Jennifer Lopez Talks Mexican Singer Selena's Impact for the 20th Anniversary of Her Death
Years after Mexican pop superstar Selena Quintanilla was fatally shot by the former president of her fan club, Yolanda Saldivar, her fans all over the world still celebrate her legacy and her music. Now, on the 20th anniversary of her death, one celebrity who was inspired by the singer's career is talking about the impact Selena has made.
Jennifer Lopez, who played the Latina singer in the 1997 biopic "Selena," recently spoke with Billboard and said that there will be no one else like her.
"It has always bugged me that people would try to think that there's a next Selena," said the "I'm Real" singer. "It's like saying there's another James Dean or Marilyn Monroe. People like that don't come along everyday. There is never going to be another Selena. That's why we're still talking about her 20 years later."
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Lopez said that taking on the role of Selena, which catapulted her to stardom, inspired her to launch her own music career. Just two years after the movie premiered, Lopez released her first single "If You Had My Love."
"It had a lot to do with it—all those performances," she said of her role in the film. "I sang in musicals before, but as part of the cast, never as a solo artist upfront or a recording artist. It made me realize, 'Don't neglect parts of yourself and let people put you in a box because you're an actress … Life is short, and you don't know what's going to happen. Go for your dreams and don't let anyone hold you back."
Selena began performing as a child, singing in Los Dinos, a band formed by her father that featured her brother on bass and sister on guitar. She went on to win the Best Mexican-American Album Grammy for Live, making her the first Tejano artist to ever win a Grammy, and had several hits in the U.S. like "Dreaming of You".
Today, fans can celebrate her memory at the Selena Museum in Corpus Christi, Texas. For the 20th anniversary of her death, Selena's family will be hosting the inaugural Fiesta de la Flor in her hometown of Corpus Christi on April 17 and 18. The festival will feature performances from Los Lobos and other Tejano stars as well as a screening of "Selena."
