A Fresh Look at the Rise of a Famous Singer 

By: Brooke Price

“Selena The Series” focuses on Selena Quintanilla‘s early life as she progresses into stardom. Credit: imdb.com

Years after Selena Quintanilla’s death, her life is still being celebrated through the release of “Selena: The Series.” The Netflix series shows Selena’s early life as she begins her music career with her siblings and climbs to the top of the music industry.

The show follows Selena’s early years from when she was a kid, forming a band with her sister Suzette and brother AB, performing at parties, to her successful music career as a woman, where she has many adoring fans.  

“Selena: The Series” provides an inside look at the family dynamic of the Quintanilla household. Viewers can see how Abraham Quintanilla formed a band with his children once he learned that Selena could sing. The band eventually became known as “Selena y Los Dinos” and had Suzette on drums and AB on bass. AB also wrote and produced songs for the band.

Suzette being a woman drummer was also inspirational to other girls who wanted to become drummers, whereas many female drummers were underrepresented.

Selena had to learn Spanish since she would be singing songs in Spanish to appeal to a larger audience and Abraham wanted her to embrace her Mexican roots. Learning Spanish also helped Selena promote her music career since she could communicate with her fans and speak to interviewers. 

Selena also learned what it meant to be a singer. Since she was constantly on the road with her siblings performing, she could no longer go to school and hang out with her friends. Her father eventually took her out of school so she could be a full-time singer.

At the 1986 Tejano Music Awards, she got advice from Laura Canales who told her that as she became more popular, the record labels would tell her to change her image, but that Selena should always remain true to herself.

Christian Serratos plays Selena Quintanilla. She also played Angela Weber in the Twilight Saga films and Rosita Espinosa in “The Walking Dead.”

Suzette is played by Noemi Gonzalez. She played Soli Gomez in “East Los High” and Mia Rosales in “The Young and the Restless.”

Gabriel Chavarria plays AB. He is known for playing Jacob Aguilar in “East Los High” and he was also in season one of “The Purge.”

Ricardo Chavira plays Abraham. He also played Carlos Solis on “Desperate Housewives.” 

Selena’s mom, Marcella Quintanilla, is played by Seidy López. Some of the films she appeared in include “Mi Vida Loca” and the 1997 film “Selena.”

“Selena: The Series” is divided up into two parts. The first part was released December 4, 2020, and was about the formation of “Selena y Los Dinos” and Selena’s rise to stardom. The second part will be released on May 14, 2021, and will focus on the peak of Selena’s career and eventual death.

Selena’s family was involved in the making of the series for Netflix. Selena’s father, Abraham, and sister Suzette served as producers for the series.

Serratos told Entertainment Tonight that she had a lot of pressure on her to portray Selena. “I know what an important role this is and I know how important it is for all her fans and her family, so I definitely worked really hard to try and be as honestly Selena as I could.”

She also mentioned the impact that Selena had on her growing up. “Not only was she someone that I could look up to as a Mexican American woman, but I got to see her accomplishments and any time there is someone who looks like you that comes from where you came from and has accomplished so much, it is very inspiring.”

Selena’s legacy continues to live on despite her death. “Selena: The Series” allows audiences to watch the famed singer’s life unfold and her journey to becoming a legendary singer.