our groove,
you know, our groove factor.
I… We had great musicians in the band.
Now we had the song with "Dame Un Beso."
I told Dad, "We're number one."
He went,
"I'm happy for you."
He goes, "Anybody can write a number one best-selling novel."
"They never write anything again. The same like you as a songwriter."
"Congratulations. Can you do it again?"
I was like… [grunts]
One, two, three, four!
[playing "My Love"]
[Abraham] I couldn't tell you how I felt.
I… I just knew my goal, what I had to do to getting there.
And, uh, I pushed and pushed.
♪ I want to be with you ♪
♪ You could make my dream come true… ♪
[Abraham] I knew that A.B. had that talent.
I… I could see that from a very young age.
But you don't want to be a one-hit wonder.
There's many writers that write one song and you never hear about 'em anymore.
So in order to stay there, you have to be making hits, not just one.
[A.B.] Had it not been for Dad, showing that side of the beauty
of constructed music,
I would have never, you know, done everything I'd done.
The cool thing about it is it was never about just one person.
You know, we worked as a unit,
and I think that's what made us as dangerous as we were.
Selena had a very dangerous team behind her.
A ferocious team behind her.
[performing "Dame Un Beso"]
[presenter] The people of Texas have voted.
[together] Selena Quintanilla.
♪ Esa sonrisita que viene ♪
♪ Sin motivo… ♪
Um, I'd like to say thank you to all you people
in Texas that have supported us, Selena y Los Dinos.
También I'd like to thank our producer, Manny Guerra, from GP Productions.
He's helped us out a whole lot.
And, uh, most of all, I'd like to say thank you
to Grupo Los Dinos, because without them,
I don't think I'd be anybody.
And, uh, when I win, they win.
And when they lose, I don't know 'em.
[crowd cheers]
Thank you!
Hi! [laughs]
-[woman] Oh, you joking? -[yelps]
-[woman] Before-- -Hi, Josie.
I know I look tacky right now, but this is how I always dress.
[Abraham] Hey, let's go. Let's go.
[Suzette] This is my room.
It looks bare because I'm redecorating. Kinda, sorta.
But I wanna show you the awards.
Come, come.
These are our awards!
Selena got this one this year for Female Vocalist in West Texas.
She got this one here,
uh, for Female Vocalist, here in Corpus.
And we got these three.
And then I'll show you our big, big award.
Here it is.
Selena got this one for female vocalist.
-She sings all right, I guess. [laughs] -[Selena giggles]
["No Te Acobardes Corazón" playing]
[A.B.] While Selena was making massive headway in the US Tejano market,
she had just started to make noise south of the Mexican border.
-[performing "El Ahijado del Diablo"] -♪ Porque a nadie le he temido… ♪
[Abraham] Selena was packing the houses all over United States.
But we're of Mexican descent,
and I wanted to venture into… into the Mexico side.
[presenter in Spanish] We want to present to you a young lady
that recently won "Female Vocalist,"
Female Vocalist of 1986 in the United States.
One of the youth groups that are coming up like foam.
Ladies and gentlemen, with you here is Selena y Los Dinos
from Corpus Christi, Texas.
[in English] Take it away, Selena! Let's go. Hit it!
[A.B.] It was scary.
It was very intimidating because at that point,
Selena was still learning Spanish, and I wasn't speaking Spanish at all.
[performing "Looking for a New Love"]
[A.B.] We were not prepared for that crowd,
so it was a very odd feeling.
They didn't get it.
They applauded out of a courtesy,
but it wasn't like out of something 'cause they loved it.
[in Spanish] This song was written by keyboardist Ricardo Vela.
And my brother, Abraha Quintanilla, on bass.
A song, titled "Give Me a Kiss,"
for all of you here tonight with Selena y Los Dinos.
For all of Matamoros!
Whoo!
[Suzette in English] It insane because we weren't being accepted into Mexico
because we didn't speak Spanish.
"Oh, they think that they're Anglo."
"They think that they're white."
You know? It's like, no, it's not even… Wait, what are you talking about?
-[performing "Dame un Beso"] -♪ Y es que habrás un tiempo callado ♪
♪ Cuando yo más necesito amor ♪
♪ Estas son las cosas ♪
♪ Y estos son los tiempos ♪
♪ Que guardo yo… ♪
-Whoo-hoo! -[music picks up]
[A.B.] It was not poppin', man.
When they don't get you, they just don't get you.
We feel like we really didn't put a dent in the market over there like we wanted.
We had, like, a little complex. A little inferiority complex.
Luckily, we got Pete.
I was born and raised in Laredo, Texas.
United States and Mexico come together in one unique spot,
which is Laredo, Texas.
And so I get the benefit of being an American,
and also having my Mexican heritage.
[performing "Atotonilco"]
[A.B.] Pete Astudillo.
I got this guy in the band because he spoke Spanish.
He started showing me the influences that he had from Laredo, Texas.
And also, at the same time,
he could be a relief singer for Selena 'cause we were playing four nights a week.
So I would throw him up, and he was good at it.
-[performing "Pa' Todo el Año"] -♪ Para de hoy en adelante ♪
♪ Ya tu amor no me interesa… ♪
[A.B.] He was not just good at that. He's an amazing songwriter.
Had he not been there, I would've never known what cumbia was.
[performing "Besitos"]
[A.B.] Cumbia is a cousin to salsa.
The cumbia rhythm is very up rhythm. It's very upbeat. It's very happy.
[humming cumbia rhythm]
You hear it connected to a salsa beat.
♪ Con cada beso que me das Yo te quiero más y más… ♪
[A.B.] And I knew that, in México, cumbia was predominant.
I knew that we needed a good cumbia in order to hit with the Mexican people.
[Pete] A.B. would tell me, "I want to do something like this."
He'd kind of explain it in English, and I was like, "Cool, like this?"
"Yeah, yeah, like that."
And we started really cool chemistry there.
♪ Dime, amorcito, que yo soy tu alegría ♪
♪ Dime, cariñito Que yo soy la dueña de tu corazón ♪
-[upbeat cumbia tune ends] -[crowd cheers]
[speaking indistinctly]
I'm directing this thing.
Um… Maybe, yes. You're doing a fine job,
but give him a little more on the top there, please.
[Suzette] Selena!
[Abraham] You know, what I learned about in this business,
if you're in the right place at the right time, things can happen.
-[singing "Terco Corazón"] -♪ Terco corazón ♪
♪ ¿Por qué no me haces caso?… ♪
[Abraham] It so happened that José Behar from Capitol/EMI Latin heard the band.
And he says, "Hey, uh, I heard the group. We wanna work out something with you."
♪ Terco corazón, terco corazón… ♪
[Abraham] And that's when we signed the contract.
It was '89 when she left Manny's label
and signed… with EMI Latin.
["My Love" playing]
[exciting music continues]
[Selena] Yes, we are a thing, man.
[Abraham] Yes, yes, we are.
-[A.B.] Yes, dear. -[Selena laughs]
[Suzette speaking indistinctly]
Let me see!
Lucky.
-Uh-huh! -[speaking indistinctly]
-Mm. How much does this room cost? -A lot.
