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.
Tejano Music
Texas Country Reporter
March 1, 2023
Eva Ybarra, the “Queen of the Accordion,” Reflects on Her Long Career
Ybarra is one of only a few professional women accordionists on the conjunto scene. The accordion is not only her instrument of choice, but her heart and soul.
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.
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.
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.
Texas History
January 20, 2021
How Manny Guerra Shaped the Tejano Music Scene
The San Antonio producer created a style that would endure for decades—and he helped Selena get her start.
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.
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
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
September 1, 1994
Selena
The sound of assimilation.
Music
May 1, 1978
Little Joe
Amid blaring trumpets, raised fists, bottles of beer, and a cheering mob stands the king of Saturday night.