Texas History
May 16, 2023
Selena and the Geto Boys Changed Texas Music at the Same Time
The Geto Boys and Selena set the stage in the early nineties for the transformation of Texas music.
Selena
Latest
1-50 of 52 Articles
Music
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.
Music
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.
Film & TV
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.
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.
Film & TV
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.
Sponsored
April 16, 2021
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.
Music
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.
Music
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.
Music
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.
Music
March 19, 2021
Selena by the Numbers
How do we love the Queen of Tejano? Let us count the ways.
Music
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.
Music
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.
Music
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.
Music
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.
Film & TV
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.
Film & TV
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.
Film & TV
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.’
Music
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.
Music
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.
Music
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.
Music
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.
Music
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.
Music
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.
Film & TV
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.
Arts & Entertainment
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.
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.
Music
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.
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.
Music
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.
Music
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."
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.
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.
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.
Arts & Entertainment
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.
Style & Design
March 2, 2018
How H-E-B’s Selena Grocery Bags Broke the Internet
Bidi bidi bom bom, indeed.
Music
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.
Arts & Entertainment
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?
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.
Roar of the Crowd
September 17, 2015
Roar of the Crowd
Readers respond to the September 2015 issue.
Arts & Entertainment
August 13, 2015
Amor Prohibido
Twenty years after her death, who gets to love Selena (and how)?
Music
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.
Music
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.
Music
April 1, 2010
Dreaming of Her
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
Music
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
Music
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
Music
April 30, 2000
Tuned Out
Five years after Selena's death, tejano music is struggling to be heard.
Music
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.
Books
January 1, 1997
Lars Attacks!
Why Texas’ best-known homeless writer is back on the streets.
Music
September 30, 1996
Jennifer Peña
ON MAY 29, 1995, TWO MONTHS AFTER THE TRAGIC death of tejano star Selena, a tribute was staged in her honor at Houston’s Astrodome. Although many well-known acts performed that day, including hometown superstars La Mafia and Selena’s former bandmate Pete Astudillo, it was an unknown eleven-year-old dynamo named Jennifer