[Suzette] I just remember thinking, like, "Oh."
"We hit bank." Like, "Oh, this is it. This is it."
[Suzette] I am in Long Beach, California.
Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous. [chuckles]
[Pete] Suzy, Ricky, take a picture of us.
Check out the Hollywood!
[Ricky in Spanish] Me?
[in English] Bring your own camera next time.
[all laugh]
[Pete] Show Hollywood, man.
[excited chatter]
Wait.
You got Hollywood on there?
[kids laugh]
[man] But we try to minimize those.
[Suzette] When we signed with EMI, we signed with the Latin side,
but the goal was to have her cross over.
-[performing "Only in My Dreams"] -♪ Now I see I'm up to no good… ♪
[Selena] I don't know what was going through my father's head,
but he told us from the very beginning
that there was a possibility of crossing me over,
not only to Mexican music, but in the English market.
♪ No ♪
♪ Only in my dreams ♪
♪ As real as it may seem ♪
-♪ It was only in my dreams ♪ -[crowd cheering]
[Pete] Mexican-American artists, Latino artists
in the United States are like everybody else.
You know? We all have that crossover dream.
The idea that you want to reach as many people as possible.
And while you… you pay homage to your roots first,
ultimately, it's… it's the mass audience that you want.
-[performing "Cuando nadie te quiera"] -♪ Cuando nadie te quiera ♪
♪ Cuando todos te olviden ♪
[onlookers cheer]
[Abraham] There's an excitement that you're… you're conquering something
that you set out to do and… and you're doing it.
-[Dominga] Dominga. -Dominga.
[Marcella] You'll have to take it I can't see too good.
It's a little foggy.
-[A.B.] ¿Ya ves? She's a moneymaker. -[laughs]
I gotta make money. I gotta pay my car somehow.
[soft, nostalgic music playing]
You get so involved in what you're doing…
that I wasn't aware of…
that Selena was growing,
and the group was growing bigger and bigger.
[Suzette] Wow, it's Selena!
[Marcella] Very nice.
Stop! I'm tired of being on camera all the time.
[Abraham] But, you know, the way you measure success
in that kind of business is by how much money you're making.
And we were making some top money.
[in Spanish] Open the door for me, Marty.
[A.B. in English] My dad started workin' on Bertha.
We got a generator.
Got the bunks built in and y'know.
She was the best bus ever, man.
This is what we look at, at the end of a concert.
-[Selena] Mother, please. -All tired.
-[Selena] Cut the acting out. -[laughs]
[A.B.] Traveling with Bertha, with the Dinos,
with my family, with everybody,
it was beautiful, man. It… we just…
We had the perfect band.
You guys recording?
[Selena] Yeah.
[A.B.] Hi, dude. Hey, hey, hey. What's up?
[man] The first time I met the band, uh, was at one of the rehearsals.
Super impressive, powerful.
And I enjoyed the sound.
You know, it sounded modern for the time, fresh.
["Everybody Everybody" playing]
[crowd cheering]
[playing guitar solo]
[Abraham] Chris? It was not my idea of him joining the band.
A.B. is the one that brought him in.
And, uh, you can't deny the fact that he's a great guitar player.
♪ Sad and free… ♪
[Chris] I mean, I was somewhat… I guess starstruck would be the word.
Because they had just signed with Capitol EMI.
That was impressive, obviously.
The honest truth was I was just more taken aback by the power
of the band and the music and the sound, and…
["Everybody Everybody" ends]
…I never looked back.
-[Suzette] Chris! -All the time.
[Suzette] What do you think about being on the road?
It's all right.
[Suzette laughing]
[Chris] At first, we didn't hang out too much.
Selena was always either off with Suzette or her mom.
[Suzette] Smile, Selena. Show America what you really look like.
[Suzette and Selena laugh]
[Selena] No!
[Chris] But we would make these long trips in the bus.
That's when she and I got to become friends.
Anytime we were next to each other, it would just be me and her talking,
you know, about music and movies and things like that.
It was cool, you know, seeing her just being a normal person.
Business. [laughs]
[Suzette] They're in a huddle.
[soft, nostalgic music playing]
[Suzette] Wait, hold on. See? That's what I'm talking about. Hold on.
Look at me.
[Chris] A lot of people imagine her
as this powerful force of a woman.
Strong. But I mean, she had her vulnerable side.
Just having to deal with all that she was carrying,
it's tough stuff, you know,
to be up early, be working until late at night,
and she did it with a smile on her face.
This is just the music tracks.
This is the song that Selena and I recorded.
[Selena] Yeah.
[music to "Where Did the Feeling Go?" playing]
♪ All alone ♪
♪ Nothing to do ♪
♪ It's lonely here without you ♪
♪ The candlelight is burning low ♪
♪ The love songs on the radio ♪
♪ And memories are all I have to show… ♪
[man in Spanish] What do you do, Selena, when you're not "on the road"?
Well, let me see.
I like to just rest, to spend time at home.
I like to design clothes.
I love that. I love making jewelry and belts and vests.
It just depends, because there are so many things that I do for the group
and also for myself…
the outfits.
[in English] I've got the jacket, the shorts,
the glove, the purse, and the top.
[in Spanish] I love it.
That's another dream I have, to open a clothing store.
[man] So soon we'll see Selena Quintanilla Fashions?
[Selena] Hopefully.
♪ Where is the music that played… ♪
Selena was always… always going, always on,
and I think road life had started to become pretty busy, pretty hectic.
♪ Where did the feeling go? ♪
[Chris] And doing the designing, it was something that made her happy.
She would set some time aside, quiet time.
She would have her sketch pads, and she would just start going to town.
And some of our outfits that we wore on stage were drawn by her.
["Baila Esta Cumbia" playing]
[Suzette] I think the one outfit that I just can't get over
is the cow print. Like…
[chuckles]
Clearly, it was not my idea.
She's like, "Let's do cow print." And I was like, "Oh my God."
But, you know, she had wanted to design for forever.
So we wore the outfits because we wanted to do it for her.
♪ Tomen todos su parejas ♪
♪ Todos vamos a gozar ♪
♪ Baila, baila esta cumbia ♪
♪ Mueve, mueve la cintura ♪
♪ Todos, las manos en alto ♪
♪ Y griten, griten con locura♪
♪ Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey… ♪
[Pete] "Baila Esta Cumbia" was the first song
that became a major, major hit.
And it kinda sparked that whole cumbia craze.
"We need to do more cumbias now. We need more cumbias."
And we did get a little hesitation not to do that many cumbias
because we're not a cumbia band, we're a Tejano band.
But then the label says, "No, do all the cumbias you want!"
"They work! Whatever you wanna do, by all means."
[in Spanish] All right, Monterrey. Let me see you clap!
Everyone with their hands up!
[in English] A.B. had done a little changes on the cumbias.
Gave it a little flavor of funk, and that exploded.
We were really rewriting the rules, and I think A.B. was our leader… [laughs]
…in the sense that he was rebellious against the norm.
And, actually, Selena too
'cause, I mean, they were listening to a lot of pop,
and we were listening to a lot of rock and roll.
