How Is Selena Quintanilla Able To Change The World

As Bono, lead singer of U2, once said “Music can change the world because it can change people.” Because of its ability to affect anyone regardless of its singer, music has been able to transform the lives of hundreds of thousands around the world. Whether they are continuing to make music or had that ability taken away from them, artists’ legacies and their impact remain on Earth and live inside people forever. Whether it’s their actions, lyrics, or what they represent that left a mark on the world, singers have been able to affect entire societies and implant themselves as a key pillar in one’s culture. Widely regarded as one the best female Latin artists, Selena Quintanilla has been able to do just that. Her voice, words, actions, personality,

She realized the influence she had on Latino youths and decided to use it in positive ways. Becoming a spokesperson for Texas Prevention Partnership, Selena made appearances at Texas schools to talk about drug and alcohol abuse (Jones 21). She spread the message of working hard and making the right choices to have a successful future. As a spokesperson, she emphasized the importance of staying positive and staying in school to have a bright future. Selena aided the Coastal Bend AIDS Foundation, made videos emphasizing the importance of education, and publicized a Houston area abuse shelter (Joseph 332). Because of her beautiful looks and blooming career, Selena became a role model for many young girls and boys. Many young girls looked up to her because of her confidence and success at a young

Crowds traditionally came out to view male performers, but were now coming out and turning towards Selena(Jones 25). She became such a hit in Tejano music now that she was becoming more popular than her male counterparts. In an industry filled with male performers and all male bands, Selena was making a name for herself and taking the spotlight. Part of her success came from standing out, which she did through her “ability to reinvent basic Mexican cumbia”(Acosta and Winegarten 298). Many Texas Latinos at the time did not have the ability to do this or were either persuaded that it would not produce success. However, Selena stuck to her roots and implemented her culture into her music, making her indeed a success. A big part of her culture, dancing, helped her even become more famous. She was the first to introduce “charisma and choreography into Texas-Mexican music”(Joseph 329). While most Latin artists just sung on stage, Selena made Tejano performances entertaining by dancing, twisting, and creating steps to dance to (López 15). A role that made her exceptionally influential was how she introduced “pop, rock, rap, dance and mariachi concepts into Tejano music”(Joseph 330). A combination of these genres made her one of the few artists that was able to incorporate these into her music. While introducing these genres, she still kept the more traditional ”rancheras” and made