Selena Quintanilla Perez, famously known simply as Selena, will be posthumously honored with the Grammy’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
The beloved Tejana singer was selected as a recipient of the Recording Academy’s award to recognize her outstanding accomplishments in the music industry. The bilingual singer and music icon’s life was cut short 25 years ago after she was murdered at 23 by her fan club manager in 1995. The posthumous award will be presented at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards on Jan. 31, 2021.
“As a music creator and music lover, I am grateful that we are able to look back at our influences and see the impact that they have made on our community. In a year where music has helped keep us together, I look forward to honoring this iconic group of music creators,” Harvey Mason Jr., the Recording Academy’s interim president and CEO, said in a statement.
The singer’s official Twitter account posted a quote of hers in honor of the achievement. “The goal isn’t to live forever, but to create something that will…,” the account wrote.
This Grammy wouldn’t be the singer’s first. With her 1993 album, “Live,” Selena won the Best Mexican-American Album at the 36th Annual Grammy Awards. That win made her the first female Tejano artist to win the category. Her album, “Dreaming of You,” would be released after her death and sell over 170,000 copies on the first day of its release.
A quarter of a century later, Selena continues to be a prominent figure, particularly for Latinos, even younger generations who have only known her music after her death. The widely anticipated Netflix show, “Selena: The Series,” premiered in December and chronicles not only her music journey but her Latino family as they strive for a better life in the entertainment industry.
Other honorees of the Lifetime Achievement Award included Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five, Lionel Hampton, Marilyn Horne, Salt-N-Pepa, and Talking Heads.
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