[Abraham] And that's why Selena grew so big.
And she became accepted in other countries.
Cumbias, they were all major hits.
Major hits in the Spanish world.
[in Spanish] Really, you are already working so hard.
Seriously, because you have only just recently arrived
in the Mexican Republic!
[Selena] Yes. We are very surprised by the public accepting our music.
Because before it was a little difficult for Tejano groups to enter here in Mexico,
but now it is a little easier, thanks to the public.
[crowd cheering]
[interviewer] What is it that you like about Tejano music?
Well, truly, the rhythm.
-["La Carcacha" playing] -♪ Uno, dos ♪
♪ Que humareda Que nos viene ahogando ♪
♪ La gente se pregunta Nadie sabe qué es… ♪
[Selena] It's a very romantic type of music.
You can dance really close to your partner.
♪ En la esquina, yo esperando ♪
♪ Como siempre, su novia fiel ♪
♪ Mis amigas se están burlando ♪
♪ Murmuran cosas de él… ♪
[interviewer] When you are on stage or in photos,
you spread that energy when you start dancing.
Where did you learn that "I'm going to dance when I'm singing"?
Well, I think that came from my dad with the belt.
[laughs]
No… seriously.
I think it's because I love my job.
I'm full of energy. And also…
The audience is what gives it to me.
I love the support.
[Chris in English] I think her relationship with her fans
was what was most important to her.
[crowd cheers]
[Chris] She was figuring out how to be more authentic around interviews
because, in a sense, you grow up, especially like her,
in the industry, and you're kind of taught what to say and how to act and whatnot.
But then you start becoming your own person,
and you want to start injecting some of yourself and personality and beliefs.
[crowd cheering]
[in Spanish] Let's see, who's the playboy?
[Selena laughs]
Whoo!
Aw, poor guy.
[Selena chuckles]
Well, in this business, in Tejano music, it was a little difficult for us
because, naturally, I am a woman.
What's your name?
-Eddie. -Okay, Eddie.
Tonight, you are making your acting debut, okay?
You're going to be Eddie, my ex-boyfriend.
My dad had a lot of problems
when it came to having shows or presentations.
The reason was because there are many men who do not think
that women can grab people or the public, as well as a man.
But…
[in English] …wrong. [laughs]
[in Spanish] ♪ What did you believe ♪
♪ That you were going to come back ♪
♪ And you were going to find me ♪
♪ Happy to receive you? ♪
♪ But no ♪
[Pete in English] "Qué creías" kinda became
like her anthem towards women.
Like solidarity, like girl power, women power.
Like I'm gonna be your spokesperson, you know, to be brave, to be fearless.
"We don't need men" type of thing.
Ironically, the men loved it
in the sense that they knew that one of 'em was gonna get picked
to be onstage with Selena.
[in Spanish] ♪ That you were going To find ♪
♪ A love better than mine ♪
♪ What would make you happier ♪
♪ Well, you see, it's not that simple ♪
[interviewer 2] Do you consider yourself a strong woman of character?
[Selena] I think so.
I am dominant and aggressive.
-[interviewer 2] Dominant and aggressive? -Mm-hmm.
-You have to be. -[interviewer 2] Why?
There are a lot of men in this business,
and if you can't speak for yourself, they are going to run you over.
[interviewer 2] Do you think people would take advantage of you in this business
if you weren't a strong woman?
[Selena] Exactly. It has happened.
[performing "Si Una Vez in Monetrrey"]
♪ Si una vez dije que te amaba Hoy me arrepiento ♪
♪ Si una vez dije que te amaba No sé lo que pensé, estaba loca ♪
♪ Si una vez dije que te amaba ♪
♪ Y que por ti la vida daba ♪
♪ Si una vez dije que te amaba No lo vuelvo a hacer ♪
♪ Ese error es cosa de ayer ♪
[host] Where do you think you get
that strength you have to communicate to the public?
Well, I think it is, apart from the audience, it's eating…
beans and tortillas.
Yes.
No?
And especially here in Monterrey, goat.
[both laugh]
And for the likes of the gentlemen, they will thank me for a little spin.
They like to see your profile.
[crowd cheers]
But you too!
-No, I have nothing to show, Selena. -Right, ladies?
Very handsome!
I'm not as well-endowed as you.
You are!
Do you want another one?
Do you have another song, Selena?
["Now That We Found Love" playing on stereo]
[Chris in English] It's Selena's armpit.
[Selena] Sí. Ow.
[Suzette] We wanna see armpit.
[Chris] Armpit! Armpit! Armpit!
-[groans] -[Suzette laughs]
[Chris] From the day I joined the band, I mean, it was just so much fun
hanging out with everybody.
[excited chatter continues]
[Chris] But especially Selena.
-We are in Monterrey. -Yes.
[Suzette in Spanish] In Spanish, please!
We are here visiting the beautiful city of Monterrey.
[Suzette in English] Get Chris to say what he says!
-[Selena] Chris! -[in Spanish] Hi.
[A.B.] My name is Chris.
-Chris! Chris Perez. -[Chris] Chris Perez.
[A.B. and Suzette] And he plays… guitar.
[A.B. in English] Translate it!
The first beginnings of our relationship, I think, was when we were in Mexico.
On the plane ride home was when everything started.
[Suzette] Good?
[in Spanish] We are having a lot of fun.
[in English] Sitting a little closer to each other, little things like that,
the little hand brush.
Whoo!
[upbeat pop playing]
[Chris] I'm thinking, "Just friends. We're friends. This is a friendly thing."
You know, "Whatever."
"Can't be reading too much into this."
Chris Perez on guitar! Yeah!
[guitar solo playing]
[Chris] Like, I… I couldn't bring myself to make the first move.
And I think she knew that, and,
so it was her that, you know, kicked it off.
And then that's when things got serious kinda fast.
[in Spanish] ♪ You are my life My everything ♪
♪ Come with me I want to make you my treasure ♪
♪ I want to give you What I keep in my heart… ♪
[Chris, in English] I was just starting to feel the butterflies
and the things like that.
Then I was like, "No, dude. There is no way."
"Your dad, he'd kill me," and, well, that probably frustrated her.
But when she wanted something, she was determined.
And then the very first time we ever kissed each other,
it kinda happened, and once it started happening,
it didn't stop until the door opened.
And it was Rick.
Went outta there, like… "La, la, la, la!" "I don't wanna know nothing."
We didn't really…
Did we… Did we talk about it afterwards?
We probably just joked around, like…
I think they probably said, "Sorry about that." [chuckles]
I don't know. "Sorry about what?" [laughs]
I was genuinely…
in fear of what could happen, you know, with Abraham, and, uh…
He goes, "No, like, nothing's gonna happen."
And I'm like, "I don't see how that's possible."
[performing "Si La Quieres"]
[Chris] After that? In private, it was pretty much
like any other boyfriend-girlfriend relationship.
Trying to spend time together.
And somewhere in Laredo was the first time we ever said "I love you" to each other.
