Selena's Real Name: Selena Quintanilla Pérez

Quick answer: Selena's full name was Selena Quintanilla Pérez. Britannica gives her birth name as Selena Quintanilla and the name "in full" as Selena Quintanilla Pérez. She was born on April 16, 1971, in Lake Jackson, Texas. Known as the Queen of Tejano Music, she was killed in Corpus Christi, Texas, on March 31, 1995, at 23 (Britannica; Biography.com).

Real name and early life

She was the youngest of three children of Abraham Quintanilla Jr., a former musician, and his wife, whom Biography.com names as Marcella Ofelia Samora and Britannica as Marcela. She began singing as a child. Around age 10, her father formed the family band Selena y Los Dinos, with her sister, Suzette, on drums and her brother, Abraham III, known professionally as A.B. Quintanilla III, on bass. The group played weddings and clubs in Texas and later toured as an opening act for other Tejano bands. Because of the band's schedule she left school in eighth grade and later earned a GED, according to Britannica.

Career highlights

The band recorded early albums in the mid-1980s, including Mis Primeras Grabaciones (1984). In 1989, after a performance at the Tejano Music Awards, she signed with EMI Latin and released her debut solo album, Selena. Later albums included Ven Conmigo (1990) and Entre a Mi Mundo (1992). The duet "Buenos Amigos," with Álvaro Torres, widened her audience. She married the band's lead guitarist, Chris Pérez, on April 2, 1992.

Her album Live! won the Grammy Award for Best Mexican-American Album in 1994, making her the first female Tejano artist to win that award, Biography.com says. Amor Prohibido was among her best-known records. She was at work on her first English-language album at the time of her death. That album, Dreaming of You (1995), was released a few months later and debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, the first album by a Latina artist to do so, Britannica says. A 1997 biographical film, Selena, later introduced her story to a wider audience; Biography.com notes that Jennifer Lopez portrayed her.

Death

She was killed in Corpus Christi on March 31, 1995, at 23. Yolanda Saldívar, the founder of her fan club, was convicted of first-degree murder later that year and sentenced to life in prison. Britannica reports that Saldívar was denied parole in March 2025.

Name notes for searchers

Selena Quintanilla was her birth name; Selena Quintanilla Pérez includes her married name. She performed as Selena. This page is about the Tejano singer, not other entertainers who share the first name.