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Singer Who Helped Put Tejano Music On The Map Has Passed Away

By May 17, 2016 at 12:05 pm

Emilio Navaira, the Tejano music legend who, along with Selena, helped catapult Tejano music to the mainstream, has died. After being found unconscious by family members on Monday, the 53-year-old was transported to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The cause of death is believed to be a heart attack, but an autopsy has yet to be performed.

Navaira will be remembered for helping put Tejano music on the map. “He was the male to Tejano music what Selena was as the female to Tejano music,” San Antonio disc jockey Randy Carroll told Reuters.

Friends and fans of Navaira took to social media to express their condolences.


Suzette Quintanilla, Selena’s sister, sent a message to Navaira’s family.


A.B. Quintanilla also posted a message to his fans.


Some shared old photos, like this shot of Navaira with Selena.

Credit: @Jocyy_5810 / Twitter

Other shared personal photos of the moment they met Navaira.

Credit: @LouRamirez / Twitter

Chingo Bling kept it short and sweet.

Credit: @ChingoBling / Twitter

Some fans recalled memories of hearing his music at family gatherings.

Credit: @kassie_aguilar / Twitter

And dancing to Navaira’s music with family.

Credit: @accebeR_ / Twitter

Texas-based radio DJ Michelle Rodriguez shared one of her favorite dance moves.

Credit: @michrod / Twitter

And this fan shared a memory that’ll hit close to home.

Credit: @_LionFlores / Twitter

Watch Emilio Navaira and Selena perform together at the Tejano Music Awards:

Credit: selenaisawesome1 / YouTube

READ: Meet Johnny Canales, The Texas TV Host Who Helped Put Selena On The Map

What’s your favorite Emilio Navaira memory? Click on the share button below to discuss with friends.

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Lawmakers Want To Include ‘Selena’ In The National Film Registry

Entertainment

Lawmakers Want To Include ‘Selena’ In The National Film Registry

By January 4, 2021 at 12:18 pm
BY  | January 4, 2021 AT 12:18 pm

“Selena” is one of the most influential and impactful movies of our generation. We all remember watching Jennifer Lopez embody the Tejana queen of music. The 1997 biopic is a classic and there is finally talk of including it in the National Film Registry.

“Selena” is one of the most impactful movies of our childhoods.

The 1997 movie was something that we watched over and over when we were younger. We sang the songs and basically learned all of the lines of this movie. It is arguably one of the first times we saw our culture and one of our icons’ stories told for the masses.

The Congressional Hispanic Caucus is pushing for “Selena” to officially be recognized.

Movies are a crucial part of telling the full story of American life. The National Film Registry is a list of movies that are honored for their cultural impact. “Real Women Have Curves,” “West Side Story,” and “Zoot Suit” are all part of the National Film Registry. Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, is the chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and wrote a letter asking for the consideration of “Selena.”

“As a next step, we also wish to formally nominate the 1997 film ‘Selena’ for inclusion in the National Film Registry in 2021,” reads the letter. “Directed by Gregory Nava and starring Jennifer Lopez and Edward James Olmos, the film depicts the life, remarkable rise, and tragic death of Tejana music star Selena Quintanilla.”

There is a lot of hope that the Library of Congress will make this happen.

Selena represents that first major and successful jumps from the Latino market to the mainstream that many of us can remember. We finally had someone who looked like us and understood our cultural struggles in a real way. Our story was being told and the film about the music icon was so important in guiding some of us through our own cultural struggles.

“The film also touches on important themes of cultural identity and assimilation faced by Mexican American communities as they navigate their personal connections to two cultures and languages,” the letter continues to explain. “The film has become a beloved icon of Latino culture and has found widespread mainstream success, proving once and for all that Latino stories are American stories.”

Selena is the kind of cultural phenomenon that comes once in a lifetime.

The singer was able to build an impressive legacy that has endured for longer than she was alive. We were raised with her music and told her story over and over to keep us all tuned in to the fact that we could do anything. If Selena could break into the mainstream audience, we could all be that successful.

“Given its importance as a work of Latino cinema, we believe it is deserving of preservation at the Library of Congress. We trust you will give ‘Selena’ careful consideration, and hope to see it included in the titles added to the National Film Registry in 2021,” Rep. Castro further explains in the letter. “We also expect to identify other films which feature the American Latino experience and urge you to devote careful consideration to Latino films when considering films for the registry as well.”

Here’s hoping that “Selena” gets the official recognition it clearly deserves.

We all have our fingers crossed that this movie will earn its place in the National Film Registry because it deserves that kind of praise.

READ: Part 2 Of “Selena: The Series” Has Already Finished Filming And Here’s Everything We Know About The Next Season

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CultureFilmJoaquin CastroSelenaSelena Movie

Netflix’s ‘Selena: The Series’ Leads To Massive Increase In Spotify Streams Of La Reina’s Music

Entertainment

Netflix’s ‘Selena: The Series’ Leads To Massive Increase In Spotify Streams Of La Reina’s Music

By December 16, 2020 at 2:16 pm
BY  | December 16, 2020 AT 2:16 pm

Selena has been dead longer than she was alive, yet her legendary status is only strengthening. La Reina de Tejano Music continues to reign supreme and the latest Spotify Wrapped proves it. Streams of Selena’s music skyrocketed this year and we love to see it.

Selena’s music continues to spread around the world in 2020.

Selena’s music is timeless. Her heartfelt music, in English and Spanish, has transcended culture and race to speak to people around the world. Twenty-five years after her death, Selena fans are still going strong and passing that legacy down to the younger generations. The new Netflix series has reignited that love of Selena to incredibly high proportions.

Streams of Selena’s music on Spotify increased 260 percent.

That’s not a typo. People streamed Selena’s song 260 percent more than the month before because of the timelessness of this singing queen. The spike in Selena streams come after “Selena: The Series” was released on Netflix. The family-approved tv show received a lot of backlash from Selena fans because of the wigs and storyline. However, the show did bring music lovers back to her.

Fans are proud to have helped Selena break this record.

According to Spotify, three songs were the most loved by Selena fans. Two of the songs had the biggest growth in listeners. Those two songs are “Como La Flor” and “Amor Prohibido,” which saw 250 percent and 150 percent increases, respectively. “El Chico del Apartamento 512” joined in to be the three Selena songs to break into the top 200 Spotify songs.

Once again, Selena proves that she is more than a queen of Tex-Mex, she is a queen of music.

The lasting legacy of Selena is something we are still talking about because it still matters. She has remained relevant decades after her death and that is not an easy feat. As 2020 comes to a close, it is impressive to know that Selena is still going strong.

READ: As The New Selena Series Comes Under Scrutiny, People Are Asking Where Is Selena’s Husband Chris Pérez Now?

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MusicSelenaSelena QuintanillaSpotify