♪ Si la quieres ♪
♪ Anda decirle, "Te quiero" ♪
♪ No debes perder ni un momento sin ella ♪
♪ Que ella te espera Y yo, me quedo aquí… ♪
The whole thing with Chris and Selena was very secretive.
Even when they were kinda already dating, we didn't know too much.
I think they were afraid for what would happen if Abraham found out.
♪ Contigo pa' siempre Y yo, me quedo aquí… ♪
[Chris] I never liked the whole secret thing
from the very beginning.
I've always wanted Abraham's respect.
But what we had going with each other, I didn't wanna jeopardize that at all.
I didn't want anybody to get in the way.
[interviewer in Spanish] I know that many young admirers of yours,
and I also want to know if you have a boyfriend.
I don't have a boyfriend. Um…
Right now I am focusing on my artistic career,
so I don't have a boyfriend.
[interviewer] I've heard a lot of your material with Tejano music,
and I have also heard material now like disco music, music in English.
What do you prefer to record? What do you like most?
Well, I like all kinds of music.
Um… [in English] Can we start over?
I'm sorry, Dad, but you're makin' me very nervous.
[man] Rolling.
[Chris] It was always a sticky situation, until Abraham found out, and then…
then it got rough.
[somber music playing]
[Abraham] My thought at that time was, Selena, you're young.
You got a life ahead of you.
But Selena was a very strong-minded individual.
I had more experience in life.
And I… And if I saw something going on,
I'd try to guide her the right way, and…
Of course, every father does that to their daughters or sons.
[Chris] We got into a big argument.
"You're fired." "Well, I quit."
"You're, well…" It was one of those kinda things.
And then I was out.
And…
I remember being really sad
because we just couldn't be on the road together anymore.
It was gonna be tougher for Selena and I to see each other,
be together.
We kinda lived that life for a few months.
"Gosh, Chris."
"I've been so out of it lately."
"It's pathetic. I'm going blanking crazy, I swear."
"I wish that everyone would leave me alone."
"And can't they see that I love you?"
"Maybe they think I'm playing games or something."
"I'm sorry for freaking you out about wanting to get married."
"But I guess I'm feeling you out, trying to figure out what,
or should I say, how much you love me."
"Remember, I'll always and forever love you."
"And I miss you more as every second goes by."
"I love you always. Selena."
[groans]
-[gentle music fades] -[indistinct chatter]
[Chris] One day, I was asleep, and there's a knock on the door.
It was Selena.
And she said, "Let's go get married."
And I'm like, "No, we… Not like this."
"Y'know, I don't want it to be like this for you."
[Suzette] Selena was not even 21.
I think that that was a straight-up major concern for my parents,
for me, for all of us.
Selena used to talk about having a wedding,
her wedding dress, and… she had it all planned.
You know, how she wanted everything.
[Chris] I really thought that we could figure out
a way to smooth everything out
and be able to have the fairy-tale wedding that she wanted.
She was just like, "It's never gonna happen."
At that moment, my love for her was like enough.
Let's be together, whatever that means, whatever that looks like.
And next thing I know, we were… it was, like… we were married.
So I called my father, and he said, "Well, your sister went and got married."
"She's married now." And I'm like, "What?"
That's how I found out.
-[laughs] -[Abraham] Don't smile too hard now, hon.
[Marcella] I was disappointed. They were very young.
And at the time, I didn't think that that's what she really wanted.
[Selena laughing]
Uh, I was hurt.
I… I was definitely hurt, uh,
because, uh, my daughter didn't pay… mind her father.
[Suzette] I remember she went to go speak to my dad and to my mom.
[Suzette] Smile!
[Chris] She was definitely scared because things were so heated
and so nerve-racking.
Chris.
[Suzette] We were just kind of like sitting there, like, what's going on?
And then she came out. You could tell she had been crying.
You could tell my father had been crying and my mother.
And she hugged me. And then she opened the door.
She goes, "Chris, come in." And he came in.
And my dad hugged Chris and told him, y'know,
"Welcome to the family."
Well, they didn't listen to me.
They eloped.
Once they got married, there's nothing I can do anymore but accept it.
It is what it is, and I can't change things.
[Chris] And I was like, "All right, so what's the next move?"
"What's the next step?"
And Abraham said, "You're coming on the road with us."
[in Spanish] There is someone in your band that is now part of your family.
[laughs] My husband?
It's been about a month since I got married,
and I am so in love with my husband.
He's so cute.
He was my friend first, and that's what got me interested.
[in English] Hey, jerk.
[in Spanish] ♪ Wholeheartedly… ♪
♪ We love each other with all our hearts ♪
[in English] Sounds like a jewelry store.
[Suzette] Mr. Bus Driver, can you please take us to a nice dinner club?
Like, pronto.
Literally like that.
Just all that tension and all that "ah," you know?
Just went away.
[Abraham] Suzy…
But Marcy doesn't say nothing.
You don't…
-[chuckles] -[screams playfully]
-[shrieks, laughs] -[group laughing]
[Suzette] After she was married with Chris,
Selena would always tell me about her dreams.
She would, like… take off her makeup and put her hair up in a bun.
We would talk about being…
getting married, about me getting married one day,
about her having children,
and that her kids and my kids were gonna play together.
[crying] And we're gonna make sure we're gonna raise 'em together.
[sobs softly]
Sorry.
Just normal, good… normal stuff.
[soft, nostalgic music playing]
[Suzette giggles]
-Say hi. -Hi.
[Suzette] Mind if I say "wow"?
Wow.
[Suzette] Tour of the room.
[Selena] This is it. It's plain.
[Suzette] I'm kinda glad that she did do it the way that she did.
Because, you know, she got to experience love,
and she was a wife, and…
'Cause what if she would have waited?
[presenter] May we present to you, the beautiful Selena!
[crowd cheering]
[intro to "Como La Flor" playing]
[Selena] Whoo!
[Chris] And by the time we were married, everything was just moving really fast.
[Selena in Spanish] Truly, I feel very happy, and thankful
and proud to be part of this rodeo.
[interviewer] A beautiful thing, definitely, because nearly 60,000 people
have broken the attendance record.
[Selena] It is an incredible thing. I can't believe it,
but I feel very happy with everything, very happy.
["Como La Flor" continues]
♪ Manos arriba, todo el mundo ♪
[vocalizing]
♪ Yo sé que tienes un nuevo amor ♪
♪ Sin embargo, te deseo lo mejor… ♪
[Pete in English] The whole thing with "Como La Flor"…
I remember we were in a motel
somewhere on the road, and I think A.B. jumped out of the shower.
And he told Joe, "Grab the keyboard."
♪ Como la flor Con tanto amor… ♪
[Pete] I finished the final lyrics.
A.B. approved of it, and we took it into the studio.
♪ Se marchitó, me marcho hoy… ♪
"Como La Flor" had taken off, and it was just… everybody was on fire.
♪ Ah, ah, ay, ¡cómo me duele! Yeah! ♪
♪ Ah, ah, ay, ¡cómo me duele! ♪
For a lot of people, it's "Como La Flor." That's the anthem.
