Editing Selena (section)

=== 1989–1991: ''Selena'', ''Ven Conmigo'', and relationship with Chris Pérez ===
[[File:Chris Pérez 2012.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Chris Pérez]] ''(pictured in 2012)'' and Selena began a relationship, despite her father's disapproval]]
[[José Behar]] of newly formed label [[EMI Latin]] Records, together with the new head of [[Sony Music Latin]], watched Selena perform at the [[1989 Tejano Music Awards]]. Behar was searching for new Latin acts and wanted to sign Selena to EMI's label Capitol Records, while Sony Music Latin offered Quintanilla Jr. twice Capitol's signing fee.<ref>{{cite AV media |people=Cecilia Miniucchi (director), [[Edward James Olmos]] (narrator), Jeffrey Coulter (producer) |year=1997 |title=[[Selena Remembered]] |language=en, es |medium=[[VHS]]/[[DVD]] |time=60 minutes|publisher=[[EMI Latin]], [[Q-Productions]]}}</ref> Behar thought he had discovered the "next [[Gloria Estefan]]" but his superior called Behar illogical because he had been in South Texas less than a week.<ref name="queen"/><ref name="The Queen of Tejano Music">{{Cite AV media| title =Queen of Tejano Music, Selena special | publisher=Q-Productions |location=Corpus Christi| date=2007| minutes=18|medium=Part of the 10th anniversary of the ''Selena'' DVD movie }}</ref> Quintanilla Jr. chose EMI Latin's offer because of the potential for a [[crossover (music)|crossover]] album and wanted his children to be the first musicians to sign to the label.<ref name="Legacyrick">{{cite news |last=Gershman |first=Rick |date=March 18, 1997 |title=Selena's legacy |url=https://www.tampabay.com/archive/1997/03/18/selena-s-legacy/ |access-date=2025-04-10 |newspaper=[[St. Petersburg Times]]}}</ref>

Before Selena began recording for her debut album, Behar and [[Stephen Finfer]] requested a crossover album for her.<ref name="Stephen Finfer">{{cite news |last=Lopetegui |first=Enrique |date=April 8, 1995 |title=A Crossover Dream Halted Prematurely, Tragically Some Ambitious Plans Were Under Way to Bring Selena to Mainstream U.S. Audience |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-04-08-ca-52230-story.html |url-access=subscription |access-date=2025-04-10 |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]}}</ref> She recorded three English-language compositions for the heads of EMI's pop division. Behar and Finfer's request for a crossover album was denied and Selena was told she needed a bigger fan base to sell such an album.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.taxi.com/music-business-faq/ar/behar.html |title=Jose Behar, interview |author=Minnick, Doug |date=September 24, 2010 |publisher=Taxi A&R |access-date=September 24, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 30, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150130193334/http://www.taxi.com/music-business-faq/ar/behar.html}}</ref> Behar thought EMI Records and the public did not believe that a Mexican American woman could have "crossover potential" after [[Charles Koppelman]] denied the project.<ref name="The Queen of Tejano Music"/>

Selena released her [[Selena (album)|self-titled debut album]] on October 17, 1989.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Minsker |first=Evan |date=2017-10-17 |title=Selena Honored With Animated Google Doodle: Watch |url=https://pitchfork.com/news/selena-gets-animated-google-doodle-tribute-watch/ |access-date=2025-02-08 |website=Pitchfork |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Google celebrates Selena's 1989 debut album with a new Doodle |url=https://www.thefader.com/2017/10/17/google-doodle-selena-1989-debut-album |access-date=2025-02-08 |website=The FADER |language=en}}</ref> The singer recorded most of the songs at AMEN Studios in [[San Antonio|San Antonio, Texas]]; "[[Sukiyaki (Selena song)|Sukiyaki]]" and "My Love" were recorded at Sunrise Studios in [[Houston]]. Selena wrote "My Love" and wanted the song to be included on the album. Her brother A.B., became Selena's principal record producer and songwriter for most of her musical career,{{sfn|Morales|2003|p=266}} though did not write the tracks "Sukiyaki", "[[Selena (album)|Contigo Quiero Estar]]", and "No Te Vayas". "Sukiyaki" was originally recorded in Japanese in the 1960s by [[Kyu Sakamoto]]; Selena used a translation into Spanish of an English version of the song by [[A Taste of Honey (band)|Janice Marie Johnson]].<ref>{{AllMusic|class=album|id=mw0000078350}}</ref> ''Selena'' peaked at number seven on the US ''Billboard'' [[Regional Mexican Albums]] chart,<ref>{{cite magazine |url={{BillboardURLbyName|artist=selena|chart=all}} |title=Selena (artist): Chart history: Regional Mexican Albums: Selena |magazine=Billboard |access-date=May 16, 2012}}</ref> becoming Selena's first recording to debut on a national music chart. The album performed better than other recordings from other contemporaneous female Tejano singers.{{sfn|Peña|1999|p=205}}

In the same year, [[Coca-Cola]] wanted Selena to become one of their spokespeople in Texas.<ref name="biotexas"/> The jingle used in her first two commercials for the company was composed by A.B. and [[Chris Pérez]]—the latter of whom had joined Selena y Los Dinos several months earlier as the band's new guitarist.{{sfn|Pérez|2012|p=9}} Pérez began having romantic feelings for Selena, despite having a girlfriend in San Antonio.{{sfn|Pérez|2012|p=12}} After a trip down to Mexico with the band, Pérez thought it would be best for them both to distance themselves, but he found that impossible and chose to try to build a relationship with her.{{sfn|Pérez|2012|p=28}} They expressed their feelings for each other at a [[Pizza Hut]] restaurant and shortly afterward became a couple.{{sfn|Novas|1995|p=50}}{{sfn|Pérez|2012|p=49}} Pérez and Selena hid their relationship, fearing Quintanilla Jr. would try to break it up.{{sfn|Pérez|2012|p=52}}{{sfn|Jones|2000|p=23}}

