Twenty-five years after her life was cut short, Selena Quintanilla continues to break barriers. On Wednesday, the Library of Congress announced that Ven Conmigo, her second studio album, will be among the timeless recordings inducted into the National Recording Registry this year.
“The National Recording Registry is the evolving playlist of the American soundscape. It reflects moments of history captured through the voices and sounds of the time,” said Carla Hayden, Librarian of Congress, in a press release.
The week of its release in November 1990, Ven Conmigo debuted at number eight on the U.S. Billboard Regional Mexican Albums chart. The following year, Ven Conmigo was certified gold, it became the first Tejano album by a woman to receive a gold certification.
March 31 marks 25 years since the singer’s untimely death in Corpus Christi, Texas. Over the past quarter of a century, Selena’s influence on fashion, culture, and of course music has remained impactful on the generations that have come after her.
Abraham Quintanilla, Selena’s father, explained to People En Español why Selena has become a bicultural icon worldwide. “The music has a lot to do it with it,” he said. “The music of Selena Y Los Dinos connected very, very well with people and different cultures.”
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Suzette Quintanilla added that Selena’s legacy expands to generations of fans. “I think where we’re at now with Selena’s legacy is there’s a whole new generation that people that were fans of our music has now passed that on to their children and their children are passing it on to a newer generation,” she said. “It’s a whole new generation finding out who Selena was, not only as an artist but as a person.”
Other inductees to the National Recording Registry this year include the Village People’s “Y.M.C.A.,” Whitney Houston’s cover of Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You,” Tina Turner’s Private Dancer, and Dr. Dre’s The Chronic.
Selena’s legacy over the past 25 years will be celebrated with the Selena XXV concert at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas at a date to be determined, a biographical series on Netflix, another makeup collection with MAC Cosmetics and even new album featuring songs recorded by Selena when she was a teenager.
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