♪ Si vieras cómo duele perder tu amor ♪
♪ Con tu adiós te llevas mi corazón… ♪
[reporter 1] She's EMI Records' top-selling Latin artist.
The 22-year-old performs with her husband, her brother, and her sister.
And these days, Selena is singing anything but the blues.
♪ Como la flor… ♪
[reporter 2] Selena's booming popularity, wholesome personality,
and charismatic stage presence
has begun to attract attention from advertisers such as Coca-Cola,
who recognize her as a fresh new voice of the young Latino generation.
Of course, I love Coca-Cola.
It is like the ultimate soft drink. [laughs]
-["Can't Beat the Real Thing" playing] - ♪ It's that special moment ♪
♪ You're always waiting for ♪
♪ It's the real thing in your day… ♪
[Suzette] Signing with Coca-Cola, that's a feat that she was super proud of.
I mean, a major label wanting a Tejano artist as a spokesperson.
That was a huge moment.
♪ Can't be beat ♪
♪ Can't beat the real thing! ♪
[excited chatter and applause]
[in Spanish] This award is for having surpassed 300,000 copies
of the album, Entre a Mi Mundo.
Okay.
[applause]
And we also want to present you the album that was just released, Selena Live!
God willing, we will be here soon again,
and we will present you triple platinum Selena Live!
But Selena Live! is… I think it's two months…
[man] Two months.
…already has surpassed 100,000 copies.
[interviewer] Do you plan, at some point, to become a soloist,
or do you always plan to work with your group?
[Selena] I'm always going to work with them.
Now the group's my family.
I think that if I leave the group, I will not feel secure in myself.
I feel very comfortable where I am right now.
However, on your album, the cover of your record says, "Selena."
It doesn't say the name of your group. It's understood, but not listed on it.
[Selena] Yes. A lot of people already know what group Selena y Los Dinos is.
They used the name "Selena" to promote the name in the English market,
and it is much easier for a person to remember "Selena."
-[performing "Como La Flor"] -♪ Como la flor ♪
♪ Con tanto amor ♪
♪ Me diste tú… ♪
[Selena] We have… In my family, we have…
[in English] Agreement. How do you say agreement?
[interviewer in Spanish] A… An understanding.
We have an understanding that, in this group,
it's not just about one person.
It's the whole group.
And when I have, how do you say, triumphs, they do as well.
It's not just me alone.
[performing "Ya Ves"]
[Selena] Another song for you all, "Ya Ves"!
[Pete in English] I always tell people, Selena y Los Dinos, we were a band.
In the latter part of her career, she just went as Selena.
But it was still the same band. The Dinos were still there.
[chuckles] They just took our name off of it.
But The Dinos were still there. It was the same band.
Selena, yes, was an amazing entertainer, performer, icon.
But the foundation was Los Dinos.
[reporter] This is where the Quintanilla family
is creating its base of operations in Corpus Christi.
An uncle's auto shop that's still being transformed.
It's taking shape. This is just one big paint and body shop.
And they sealed up these huge doors.
Right here, they're gonna make a recording studio.
So we don't have to go out of town to record.
We'll have a digital studio.
[bass playing]
Play it, Ricky. What key was this?
[reporter] She's working on a new album.
She's practicing with her producer, who happens to be her brother.
♪ Amor prohibido murmuran por las calles ♪
♪ Porque somos De distintas sociedades… ♪
I can't take full credit for "Amor Prohibido"
because Selena added something to the song.
She added the "oh, oh, baby" part on that.
And that song would not exist without that…
-♪ "Oh, oh, baby" ♪ -♪ Oh, oh, baby ♪
I had a gap there, and she just naturally put that in there.
[Selena] I was able to direct myself in the studio.
I didn't have anybody telling me you should sing it like this or like that.
You know, I was able to correct myself.
And I was really happy with that. I felt… I did it until I was satisfied with it.
♪ Aunque soy pobre Todo esto que te doy… ♪
[Pete] When I started doing some of the lyrics,
I was concerned because there's a part where she rebels against her parents.
[in Spanish] "What matters is love."
"Who cares what they say, your father and mother."
♪ Who cares what they will say ♪
♪ Your father and your mother ♪
♪ Here, only our love matters ♪
♪ I love you ♪
[Selena in English] This album, I feel that it showed the maturity of the group.
You go through life and write about things.
And this music really showed a different side of me,
a more mature side of… of myself.
Well, when I'm not performing or I don't have to do special TV things,
I like to be like this.
Relaxed. Just like anybody else. [laughs]
This is more for show.
Right now, they're fixing to re-sand the floors.
[reporter] As for Selena's new boutique and salon in Corpus Christi,
the Tejano singer wants to explore her talents away from music.
[Selena] Fashion is tied in with entertainment.
People like glamorous things.
And I thought it would be nice to have my own line of clothing.
To me, I want to prove myself that I'm intelligent enough to do
or be a businesswoman, apart from an entertainer.
I would like to thank y'all for coming and supporting this new business venture.
I hope all of y'all enjoy the services that we provide.
[Chris] Her passion after music was her clothing line.
It was something that made her happy.
Her family was a little worried
about her maybe biting off a little more than she can chew
because road life had started to become, you know,
pretty busy, pretty hectic.
And she wanted to kind of have her own thing, so to speak.
[man] What do you think of your daughter's new store, Mr. Quintanilla?
Well, um…
[chuckles]
A lot of people think that, uh, she was gonna give up singing.
No.
Uh, she's… she's a…
Selena's an intelligent person.
She knows that the big money comes from the singing,
not from dressmaking. [chuckles]
["Bidi Bidi Bom Bom" playing]
She always said an artist can… can reach a certain point.
And then, you get to where you need something to fall back on.
You know, she knew that in the future, she would start a family,
and she would have her boutiques.
[Selena in Spanish] I would love to have children in the future.
It is… I think it is a part of my womanhood that,
as a woman, I feel that I am missing that.
But more so in the future.
I feel that I have to extract all of the goals that I have in my mind
and achieve them.
And in the future, when I have time to take care of my children,
well, of course, I'm going to have kids, like, six… [laughs]
Another group.
[woman 1] Hi, Selena.
-[man] Hi there. -[woman 2] Hey!
[interviewer in Spanish] Selena is joining us. How are you?
[Selena] Very good, thank you.
-[interviewer] It's great to meet you. -It's mutual!
[interviewer] People are arriving.
[Selena] A lot of people. It's gonna be full.
Hopefully it's super full, packed.
[Chris in English] Going into Mexico was a shock.
That blew the doors wide open.
And as far as numbers… crowd went, I mean…
I… I couldn't believe it.
[in Spanish] How's it feel to come back to Monterrey and pack this venue
with thousands and thousands of people?
Honestly, I feel really surprised and excited.
And anxious too! [laughs]
It makes me happy, really.
Because we've basically followed you around to different places.
We saw how you filled Houston's Astrodome,
but here in Monterrey, I think the fans scream more,
where they show you affection in full force.
-[performing "No Debes Jugar"] -♪ Cariño ♪
♪ Ya basta de tus juegos ♪
♪ Que yo no soy ningún juguete ♪
♪ Amigo… ♪
[interviewer] Tremendous records at a fair in Monterrey.
