Adrienne Bailon was immensely affected by the death of Tejano singer Selena Quintanilla 20 years ago.
Calling Selena her idol, Adrienne Bailon said on Tuesday’s episode of The Real that she is the reason she entered the world of music.
Adrienne Bailon said, “Twenty years ago, we lost the woman I consider my idol. She single-handedly put Tejano music on the mainstream map and she’s the reason I am who I am today.”
Adrienne Bailon also performed Selena’s hit, “I Could Fall In Love”.
Selena’s sister, Suzette Quintanilla-Arriaga, was also on the show to talk with Adrienne Bailon and the other ladies about Selena Quintanilla and the impact she has had on the world of music before and after her death at the hands of her fan club president at the age of 23.
After her performance, Adrienne Bailon told Suzette, “My first songs were Selena,” the singer shared. “Thank you for giving me the honor.”
Suzette Quintanilla also spoke to Adrienne Bailon and the other The Real co-hosts about Jennifer Lopez’s career-starting role in Selena’s 1997 biopic.
She said, “Jennifer studied so hard to try to get it as perfect as possible. It is such a hard job to do — to have to mimic somebody and to have to learn how to act and be that person.”
She added, “I think the one thing that the movie just kind of barely touched on [was that Selena] was so humble and so down to earth. She would really do anything for anybody if she possibly could. That was probably the only thing I could kind of say.”
As Adrienne Bailon pointed out on The Real, Selena accomplished a rare feat when she brought Tejano music to the mainstream with her crossover hits.
What was your favorite Selena song? Was it the one performed by Adrienne Bailon?
