Selena

February 1, 2023

A Culture Writer and Lifelong Selena Fan’s Ultimate Love Letter to the Icon

Cat Cardenas’s 2021 essay made a poignant case about the mistakes Selena never got to make—and how they would have deepened our love for her.

By

April 4, 2022

A New Selena Album Will Mark Her 24th Posthumous Release. Whom Are These Albums For?

In an upcoming record, the singer’s voice will be digitally aged. The Quintanilla family continues to misunderstand why Selena’s fans adored her.

By

March 25, 2022

“This Is The Hardest Film I’ve Ever Made”: ‘Selena’ Turns 25

Ahead of its April rerelease, members of the 1997 biopic's cast and crew recall a set overcome with emotion as loved ones grappled with Selena's tragic death.

By

Abraham Quintanilla, father of deceased Tejano singer Selena, stands in front of a wall displaying photos of his daughter at

Books|

August 9, 2021

Reading Selena’s Father’s Memoir Is an Exercise in Empathy

Though uneven and at times lacking in self-awareness, Abraham Quintanilla’s book sheds light on the extreme approach he took to protect his daughter’s legacy.

By

Christian Serratos as Selena Quintanilla in Netflix's Selena: The Series.

May 6, 2021

Selena Deserves More Than Netflix Kitsch

Part two of Netflix's Selena series delivers a more confident version of the Tejano icon than part one, but fails to portray the late singer as the nuanced person she was.

By

What Are Some of Your Favorite Cumbia and Tejano Tracks?

This month, WhiteClaw Hard Seltzer wants to celebrate Selena and her legacy with the ultimate dance playlist.

By TM Studio

March 19, 2021

Selena at 50: Celebrating the Life, Art, and Influence of a Tejano Legend

As her fiftieth birthday approaches, the writers we’ve gathered to celebrate her are part of a generation of Latinos who came of age after her heyday.

By

March 19, 2021

For Decades, Countless Young Latinas Like Me Have Regarded Selena as an Icon. Maybe It’s Time We Took Her off the Pedestal.

If we’re going to honor the real Selena—and find a way to carry her with us—we need to imagine what she might have done if she had lived a full life.

By

March 19, 2021

Selena Embraced Her Heritage and Championed Its Evolution in Style

Her ensembles, influenced by pop stars such as Janet Jackson, highlighted the sartorial choices of Texas’s Mexican American working-class communities.

By Frida Garza

March 19, 2021

Selena by the Numbers

How do we love the Queen of Tejano? Let us count the ways.

By

March 19, 2021

In Selena, Queer Tejanos See Themselves as Brilliantly Transfigured and Free to Love Grandly

In the years since her death, the Queen of Tejano has become a gay icon, especially in Texas.

By Joe Galván

March 14, 2021

Why Selena Is Still the Queen of Tejano (and Punk Rock!)

Four Latina musicians chat about code-switching, role models, Freddy Fender, and the importance of growling.

By

December 10, 2020

We Need to Talk About Selena

In the 25 years since her death, the singer’s memory has been flattened and commodified. Selena—and her fans—deserve more.

By

Christian Serratos as Selena Quintanilla performing on stage in Selena: The Series.

December 2, 2020

Why Netflix’s Selena Series Ultimately Misses Its Mark

The initial installment of the two-part television show details the first 20 years of Selena’s life—yet it feels like we’ve hardly gotten to know the person the series is about.

By

November 2, 2020

Sweeping Landscapes and Other Soothing Texas Videos to Assuage Your Election Day Anxiety

Ahead of tomorrow’s nail-biter, we present a grab bag featuring a Big Bend documentary, Beyoncé clips, the Houston Zoo’s baby animal playlist, and more.

By

October 30, 2020

Thomas Haden Church Will Star as the Texanist

Plus, how ‘Dallas’ brought down the Soviet Union, Netflix’s ‘Selena’ gets a real trailer, and Luke Wilson plays a fire-belching robot duck.

October 9, 2020

Hollywood, Texas: ‘Dazed and Confused’ Cast to Reunite Online, Online, Online

Plus, Kacey Musgraves meets Scooby Doo, Borat meets Sid Miller, and Austin meets ‘Walker, Texas Ranger.’

June 5, 2020

Beyoncé, Jamie Foxx, and Lizzo Lend Their Voices to National Protests

“White people, this is your daily reminder that if you stay silent, you are part of the problem,” Lizzo said.

Selena Quintanilla on stage sporting a beehive up-do.

May 13, 2020

Texas Monthly Staffers Featured on the Podcast ‘Selena: A Star Dies in Texas’

The true crime podcast tackles a murder that continues to confound fans around the world.

By Texas Monthly

Nathian Shae Rodriguez smiles with a Selena impersonator.

March 31, 2020

Meet the Professor Teaching a College Course on Selena and Her Legacy

Nathian Shae Rodriguez's class examines how the Tejano star influenced Latinx representation.

By

March 17, 2020

A Life Surrounded by Vinyl Records

The Corpus Christi DJ, producer, and nu cumbia pioneer El Dusty talks about the music that shaped his trajectory.

By El Dusty

Selena poses in front of a red curtain wearingone of her famous bustiers.

February 7, 2020

An Intimate Photo Exhibit at San Antonio’s McNay Art Museum Immortalizes Selena

Photographer John Dyer’s iconic photos of the fallen singer are being shown for the first time.