Tell us a little about that.
[Selena] We were the group that inaugurated the baseball stadium.
And, well, there were many artists, like Juan Gabriel, Yuri, Verónica Castro.
And we were the only group that filled the baseball stadium.
-[performing "Ven Conmigo"] -[crowd singing along]
[Pete in English] That was like that aha moment like,
"Oh my God, what is up with this?"
"What are we doing here?"
"How did we get here?"
"How do we handle this?"
I mean, it's chaos. It really is.
The people were just… they just wanted to see Selena.
That's when that success in Mexico started kinda making the success
over here even double or triple.
-[performing "Bidi Bidi Bom Bom"] -♪ Hey, yeah ♪
[trills]
♪ Hey, hey, hey, yeah… ♪
"Bidi Bidi Bom Bom" is one of Selena's biggest hits.
This one was a… a monster hit.
♪ Bidi bidi bom bom ♪
♪ Bidi bidi bidi bidi bidi bom ♪
[vocalizing]
♪ Me canta así… ♪
[Brian] In Tejano music terms, uh, Selena was the cream of the cream.
She was gonna show that she's reached the top here.
The next step is the US, perhaps Europe.
♪ Mi corazón quiere cantar así… ♪
[in Spanish] Never thought that I would be a well-known singer, but--
-[interviewer] Famous, say it. Famous! -No!
You are famous. Already famous.
[woman in English] We like her music. It's good.
-[woman 2] Yeah. -[man] Very good singer.
I like her music. It's fun to dance to.
-[woman 3] You can dance to it. -She's cool.
[woman 4 in Spanish] She gave me the confidence to be a Hispanic woman.
That could do what I wanted.
[in English] Yes, my son, he never spoke Spanish.
And now, when he heard Selena, he learnt a lot of words in Spanish.
[woman 5] It represents, it's not just her being a Mexican-American woman.
It's just her being a Mexican and an American as well.
-She's the biggest thing. -I like dancing to her music.
[woman 6] It's great to see younger kids that have strayed away from their roots,
the culture of la música Tejana, or, you know, Spanish speaking,
and now are listening to it and starting to speak the language.
It's great because you get closer to your roots and your culture,
and you understand who you are.
-We love you, Selena! -We love you, Selena!
[Selena laughs]
[speaking indistinctly]
And I remember Selena working really hard.
Three, four hours of sleep, hardly eating.
But she knew she had to get the job done.
[Suzette] Where were you?
Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah.
-Where were you? Where were you? -Huh?
[speaking indistinctly]
-Had to look for your purse in the bus? -No, I had to make phone calls.
[Suzette] Oh, really?
And then I had to go to the bus and get my credit cards.
[Suzette] That's most important when shopping.
-Yes, it is. -[Suzette] Did you give him a hug?
[Chris] I think it was getting tougher and tougher on her.
[performing "No Me Queda Más"]
♪ No me queda más ♪
♪ Si tu regreso hoy sería ♪
♪ Una imposibilidad ♪
[man] Stand by. Stand by on playback.
♪ Mi corazón que hoy tiene que verte Como solo amigo ♪
♪ Y aunque viví enamorada ♪
♪ Y totalmente equivocada ♪
♪ No me importa ♪
♪ Porque esto si fuera amor… ♪
Cut! Pretty good.
Cut! Run it one more time?
That should be it.
One more time, and we'll wrap it up here.
[Chris] I think she realized that… a big change was on the horizon
as far as what she was used to, what we were all used to.
[narrator] Welcome to the 36th Annual Grammy Awards,
live from New York City.
Tonight from Radio City Music Hall…
[Chris] The Grammy, being nominated, it was exciting.
I mean, we were just in awe.
[Suzette] Being able to take in that experience
with her was mind-blowing, amazing.
She went to go get her hair done.
All the ladies washing the hair, they knew Selena.
They were the only Latinos in the whole place.
They were like, "Oh my God." So it spread like that in the whole salon.
And then, next thing you know, we're being treated like royalty.
Fast-forward, I got ready.
She got ready.
And… I will never forget this moment.
She came out, and I literally, like… my jaw dropped.
"You look like a million bucks."
"Oh my God. You look perfect."
It was maybe ten of us sitting in one row towards the back
'cause we had showed up late.
Like always. I'm always late for everything.
-And… they announced me as the winner. -[presenter] The Grammy goes to…
-I was like, "Oh my God!" -Live, Selena.
Our whole row just stood up and was like… [imitates screaming]
I'm like, "Oh my God!"
I'd like to thank the company, Capitol EMI Latin, José Behar,
uh, for making tonight possible and having faith in us,
putting faith in us four years ago.
I'd also like to thank my band, Los Dinos, my father, Abraham,
my brother, the producer of my music, and also my sister.
Thank you for the support. I'd like to thank…
[Brian] The album was groundbreaking.
They were stretching the boundaries and… and pushing the limits.
[reporter 1] The winner of several annual Tejano Music Awards,
including Top Female Vocalist and Entertainer of the Year,
she recently won her first Grammy for the album Selena Live!
I'm freaking out still. [laughs]
Winning the Grammy was great.
It would have been great if I was there.
But they didn't have enough tickets, so I didn't get to go.
But little did I know, the producer wins a Grammy also.
So I won a Grammy also. So I was like… I didn't know that, though.
[in Spanish] I never thought we were going to win anything.
I didn't even think…
The truth is, it was a total honor to just be nominated.
And when we went, I took my camera to take photos with all the stars.
[laughs]
Not even thinking about the nomination.
And everyone wants photos with you.
They didn't even let me enter with my camera.
-No? -No, but I left with this…
[reporter 2 in English] She is the hottest Tejano superstar to emerge in years.
She goes by one name, Selena.
[reporter 3] After negotiating for more than two years,
she finally signed a deal for that English language album.
And then after waiting so long, Selena wanted everything just right.
We signed with SBK Records, and it's an all English.
It's a branch of EMI.
And we're looking forward to the crossover.
[A.B.] Selena's just signed with Capitol Worldwide.
So she'll be up there with all the guys.
But wait a second.
One thing that the representative from the English market made clear
was that Tejano music is also worldwide.
So we won't be leaving Tejano music ever, okay?
["Dreaming of You" playing]
[Suzette] She was still in the early stages
of picking out her songs and everything.
But the fact that this English album is finally gonna happen,
she was ecstatic about it.
I mean, that was 100% her dream.
[man] You feel more pressure now? Busier?
-You're still touring at the same time? -A lot busier, yeah.
We're touring, we're trying to get in the studio, record the English album,
trying to do other things.
But, you know, you hope for something, you wish for things to happen,
when you're not doing as well.
And when it comes you want to slow down, but you think where you came from,
you appreciate it more.
English was my first language.
I've been, you know, listening to English music all my life.
This has been something that I wanted to do for a very long time.
If you have a dream, if you don't try, you're never gonna know, so I'm gonna try.
[in Spanish] As for me, I will try to do the best I can with all my soul.
And well, I hope the public will support our music.
It's not going to be Tex-Mex music.