Selena released her second studio album, ''[[Ven Conmigo (album)|Ven Conmigo]]'', in September 1990.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2016-10-05 |title=Selena Quintanilla: The tragic Latin pop icon who still inspires |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-37563550 |access-date=2025-02-09 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref> Three tracks from ''Ven Conmigo'' were released as singles; "Ya Ves", "La Tracalera", and "[[Baila Esta Cumbia]]".<ref name=disco>{{cite magazine|title=Selena > Discography|date=June 10, 1995|magazine=Billboard|volume=107 |issue=23|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0QsEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA64|access-date=October 10, 2014}}</ref> The latter, a [[Mexican cumbia|Tejano cumbia]] song, became one of Selena's most successful singles. Its popularity grew in Mexico, where a compilation album bearing the single's name was released there, which was certified platinum by the [[Asociación Mexicana de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas]] (AMPROFON), denoting sales of 150,000 units.<ref>{{harvnb|Castrellón|2007|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=pT3SO9XeUbQC&pg=PT22 NA]}}. "El motivo era celebrar que Selena había ganado su primer Disco de Oro al rabasar las 150 mil copias vendidas de su disco Baila Esta Cumbia, el primero que salio en Mexico. [The occasion was to celebrate that Selena had won her first gold record of 150 thousand copies sold of her album Baila Esta Cumbia, who first came to Mexico.]"</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Disco de Oro y Platino a Viene de la Uno|work=[[El Siglo de Torreón]]|date=December 13, 1993|language=es |url=http://h.elsiglodetorreon.com.mx/Repository/getFiles.asp?Style=OliveXLib:LowLevelEntityToSaveGifMSIE_ELSIGLO&Type=text/html&Locale=spanish-skin-custom&Path=EDT/1993/12/13&ChunkNum=-1&ID=Ar05010&PageLabel=50|access-date=October 10, 2014}}</ref>

A registered nurse and fan named [[Yolanda Saldívar]] asked Quintanilla Jr. to start a fan club in San Antonio.{{sfn|Patoski|1996|p=134}} Saldívar had the idea after she had attended one of Selena's concerts. Quintanilla Jr. approved Saldívar's request; he believed the fan club would bring more exposure for the band. Saldívar soon became a close friend to Selena and the family; she was trusted and became the acting president of the fan club in 1991.<ref name="orlando">{{cite news |date=April 1, 1995 |title=Gunshot Silences Singing Sensation Selena At Age 23 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-orlando-sentinel-gunshot-silences-si/169967387/ |access-date=2025-04-10 |newspaper=Orlando Sentinel |pages=[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/169967387/ A1], [https://www.newspapers.com/clip/169967434/ A5]}}</ref> That same year, [[List of Salvadorans|Salvadoran]] singer [[Álvaro Torres]] composed a duet he wanted to record with Selena. The song, "[[Buenos Amigos]]", was produced by Enrique Elizondo and was released on Torres' tenth studio album ''[[Nada Se Compara Contigo]]'' (1991).<ref>{{cite news|last=Soto |first=Manuel |title=Alvaro Torres: el antigalán de la canción |date=December 30, 2004 |url=http://www.hoy.com.do/areito/2004/12/30/32744/print |access-date=May 7, 2012 |newspaper=[[Hoy (U.S. newspaper)|Hoy]] |language=es |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 6, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006111739/http://hoy.com.do/areito/2004/12/30/32744/print}}</ref>

"[[Buenos Amigos]]" peaked at number one on the US ''Billboard'' Top Latin Songs chart, giving Selena her first number-one single.<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=2020-03-30 |title=All Selena Quintanilla's Hot Latin Songs Hits |url=https://www.billboard.com/pro/selena-hot-latin-songs-hits/ |access-date=2025-02-09 |magazine=Billboard |language=en-US}}</ref> The song's music video earned Selena and Torres two nominations at the 1992 [[Billboard Music Awards|''Billboard'' Music Awards]].<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Peniston Leads Music Video Nominees|magazine=Billboard|date=October 17, 1992|volume=104|issue=42|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EBIEAAAAMBAJ&q=Selena+Torres+Buenos+Amigos&pg=RA1-PA80|access-date=May 5, 2013}}</ref> The track was also nominated for Duo of the Year at the [[1992 Tejano Music Awards]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tejanomusicawards.com/awards-show/past-award-winners/ |title=Past Tejano Music Awards Winners |website=TejanoMusicAwards.com |publisher=Texas Talent Association |access-date=May 5, 2013 |archive-date=September 17, 2012 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120917144800/http://www.tejanomusicawards.com/awards-show/past-award-winners/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> Biographer Deborah Parédez wrote that the track enabled Selena to tour the west and east coasts of the United States.{{sfn|Parédez|2009|p=259}} According to John Lannert of ''Billboard'' magazine, "Buenos Amigos" was helped by increased airplay on regional Mexican and Tejano radio stations, which had previously dismissed Selena's recordings.<ref>{{cite magazine|author=Lannert, John |date=June 10, 1995 |title=Beloved Selena Enters Latin Music Hall of Fame |magazine=Billboard |volume=107 |issue=23 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0QsEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA58 |access-date=May 2, 2013}}</ref>