Selena Fans Are Fuming Over Family's Decision About Her Music
Almost 27 years ago, the Latinx music world was rocked with the news that Tejano singer Selena Quintanilla had been murdered. After her murderer was sentenced to life in prison, Selena's music and life story were on everyone's minds. Her English-language crossover songs, "Dreaming Of You" and "I Could Fall In Love," tore up the charts in 1995, and in 1997, none other than Jennifer Lopez portrayed the late singer in the heartbreaking biopic "Selena." But perhaps one of the saddest aspects of her untimely death at age 23 was the fact that there'd be no more music and her voice would be silenced forever.
Now, the late singer's father, Abraham Quintanilla, is teasing the prospect of new music. During a recent Facebook Live interview with Latin Groove News, Abraham revealed that, next month, fans can expect a new 13-track album from the posthumous star. Ten of those songs are previously unreleased, and three are familiar songs that Selena's brother, A.B., has reworked. Sounds amazing, right? Well, Selena fans are taking issue with one particular aspect, as reported by the New York Post. "We were also able to de-tune her voice to make her sound older than what she was," Abraham admitted. "So, she was 14 or 15, we were able to make her sound like she just stepped out of the booth at 23 years old."
That has sent die-hard Selena stans into a tizzy.
Selena stans show their disgust on social media
Speaking with Latin Groove News on Facebook Live, Abraham Quintanilla stated that the new 13-track Selena album due next month will be exactly what her fans have been waiting for these 27 years. "They're waiting for a project like this to come out, and I know it will be well received by the public."
That seems to be furthest from fans initial reactions on social media platforms like Twitter, however. Many are calling this a callous money-grab by the family, and others are maligning the music industry as predatory. One user reacted, "AI can be used replicate dead singers' voices and make a profit off them. The entertainment industry is too predatory to trust it." Another fan tweeted, "so the father is releasing the same 13 songs again? he must be hard up for money, since he is still riding her coattails after all these years...." Many other users tweeted their disgust at the family's attempt to profit off of Selena and her legacy.
These fan reactions might be a reaction to the tension that existed between Selena and her father before she was killed, which was dramatized in 1997's "Selena." In addition, many cried fowl during the 2020 Netflix series, "Selena: The Series," which seemed to paint papa Quintanilla in a better light than previously reported. Her widower, Chris Perez, has also publicly stated that the family has attempted several times to erase him from Selena's legacy. Yet despite all the backlash, the yet-untitled album is scheduled to be released by Warner Music. We can only hope it's what Selena would have wanted.