It's going to be contemporary pop and R & B.
It's going to be completely different.
Selena, and are you absolutely sure of what you are going to achieve,
or is that still the fear?
-I'm afraid. -Yes?
-Yes, of course. -A little or a lot?
A lot, a lot. Uh-huh. I am very afraid.
But one has to try, no? To know.
[Chris in English] She understood that there would have to be changes
in the personnel of the band, and… that was scaring her.
She was just used to having the force that she had behind her with Los Dinos,
um, that she didn't know what to expect
with, you know, what was to come with the release of the new record.
[Selena] How you doing, Houston, Texas?
[crowd cheers]
♪ At first I was afraid ♪
♪ I was petrified ♪
♪ Kept thinking I could live Without you by my side ♪
♪ But then I spent so many nights ♪
♪ Just thinking how you did me wrong ♪
♪ And I grew strong ♪
♪ And I learned how to get along ♪
♪ And now you're back From outer space ♪
♪ Just turn around ♪
♪ 'Cause you're not welcome anymore ♪
♪ You're the one who tried… ♪
[A.B.] I remember her breaking down, crying.
She says, "Part of me wants this, part of me doesn't."
I said, "Why is a part of you that doesn't?"
She goes, "Because I'm leaving you behind and Suzette, Dad, and everything I know."
I said, "You're not leaving us behind, man."
I said, "This has always been the plan, the English market."
♪ I will survive ♪
♪ Hey, hey ♪
[speaking Spanish]
[reporter 1] She is the hottest Tejano superstar to emerge in years.
[reporter 2] Drawing record crowds at stadiums across this country
and into Mexico, and Central and South America.
[reporter 3 in Spanish] Here is Selena.
[reporter 4 in English] Selena, a superstar at the tender age of 23.
[Suzette] We all knew
that Selena was bigger than what she thought she was.
I don't think she knew how big she was.
♪ Como la flor ♪
[Suzette] This was her moment.
♪ Con tanto amor ♪
[Suzette] It's not that she was gonna leave us.
I mean, she really had a hard time.
She cried.
♪ Me diste tú… ♪
[Suzette] We all had a family talk. We all talked about it.
I can't be your drummer anymore. Like, I can't.
I'm not gonna be behind you anymore. I'm gonna be on the side.
♪ Me marcho hoy ♪
♪ Yo sé ♪
♪ Perder ♪
[Suzette] And I remember saying
nothing could ever separate us, because we are one.
♪ Pero ♪
♪ Ah-ah-ay ♪
♪ Cómo me duele ♪
This is the real me after the show, with no…
hairpiece.
This is the real hair that is attached to my real head. Mm.
And anyway, I know that everybody's gonna watch this video,
and I just want to say, "Y'all sucked tonight."
[Suzette giggles]
Just joking. Y'all did wonderful.
And… I hate it when you say that I'm the woman
because I hate it when y'all are right.
[both chuckle]
Just joking. Without you guys, I'm nothing.
So just wanna let you know that I love you.
And keep up the good work.
-[static crackles] -[operator] This is 911, emergency.
[woman] We have a woman ran in the lobby, says she's been shot.
She's laying on the floor, and there's blood.
[operator] Okay. How old is she?
[woman] She looks about 20.
[reporter 1] Once again, Selena, the Tejano music superstar, has been shot.
We're unclear about her condition at this moment,
but we will continue to have updates on this story,
with live reports throughout the afternoon.
-We do have… -I just drove up, so I have no idea.
-Selena's shot. -[man 1] Should we break in?
[indistinct chatter]
Let me go check on this.
[man 2] Just tell 'em…
[man 3] …bring back, then leave those tapes with 'em.
[reporter 2] An hour and a half ago, Corpus Christi police got a call
that Selena Quintanilla,
the Grammy Award-winning Tejano singer, was shot…
[A.B.] I was at the studio, waiting for her.
Fifteen minutes later, the phones just started ringing like crazy at Q.
And I got a call… um, from a friend of mine.
She said something like, um, "You need to get to the hospital, now."
[reporter 3] The condition of Selena at this point is…
in serious condition at Memorial Medical Center.
We'll bring you an update as soon as it becomes available.
The receptionist screamed, and the phone rang.
I said, "What happened?" He says, "Selena's in the emergency room."
And I walked in, and there's the press,
with the… the television cameras, are already there!
Can you believe that?
In the meantime, we have people that are…
by hundreds and hundreds of people, fans of Selena Quintanilla.
[Brian] I was getting calls from everywhere you could imagine.
And I had nothing… nothing I could tell 'em.
The hotel and the hospital's not talking.
There is an unconfirmed report that…
[reporter] Hundreds of fans gathered near the motel parking lot,
witnessing a bizarre standoff between police SWAT teams
and Selena's accused murderer, Yolanda, sitting in a truck.
For nearly ten hours, she held a gun to her head, threatening to kill herself.
My dad, he goes, "Somebody's on the phone that… that wants to talk to you."
He goes, "I don't want to freak you out,
but I think something happened with… with Selena."
[exhales shakily] I went up, and now my uncles are there
and my aunt, and everybody was crying.
And I walked in, and… my mother was with her head down,
and she was crying.
[crying] And I asked my dad, "Where's… Where's Selena?"
And he says, "She's been shot."
I said, "Is she okay?"
He says, "I don't think so, mijo." He goes, "I don't think so."
[reporter 2] A Grammy Award-winning singer was shot today…
[Chris] I came to the hospital.
They take me in a room,
and her family's in there.
And when I looked and I saw Marcy, you know,
and I saw the condition she was in, I knew.
Mm, I knew. Like, that's… that's when it hit me.
I still have the vision of Chris crying.
You know, behind the door. The door had a little window.
Poor old man was just sitting there, crying and crying.
Anyway…
My daughter Selena, was…
[sighs]
…was killed
by a disgruntled employee.
She was the, uh, president of the…
started out as the president of the fan club.
And, uh… then she was hired as an employee for Selena,
uh, at her stores.
And there was some discrepancies… with the fan club.
And, uh, it resulted in… in her shooting Selena.
[sighs] I… I don't know what to say.
[sobbing]
[reporter 1] The skies were gray,
and even darker was the grief this morning.
By the hundreds, they came to lay white roses on the casket of Selena.
[reporter 2] Today the fans of Selena Quintanilla Pérez
came to see their rising star for the last time.
[in Spanish] Selena Quintanilla leaves behind a grand music project
to be remembered for a long time.
But she also leaves behind a big void in the Tejano music industry.
[reporter 3 in English] She'd already won a Grammy Award
and was on the verge of crossing into American mainstream.
Then tragedy struck.
Now music fans all over the world are mourning the death of Selena.
[woman] I can't believe she's dead. That's why I'm here. So I could…
[sighs] …so I could convince myself, I guess.
[Suzette] I look back, and I see those pictures, and…
and how many people were there.
I don't remember any of that.
Like, I just remember being there and being so lost.
And so… empty.
-[somber music playing] -[muffled eulogy]
[Abraham] Death is a very painful thing. Especially if it's your child.