By

November 15, 2019

Hollywood, Texas: Kanye West Takes Joel Osteen to Church

The rapper heads to a Houston megachurch, Netflix introduces its new Selena, and This Week in Matthew McConaughey.

October 9, 2019

Shea Serrano Talks Selena, The Rock, and the Movies That Opened Up His World

The best-selling Texan author takes on the silver screen in his latest book.

By Caitlin Cruz

instead of armie hammer toes Dolly Parton Lil Nas X Beyonce

July 29, 2019

Ten Things to Watch That Aren’t the Armie Hammer Toe-Sucking Video

Featuring Selena, a Golden Girls gospel remix, and more.

By

Art|

July 10, 2019

Fashion Photography Gets a Texas Accent at Houston’s Museum of Fine Arts

MFAH curators added an emphasis on diversity and Lone Star celebrities to the special exhibit, ’Icons of Style,’ since its LA debut.

By Gabrielle Nicole Pharms

May 7, 2019

The Mount Rushmore of Texas Music Beats All Comers

Yes, we’re taking this week’s overblown Twitter fight way too seriously.

By

A Selena sweatshirt from the Forever 21 collection

Style & Design|

March 21, 2019

Forever 21 Launches a Selena Collection in Honor of the Tejano Madonna

Launched on the anniversary of the 'Selena' biopic, the Forever 21 collection features versions of the singer's staples.

By

February 28, 2019

A House Bill May Officially Make April 16 “Selena Day”

The Queen of Cumbia’s birthday may become an annual day of recognition in the state of Texas.

By

February 26, 2019

Kacey Musgraves Covering Selena at the Houston Rodeo Is an Iconic Moment in Texas Music History

The hottest singer in country music paid tribute to her Texas roots with a cover of "Como La Flor."

By

The Texanist|

February 10, 2019

The Texanist: What Are the Ten Best Texas Movies?

A newcomer to the state is looking for a cinematic introduction to his adopted home.

By

Guides|

February 8, 2019

Texas Monthly Recommends: Selena and David Byrne Recorded a Song Together and It’s So Good

Plus, rap from San Antonio, essays from Houston, and landscape photography from across the state.

By Texas Monthly

The Culture|

December 6, 2018

The Second Round of Selena H-E-B Bags Did Not Sell Out Immediately

And that’s a good thing.

By

A fan attending the unveiling of the Selena wax sculpture at Madame Tussauds on August 30, 2016 in Hollywood, California.

April 16, 2018

Selena Air Fresheners, Spoons, and Other Handmade Ways to Celebrate La Reina’s Birthday

In our current moment of Selenamania, Stripes and H-E-B have nothing on the dedication from crafty fans.

By

Style & Design|

March 2, 2018

How H-E-B’s Selena Grocery Bags Broke the Internet

Bidi bidi bom bom, indeed.

By

July 18, 2016

There Is A Selena Wax Statue Going In At Madame Tussauds

The one in Hollywood, not the Louis Tussauds in San Antonio, so adjust your travel plans accordingly.

By

February 24, 2016

Texas, My Texas, You Deserve a New State Song

If you don’t know it, can’t remember it, or won’t sing it, what good is it?

By

The Daily Post|

February 12, 2016

The Break-Up: Selena Style

Valentine’s Day is almost here, and we've found the perfect opportunity to end things with a little bom bom.

By Jeff Winkler

Roar of the Crowd|

September 17, 2015

Roar of the Crowd

Readers respond to the September 2015 issue.

By Texas Monthly

August 13, 2015

Amor Prohibido

Twenty years after her death, who gets to love Selena (and how)?

By Jeff Winkler

March 30, 2015

Here Are Some Professors With PhDs in Selena

Even academics know what there is to learn from La Reina de Tex-Mex.

By

Selena Quintanilla posing for magazine shoots.

January 20, 2013

On March 31, 1995, South Texas came to a standstill as the shocking news spread that the hugely popular Tejano singer Selena Quintanilla Perez had been shot and killed in Corpus Christi. Fifteen years later, the people who knew Selena best recall the life and devastating death of a star

By Pamela Colloff

January 20, 2013

The Queen Is Dead

When Selena Quintanilla Perez was killed on March 31, Texas mourned—and around the world, the veneration began.

By Joe Nick Patoski

March 31, 2010

Fotos y Recuerdos

This past year marked an important, though largely unnoticed, milestone for fans of Selena Quintanilla Perez, the hugely popular Tejano singer who died at 23 on March 31, 1995: She has now lived in our memories for longer than she performed professionally. She was 9 years old when she started

By Jake Silverstein

March 31, 2010

Soñando con Ella

Era una chica del barrio cuya voz la hizo acreedora de un Grammy, vendió millones de álbumes y la convirtió en una sensación como ninguna otra. Y cuando fue asesinada, el 31 de marzo de 1995, la estrella de la música tejana Selena Quintanilla Pérez pareció llevarse consigo las aspiraciones

By Pamela Colloff

April 30, 2000

Tuned Out

Five years after Selena's death, tejano music is struggling to be heard.

By Joe Nick Patoski

November 1, 1998

We’re an American Band

How did Houston supergroup La Mafia get to be the biggest tejano act in the world? By leaving Texas.

By Jesse Katz

Books|

January 1, 1997

Lars Attacks!

Why Texas’ best-known homeless writer is back on the streets.

By