On Growing Up
I lost a lot out of my teenage hood but I
gained a lot too. I can't really say that I lost because I got ahead of
everyone as far as career and being more mature about business, even though
I didn't know what the heck was going on.
I miss going to school and having friends; that's normal for anyone my age.
I had a very boring childhood because I never had the opportunity to
associate with anybody my own age due to my career. I miss being around kids
my own age.
I loved Lake Jackson because of the green grass, the trees. I remember
eating at the Sonic and Dairy Bar. I remember how it would flood where I
lived, and my friends and I would play in the water. I was a little tomboy
when I was growing up. I used to like to play football with the guys and you
know, normal things like hide-and-seek, and get a hold of my brother's bike
and try to teach myself how to ride it.
We used to get my mom's sheets, you know, the fitted sheets, and we used to
go outside and hide from the cars on the front lawn. We would make bubbles
and hide under there. And if we got seen we had to go stand on the corner
and make these ugly faces.
We had these monkey bars in the back of my house and we used to get my
mother's sheets and tie them to the bars and make little cocoons and just
hang in there all day.
Selena's Advice To Kids
of America
Be at your best at all times.
With a positive attitude, you can be anything you want to be.
Be strong minded and always think that the impossible is possible.
You get a lot farther in life without drugs.
On Her Grammy
Experiences
We got up and we screamed. It was the pre-telecast part of the awards and
there was maybe like 10 of us sitting in one row towards the back of the
place, showed up kinda late. Like always, I'm always late for everything and
they announced uh me as the winner and I was like oh my God and we all stood
and we screamed and I was wearing this like crystal beaded gown and I
remember going down, cause it's kind of on a slant, and thinking gee Selena
if you fall you are gonna be so embarrassed don't fall cause it had like
this fishtail in the back of it and I was trying to be all cool walking up
there, but it was great and thinking back now...it's just an experience I
will never forget.
So you can imagine how I felt when they called out my name. I cried in the
back. It was just a great feeling.
I bought one of the cheapy cameras cause I wanted to get pictures of all the
stars and they wouldn't let me take it in but this year I saw people with
cameras. I was mad.
I really wanted to meet Andy Garcia.
On
Tejano Music
When dad first introduced us to it we were like, no you can't make us play
it. There were times we would come in to practice and we would start crying,
'We don't wanna learn this music.' But we learned it and now that's all we
listen to on the radio and we like to play it.
Tejano music is a combination or should I say fusion of a lot of different
types of music all rolled into one package. It's country music it's jazz, it
has roots of German polka, it also has Mexican music in it.
Although my Spanish is a little weak I feel that I am Mexican. I'm very
proud of my roots and ever since I was little we played English music and
country music a side from Tejano. It was something very natural for us.
Tejano music is a very relaxing style and it reminds me of home.
On Her Success
Thank goodness we stuck
to it because we have come a long way, you know. Really and truly, I can't
imagine myself having an everyday job and going into an office. I love
business. I have my own business aside from singing, but I can't picture
myself going to the same place everyday. I don't know, it would be kind of a
drag to me, I guess I have gotten so used to traveling now. When I have the
chance to relax, I'm real hyper and ready to go.
The reason I'm so appreciative of everything that's going on around me is
cause I never expected it. Never dreamed...never in my wildest dreams
thought I would come this far and I plan to keep that attitude.
We never thought we would ever come this far but...we're here.
A lot of people say..ya know that it's hard to work with family and what's
good about our family is that we've all had the same goal and we all have
the same respect for my father...so when we get into a discussion there's
dad like good old times with a belt. I think a lot of the musical talent
came on my fathers part cause he used to be a musician many years ago when
he had his own band named Los Dinos.
What's cool about our family is that we don't hold grudges and I think
that's sort of been the key to the success. Ya know we have our
disagreements but whether we're right or wrong we'll just go and apologize.
That's just the way we are.
The family that plays together stays together.
I'm spoiled in the sense that now I get what I want but it's because I
work for it.
On Performing
Well, when I'm singing I'm a completely different person. I could be
very free, depending on the situation I could do what I want. I would have
to deliver, like with many songs, a lot of emotion if a song is very sad, as
with a very happy and excited song. It depends, it depends. Compared to when
I'm my normal self, like whomever, of the public.
The life of an artist isn't all glamorous. It's a lot of work. A lot of
people think it's very easy. They think you always stay in good hotels, you
buy good things, but it's not like that. You have to work hard like
everybody else.
What I do on stage, you won't catch me doing off stage. I mean, I think deep
down I'm still kind of, like, timid and modest about a lot of things. But on
stage, I release all that; I let it go.
About Spanish
One thing is that if I ever have children
later on, for sure I want my children to know Spanish. It only makes you a
better person or even a smarter person to know 2 languages. If that barrier
is not there you can cross both lines, talk to English and Spanish people
and it gets you a lot farther in business and personal communication.
About Chris
Ever since I was a little girl, I'd
dreamed of having a big, wonderful wedding, with a long white gown and a
bouquet of flowers. But my love for Chris was so strong. I couldn't wait any
longer for us to be husband and wife. I couldn't even wear my nicest dress
because that would have made my father suspicious.
We were friends. I never thought
I'd wanna marry a musician.
About Overcoming Shyness
Well I think that's cause of my dad and his belt. (Selena laughs and
imitates her father) you're gonna sing little girl! (shaking her
hands in front of her and laughing). Boy, I was very shy but when a
person grows up you change and those things do too.
About
Motorcycles
Chris wanted to show me first how to change gears. So later on down the
road I'll be cruising on a Harley hopefully.
About Respect
We grew up with morals and also respect for everyone. My father always
treated us equal and we're not different. We all have talent even if they
are in different aspects.
Filming The "No Me
Queda Mas" Video
This is what happens when you gain weight
before a video.
They're putting more powder on me because I
have very oily skin. That's why we're coming out with the Selena line of
makeup.
The Early Years
We were playing gigs that we could get at the time. We'd get like a hundred
dollars a gig for playing 4 hours and be like oh god this is cool (she
laughs) now it's like...ahhh...(she laughs again) but you know you just take
what you can get when you're starting out and we got laughed at we uh...my
father was told that we would never make it. It was kinda hard at first,
cause I knew it was uh.. a means of putting food on the table for the whole
family. You know we did it to make a living. So the only way we could put
bread on the table was try to sing and do music professionally and make a
living off of it.
About The Fan Club
There's a fan club and it's based out of here in San Antonio and it carries
the Mexican...for Mexico.. la gente de Mexico.. and tambien. .tambien all
the United States, and what they do is they send out a newsletter each month
telling you where we're gonna play and tambien there's also a fan club where
you can pay a fee and you get the newsletter plus interviews with the band
members and different stuff like that. T-shirts and all that junk.
About her family
We're a very unified family. Within the
family we have aggressive and dominating personalities, but we believe the
family is the most important thing of all.
I think I'm very a kindhearted person. Um, I don't like to hurt people's
feelings. If I do, it's not intentionally. I'm sincere and very honest. And
I feel that now days a lot of people have lost that, but I think that starts
in the home. My parents have taught me that. Being fair with people.
About dancing
As for dancing, I only dance with people I
know. I don't dance with strangers unless they ask my dad for permission. I
also enjoy seeing other people dance. Then I go backstage and practice the
steps I saw.
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