You can never understand it unless it happened to you.
I mean, you understand it's gonna hurt, but not
the depth of the… the feeling, you know?
And… And, you know, sometimes, uh,
it just hits me.
But it is what it is.
And we can't change that.
[Selena in Spanish] I hope you remember this song.
♪ Como la flor ♪
♪ Con tanto amor ♪
♪ Me diste tú ♪
♪ Se marchitó ♪
♪ Me marcho hoy… ♪
[Marcella] Any mother
loses a child, it's… it's very difficult.
Uh, it's hard to deal with.
-Uh, I deal with it every day. -["Como La Flor" fades]
[gulls calling]
[excited chatter]
["Yo Fui Aquella" playing faintly on speakers]
♪ Que pensaba en ti cada momento ♪
♪ Yo fui aquella… ♪
[Abraham] It makes me feel better
to see how many people love her… to this day.
[Marcella] They took her life, but we're gonna keep her alive
through her music.
A lot of new fans…
Little kids have become fans, and, uh… you know, she lives.
[A.B.] She is everywhere.
Everywhere, which is beautiful. It's a great thing she's being remembered.
But it… Sometimes, it's a little overwhelming.
[Suzette] Taking over the reins for Q Productions has been challenging.
I honestly try to approach something, "Would my sister like this?"
"Would she be okay with this?"
Like, "How do we do it for her?"
["Dreaming of You" playing]
[Ricky] I wish you could have been here.
Wish you could have seen it.
We miss you.
♪ Late at night When all the world is sleeping ♪
♪ I stay up and think of you ♪
♪ And I wish on a star… ♪
[reporter] A new release that Selena recorded just before her death
is selling in record numbers.
When I hear "Dreaming of You," it's just like, "Oh, she did it."
♪ 'Cause I'm dreaming of you tonight ♪
♪ Till tomorrow… ♪
That's the song that I can't listen to.
That's the only song.
That song right there just… It just…
I hear the piano in the beginning, it messes up my day.
♪ Than here in my room… ♪
[Chris] I do miss her a lot.
♪ You and me ♪
[Chris] But today I'm very proud of what she represents
and the small part that I might play in that story.
And I think that's true for all of us.
[Suzette] My mother shared with me that there is beauty
within this ugliness that has happened.
For very long time, I did not grasp that at all…
[crowd cheers]
…but I understand now what Selena means to people.
What she represents as a culture.
And it's beautiful.
[A.B.] Selena, for the Latinos,
brought hope to the Mexican-American community.
For some little girl somewhere or some little boy somewhere, dreaming,
That's what the songs are for. They're for you.
The ones that sing it.
The ones that dance to it.
The ones that get happy to 'em, the ones that get sad to them.
It's their music.
♪ Bidi bidi bom bom ♪
♪ Amor prohibido ♪
♪ Murmuran ♪
♪ Por las calles ♪
[woman 1] Having to grow up in a country where we don't really feel connected
to our Mexican side, being able to sing her songs
really makes me feel connected to that part of my culture.
To me, she felt like a part of my family.
[woman 2] Selena was one of my role models.
[woman 3] She embodied everything that I wanted to become.
[man] She was the first one that hit everybody's soul at the same time.
The Puerto Rican, Mexican, Chicano community, all of them together.
[Jennifer Lopez] Thanks to Selena.
She's still breaking down doors
and opening doors for the Latino community.
[Abraham] You turn on the radio,
her music's still being played, even after so many years.
And the public has not let her go.
They love Selena.
[reporter 1] Selena is the queen of Tejano music,
so it only makes sense that she's at the top
of Billboard's greatest of all time Latin artist chart.
She was named the number one spot among women.
[reporter 2] She left behind a loving legacy of music,
and opened doors for aspiring Tejano artists everywhere.
[reporter 3] They'll never forget
the contribution that she made not only to the industry
but also to their careers.
[woman in Spanish] We love you, Selena!
[man] With this great event, celebrating, it's Selena!
[Marcella in English] I feel, in a way, a comfort.
It helps me.
That people show so much love…
uh, for her
to this day.
[crowd cheering]
[speaking inaudibly]
And, uh, I… I, uh…
You know, I'm very proud of her.
[man in Spanish] How would you like to be remembered?
And how much longer will we enjoy Selena's music?
I would like to do it for the rest of my life,
But ultimately, I'm going to die, right?
But I believe that,
well, it depends on the audience.
How long I will be here is up to them.
Until they want me here.
-[Abraham in English] Sing that first one. -[young Selena] Okay.
♪ I'm in the mood for love ♪
♪ Simply because you're near me ♪
♪ Funny, but when you're near me ♪
♪ I'm in the mood for love ♪
♪ Heaven is in your eyes ♪
♪ Bright as the stars we're under ♪
♪ Oh, is it any wonder ♪
-♪ I'm in the mood for love ♪ -We're not gonna win.
♪ Why try to think of whether This little dream might fade? ♪
[on tape] ♪ I'm leavin' today ♪ [laughs]
Back to you, later on tonight. See ya.
[cheering]
[in Spanish] This is Selena y Los Dinos!
And now we're going to see the new video, the most recent video, here on…
-Let's do it better. -We gotta say "y Los Dinos!"
-This is Selena… -Y Los Dinos!
And now we're going to see the most recent video of…
-Um… [laughing] -[group laughs]
[Selena] I'm sorry, you guys.
["I Could Fall in Love" playing]
♪ I could lose my heart tonight ♪
♪ If you don't turn and walk away ♪
♪ 'Cause the way I feel, I might ♪
♪ Lose control and let you stay ♪
♪ 'Cause I could take you in my arms ♪
♪ And never let go ♪
-♪ I could fall in love ♪ -♪ In love ♪
♪ With you ♪
-♪ I could fall in love ♪ -♪ In love ♪
-♪ With you ♪ -♪ With you, baby ♪
♪ I can only wonder how ♪
♪ Touching you would make me feel ♪
♪ But if I take that chance right now ♪
♪ Tomorrow will you want me still? ♪
♪ Baby, will you want me? ♪
♪ So I should keep this to myself ♪
♪ And never let you know ♪
-♪ I could fall in love ♪ -♪ In love ♪
-♪ With you ♪ -♪ I could fall in love with you ♪
-♪ I could fall in love ♪ -♪ In love ♪
-♪ With you ♪ -♪ With you, baby ♪
♪ And I know it's not right ♪
♪ And I guess I should try ♪
♪ To do what I should do ♪
♪ But I could fall in love ♪
♪ Fall in love ♪
-♪ With you ♪ -♪ You, baby ♪
♪ I could fall in love ♪
♪ With you ♪
♪ Siempre estoy soñando en ti ♪
♪ Besando mis labios ♪
♪ Acariciando mi piel ♪
♪ Abrazándome con ansias locas ♪
♪ Imaginando que me amas ♪
♪ Como yo podía amar a ti ♪
♪ So I should keep this to myself ♪
♪ And never let you know ♪
-♪ I could fall in love ♪ -♪ In love ♪
-♪ With you ♪ -♪ I could fall in love with you ♪
[dreamy pop fades]