#Selena #Tejano #SelenaQuintanillaPerez #Mexicana #Tejas By Tijana Ilich Selena Quintanilla-Perez became known as the "Queen of Tejano Music" during her short but well-received music career performing in the genre in her home state of Texas before her tragic death at age 24 in 1995. Selena was born on April 16, 1971, in Lake Jackson, Texas, and raised in a Mexican-American family, but only spoke "kitchen Spanish," originally learning to sing her Spanish tunes phonetically but later taking intensive Spanish classes to sharpen her vocabulary and pronunciation. She released her first album, "Mi Primeras Grabaciones" with her band "Selena y Los Dinos" in 1984, but the group wasn't noticed until seven years later, in 1989, when she signed a record contract with Capitol/EMI. Growing up in Texas Selena was the youngest of three children born to Mexican-American Abraham Quintanilla and Marcella. Her father loved music and formed a band with Se