Selena Quintanilla, known mononymously as Selena, was an American singer-songwriter, fashion designer, and business owner who became one of the most celebrated Mexican-American entertainers of the late 20th century. Born on April 16, 1971, in Lake Jackson, Texas, she earned the title "Queen of Tejano Music" for her contributions to popular music and fashion, and she ranks among the most influential Latin artists of all time. Credited with catapulting the Tejano genre into the mainstream market, she remains a cultural icon whose legacy continues to resonate decades after her death.

The youngest child of the Quintanilla family, Selena debuted on the music scene as a member of the band Selena y Los Dinos, which also included her elder siblings A.B. Quintanilla and Suzette Quintanilla. In the 1980s, she was often criticized and refused bookings at venues across Texas for performing Tejano music, a male-dominated genre. Her popularity grew after she won the Tejano Music Award for Female Vocalist of the Year in 1987, an honor she would win nine consecutive times. She signed with EMI Latin in 1989 and released her self-titled debut album the same year, while her brother became her principal music producer and songwriter.

Selena released Entre a Mi Mundo in 1992, which peaked at number one on the US Billboard Regional Mexican Albums chart for eight consecutive months. The album's commercial success led music critics to call it the breakthrough recording of her career, and one of its singles, "Como la Flor," became one of her most popular signature songs. Her 1993 album Live! won Best Mexican/American Album at the 1994 Grammy Awards, making it the first recording by a female Tejano artist to do so. In 1994, she released Amor Prohibido, which became one of the best-selling Latin albums in the United States and was critically acclaimed for ushering in Tejano music's first marketable era.

Selena was shot and killed on March 31, 1995, by Yolanda Saldívar, her friend and former manager of her Selena Etc. boutiques. Saldívar was subsequently convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison with possible parole after 30 years. Two weeks after Selena's murder, Texas governor George W. Bush declared April 16 as Selena Day in Texas. Her posthumous crossover album, Dreaming of You (1995), debuted atop the Billboard 200, making Selena the first Latin artist to accomplish this feat. In 1997, Warner Bros. released Selena, a film about her life and career, which starred a then-unknown Jennifer Lopez as Selena, catapulting Lopez into fame. In 2020, Netflix released Selena: The Series starring Christian Serratos. Selena has sold around 18 million records worldwide, making her one of the best-selling female artists in Latin music.