It’s been 23 years since we lost Selena, but the Queen of Tejano continues to live on in music, interviews, photos, and videos — and now, a rare new clip has been pulled from the vault to reminds us of what a thoughtful, down-to-earth star she was.
Selena’s official Facebook page posted a little-known Spanish-language interview she did in December 1994 on Esta Mañana, a Puebla-based talk show broadcasted on TV3 under the direction of Gilberto Brenis. After joking about her accent in Spanish, Selena got candid and answered questions from fans about everything from the then growing Latino market in the United States to her love of Mexican food to her relationship with her husband Chris Pérez.
Selena had been promoting Amor Prohibido, her fourth studio album, and gearing up for the release of her entry into English-language music. On the show, she shared how she had been been able to rekindle an interest in Tejano music and popularize it across United States, offering a prescient assessment of the Latino market’s expanding influence at the time.
“The truth is, there’s a market. Us [Latinos] and Mexicans are everywhere, and there’s a market for Tejano music. Basically, Tejano music is very strong in Texas, and that’s where we started. Tejano music was stronger in the past, but it’s a cycle of change between rock, ballads, and now Tejano music is coming in strong again.”
She also went into detail about her band’s forward-thinking approach to music and the ways in which they mixed genres to birth techno-cumbia, calling their versatility the best part of the group. Later, she dives into her favorite foods and love of cooking (she shares she would make a lot of traditional Mexican staples, including frijoles and arroz con pollo) and talks about the success of her fashion businesses, which included her clothing line and a factory (“When I’m not working, I’m working,” she joked.) She even divulged some personal details about her marriage to Pérez, to whom she had been married for two years at the time.
Watch below to hear more about Selena’s career at the time — and to keep celebrating her mark on the music world.