MovieChat Forums > Selena (1997) Discussion > How famous was Selena...

How famous was Selena...

posted 16 years ago by cielo2001
64 replies | jump to latest

...before she died? Was she well known throughout the nation/world? I had never heard of her before her death. I remember my mother telling me that Selena had died and I ask, "Who?" I have heard some people say that the only reason she is well known today is because her father and brother have exploited her death in order to make money and use the guise of keeping her memory alive as a way to accomplish this. Is this true? This is not my opinion, I am only stating what I have heard.

[–] glassrose385 13 years ago

Selena wasn't popular with certain Hispanic communities in the U.S. prior to her death. A lot of Hispanics in northern New Mexico didn't know about her until after she died. Some people in those areas did buy her Spanish/Tejano albums and became fans of the Los Dinos and other groups affiliated with the Quintanillas.

If Selena hadn't been murdered, she might have had some mainstream success.

[–] Chili_Peppers 13 years ago

Well, I don't know about the English-speaking world, but being a Latino, I can assure you that Selena has been such a big part of Latino culture. I grew up in California and then moved to Colorado when I was 12 and I've never met another Hispanic person who doesn't know who Selena was, she was huge in the Latino world. It makes sense that she wasn't as famous in the English-speaking world because 90% of her songs were in Spanish. It's also important to note that while she was huge in the Spanish world, she hadn't been there long. That's one of the factors that makes her death so sad is that her dreams were coming true and then she was killed.

"This isn't a thimble, it's Turkish nipple armor."

[–] renegade916 13 years ago

I live in Northern Cali, and I can tell you, I was just a kid when her English singles were released and she was blowing up.Her songs were all over the radio and just a few months later she died suddenly and it was the only thing everyone could talk about. Imagine Lady Gaga passing away just as she released Poker Face as a single and having had Just Dance already hit number one. Selena basically died just as the nation was getting to learn her name and talk about her. Her death definitely made her a mega star, but she was definitely at the top of her rise to super stardom as she passed away.

[–] purpleleaf7 13 years ago

she was at the brink of hitting mainstream success.

[–] Diegok5 12 years ago

She was huge in the Hispanic culture. I am from Arizona and you would hear her songs on the radio all the time. Growing up I knew some of her songs and I am a Chicano male. She was a rising star on her way of the top. Her English music was great even though her album was not complete.

The woman who killed her deserves the death penalty but at least she will rot in prison! Due to Death Threats in and out of prison she is isolated for 23 hours a day. This should tell you how big she was in our community!

[–] BethH24 12 years ago

I'm from the UK. I only knew who Selena was when i saw this film.

[–] 12 years ago

[deleted]

[–] fiatlux-1 12 years ago

I live in Connecticut, and I hadn't really heard of her until her death. I really like her music, especially "I Could Fall In Love".
I truly feel sad pangs whenever I hear that song, because I can hear the potential that young woman had.

"I'd say this cloud is Cumulo Nimbus."
"Didn't he discover America?"
"Penfold, shush."

[–] golfingomez 12 years ago

she packed over 65K into the the Astrodome for her last concert... she was definitely a rising star... to deny that her death only skyrocketed her a bit higher would be ignorant, but she was definitely someone that was widely known in the latino community

[–] andreametzger 11 years ago

My choir teacher let us watch it in class and she said that she was already starting to hear her on the radio. She was an up and coming artist who had so much potential that got cut short. People knew her name in certain parts of the world. Mostly Mexico,The United States, and South American countries. She was an amazing woman who was sweet and kind and wouldn't hurt a fly and a woman who never turned down an autograph. She now lives on in fans hearts and will always be remembered.

[–] fiatlux-1 11 years ago

I did wonder the same thing. I had never heard of Selena until her death, and until this film came out.

"I'd say this cloud is Cumulo Nimbus."
"Didn't he discover America?"
"Penfold, shush."

[–] jessrena1982 11 years ago

She was the most famous here in corpus Christi.when i was younger .the bus i took home would always pass by her old house, one time even her own bus was parked outside,had said Selena on it