What was Selena Quintanilla’s net worth at the time of her death?
Introduction
Selena Quintanilla was a musician known as ‘The Queen of Tejano.’
The Origin Story
Born in Lake Jackson, Texas, on June 29, 1967, she was the daughter of Marcella Samora and singer-songwriter Abraham Quintanilla Jr.
She, alongside her siblings, was raised as Jehovah’s Witnesses.
Selena and her siblings were performers at their father’s restaurant, but when it closed down, and the family went bankrupt, they formed a Tejano band named Selena y Los Dinos.
Due to financial problems, Selena was forced to perform consistently at quinceaneras, weddings, and fairs, which affected her studies.
Selena dropped out of school in her eighth grade, earning her high school diploma from the American School of Correspondence at seventeen.
She enrolled at Pacific Western University, majoring in Business Administration.
Career
Selena y Los Dinos was formed in the 1980s.
Originally, the band only played for weddings and busked to make ends meet.
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The band began to grow, and eventually, travel demands grew. Quintilla Jr. purchased an old bus which he refurbished as a tour bus.
For their first few years of touring, the family made only enough to eat.
Selena y Los Dinos were signed to Freddie Records in 1981.
The label began selling singles from the album in stores as a promotion of the yet-to-be-released debut album.
In 1984, Freddie released the band’s very first full-length album. Later, the record label president Abraham said that the band was not professional enough to release a full-length album.
Portrait of American singer Selena (born Selena Quintanilla-Perez, 1971 – 1995) backstage at the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo at the Houston Astrodome – @Getty
Selena wanted to record English songs but was pushed to record for the Tejano genre, which was male-dominated at the time.
This is because her father wanted her to perform songs related to her heritage.
Selena had to learn Spanish phonetically whilst recording this album.
Quintanilla Jr. refused to back down and walked out on Freddie Records.
During Selena’s record contract, Quintanilla founded another small Texas record label called Cara Records, which the group sold singles through for a few years.
GP Productions
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Selena y Los Dinos were signed to GP Productions for a recording contract in 1987 after they discovered the group performing.
Immediately after signing the contract, Selena y Los Dinos went into the studio to record.
Selena y Los Dinos recorded their second album ‘Alpha’ that same year.
In 1987, Selena was discovered by the Tejano awards, winning Female Vocalist of the Year.
She won the same award for seven consecutive years after.
The group’s popularity continued to explode with the release of the studio album ‘Precious’ which sold 20,000 units alone in Texas in 1988.
Debut Solo Album
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EMI Records saw Selena’s performance at the 1989 Tejano Music Awards and offered Quintanilla Jr a hefty signing fee to join the group to the agency.
Selena signed a solo contract, releasing her debut solo album ‘Selena’ in October 1989.
While she dabbled in songwriting, her brother A.B Quintanilla became her lead songwriter and producer for most of her solo career.
Her second studio album, ‘Ven Conmigo’ was released in September 1990.
This album contained her hit ‘Baila Esta Cumbia.’
Her popularity skyrocketed in Mexico and San Antonio.
It was around this time that Yolanda Salazar requested to start a Selena fan club in San Antonio, Quintanilla Jr. accepted the request, believing it would aid in Selena’s fight for exposure.
Selena received her first Billboard Award nomination in 1992.
Her third studio album, ‘Entre a Mi Mundo’ was released that same year.
Widely considered her breakthrough album, it peaked at number on one of the Billboard Regional Mexican Albums charts in the US.
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In Mexico alone, the album sold over 380,000 units. It became the first female Tejano album to ever sell more than 300,000 copies.
Selena was booked for a press tour within Mexico, unheard of for the time as Tejanos were discriminated against immensely within the region.
Prior to her murder, Selena dabbled in fashion design and manufacturing.
She opened the boutique Selena Etc.
In 1994, the boutique held two fashion shows to showcase her clothing designs.
Her fourth studio album, released in 1995, also dominated the charts. She was considered to be ‘larger than Tejano itself,’ at this stage in her career and was named one of the wealthiest Hispanic women during this time.
The family appointed Yolanda Saldivar to manage Selena’s boutiques due to her skyrocketing career.
Saldivar was renowned for being a mean, horrible boss.
Singer Selena (Quintanilla) poses with Singer Simon Le Bon (also spelled Lebon) of Duran Duran during the EMI records Post-Grammy Party – @Getty
She was then caught embezzling money by Quintanilla Jr., who had received numerous complaints about her behavior from staff members.
He found fans had been sold Selena memberships and had never received anything.
When Selena confronted Saldivar about the fraud, Saldivar shot her, tragically ending her career and life at the young age of 23.
Prior to her death, Selena managed to make it to the hotel lobby and identify her assailant and the room number she had been shot in, guaranteeing Saldivar’s arrest.
Selena’s supporters are able to learn more about Selena by attending The Selena Museum in Corpus Christi, Texas, to which her sister, Suzette, dedicates a lot of her time.
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Husband
Chris Perez and Selena met in 1989 when he was hired to be the new guitarist for her band.
They tried to maintain a professional relationship but professed their feelings for one another in 1990.
Selena’s father was not accepting of their relationship, leading to them eloping in secret in 1992.
On meeting her for the first time, Perez said in an interview in 2017: “I’m a shy person by nature, and there was just something about her that she was able to pull me out.”
They were only married a short time before her death.
Perez got remarried in 2002 to a woman named Venessa, but they later divorced.
He is currently engaged to Melissa Jimenez.
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Family
Selena has two living siblings, her sister Suzette Quintanilla and her brother A.B.
Both of her siblings have successful careers.
She has no children.
Singer Selena (Quintanilla) performs at the opening of the Hard Rock Cafe on January 12th, 1995 in San Antonio – @Getty
Selena Quintanilla – Net Worth
So, how much was Selena Quintanilla worth? Selena accrued most of her wealth from her music career. She released five solo albums – Dreaming of You, Amor Prohibido, Entre a Mi Mundo, Ven Conmigo, and Selena. According to probate documents, at the time of her death, Selena Quintanilla had an estimated net worth of $164,000.
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