Happy 17th Anniversary to the movie, Selena

In this edition of Flashback Friday, Her Source looks back at the movie, Selena and it’s 17th year anniversary. The movie is based on the life of Mexican singer, Selena and it starred an upcoming actress turned singer named Jennifer Lopez.

The movie became Lopez’s big breakthrough role of all time and was able to fill the shoes of the late singer. In the movie, it shows how she wanted to become a singer and how she was influenced by her father, who was a singer along with her uncle.

When the movie premiered, it was successful at the box office and made Lopez a household name years later when she started her own musical career. The movie left an impact on the Hispanic community as they continued to celebrate Selena after her passing and it became a favorite among different races.

Towards the end of the movie, Selena was killed by her friend/president of her fan club, Yolanda Saldivar. Saldivar was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole.

On March 16, 2011, the United States Post Office released a “Latin Legends” memorial stamp to pay homage to singers Selena, Carlos Gardel, Tito Puente, Celia Cruz, and Carmen Miranda. With her beautiful singing and looks, this Latina singer did no wrong. Before her death, she won a Grammy Award for Best Mexican American Album and was called the Queen of Tejano Music. She also released her breakthrough album Dreaming Of You with the hit single “Dreaming Of You.” Before he became president, George W. Bush declared her birthday April 16 as Selena Day in Texas when he was governor. She may be gone but never forgotten.

-Matia (@ms_hip_hop)