90s Royalty: The Tale of Selena and Aaliyah
How did these two singers make a lasting impact on the world and what influence did they have on Black and Hispanic communities?
Selena Quintanilla and Aaliyah Dana Haughton were two of the most iconic singers in the nineties. Their lives, on and off stage, captivated the public. And both tragic deaths were mourned widely by the world, even to this day. They broke tradition, paved the way for their respective genres of music, and influenced many popular singers in the present. But besides their early deaths and visibility in the nineties, their lives had more in common than you think.
At first, you wouldn’t see much of a comparison to make. They were born eight years apart, Selena in 1971 and Aaliyah in 1979, on opposite sides of the country. Selena was raised in Texas, while Aaliyah was born in New York. Their deaths are separated by only six years. Aaliyah died in 2001, at just twenty-two years old. Selena was killed in 1995, at twenty-three. Despite never meeting before their sudden deaths, there is a lot to say about their influence and similarities.
Selena: Queen of Tejano
Selena Quintanilla-Perez, better known as just Selena, is considered the queen of Tejano music. Tejano is a fusion of Mexican, American, and Latin American sounds. She was able to change the game for female artists in the male-dominated genre. Selena won thirty-six Tejano Music Awards and a Grammy for Best Mexican American Album in 1994. She still holds the record to this day of the most wins for Female Entertainer of the Year at the Tejano Music Awards.
Her first album, which was self-titled, reached up to number seven on U.S. Billboard Regional Mexican Albums. “Ven Conmigo” came out in 1990, helping to cement Selena’s stardom. The third, “Entre a Mi Mundo,” went up to number one for eight months straight. It blended Mexican and pop sounds together. “Amor Prohibido”, her fourth album, had some of her most iconic songs, like “Amor Prohibido,” “No Me Queda Mas,” and “Bidi Bidi Bom Bom.”
It became her best-selling album. Her fifth album, “Dreaming of You,” was released posthumously in 1995. Unlike her previous albums, which stuck with Spanish, this one was an English crossover. It debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200. In 2022, a posthumous album called “Moonchild Mixes” was aired. It features songs that Selena recorded but never released and an update to her greatest hits.
Aaliyah: Princess of R&B
Aaliyah is known as the queen of Urban Pop or more widely, “Princess of R&B.” She was not afraid to blend genres, especially when it came to R&B and Hip-Hop. It may be hard to imagine now, but before her, the two were largely kept separate. She also experimented with pop, funk, neo-soul, and jazz. Her debut album, “Age Ain’t Nothing But A Number,” was released when she was only fifteen. The album peaked at No. 3 on the R&B charts and obtained platinum within five months after its release.
Aaliyah’s next album, “One in a Million,” sold more than three million copies in the U.S. and eight million worldwide. The album’s song, “If Your Girl Only Knew,” reached number eleven on the Billboard Hot 100. Her last album, titled “Aaliyah,” came out only a month before her death. A week after she died, the album rose up from number nineteen to number one on the Billboard 200. Aaliyah’s music influenced plenty of artists we know today like Rihanna, Usher, Normani, Jhene Aiko, Frank Ocean, H.E.R., Chris Brown, and so many others.
Two Sides of The Same Coin
The two singers were surrounded by music at an early age. In 1981, Selena started a band with her family, called “Selena y Los Dinos.” She and the band would stay together for the rest of her life. Aaliyah’s mother enrolled her in voice lessons when she was young, and she would go on to appear on the show “Star Search” at the age of ten. Only two years later, she signed her first record label. Both had parents with a musical background, and they were heavily encouraged to follow in their parents’ footsteps.
One thing you can’t deny is that both women were fashion icons. Aaliyah’s streetwear looks, which featured baggy pants, crop tops, and dark sunglasses, were a staple of the nineties, and still are today- she popularized baggy clothing in the era of skin-tight outfits. Her Tommy Hilfiger campaign made her one of the first female R&B singers to be in a such high-profile fashion marketing campaign. Aaliyah’s stylist, Derek Lee, worked with her to mix a masculine-feminine style.
Selena had a dream of being a fashion designer and owned multiple boutiques. Her outfits unapologetically embraced her Mexican heritage, and she didn’t try to conform to Eurocentric standards. She wore lots of denim, cowgirl looks, and made sure she was someone who could draw attention. Selena took wardrobe inspiration from Whitney Houston and Janet Jackson, two women she idolized and looked up to. She was known for her glitter and rhinestone ensembles, most notably her purple jumpsuit.
They were both committed to helping others and valued philanthropy. Selena was involved in several causes, including the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) program, raising AIDS awareness, and many more. She also encouraged children to stay in school and spoke up for women in abusive relationships. The foundation her family started in her honor still helps unprivileged kids.
Aaliyah cared about a lot of charities, especially when it came to the National Alzheimer’s Association and breast cancer research. She avidly supported female empowerment and encouraged women to come together. The Aaliyah Memorial Fund was created after her death to continue to support the many causes that Aaliyah found important.
Both Aaliyah and Selena significantly impacted the music industry, and it would be a mistake to bring down one in favor of the other. Both were young women who changed the game in their genres and left a lasting impression on the people in their lives and the public. They influenced so many people before and after their deaths. Their likeness has been capitalized on and used for plenty of merchandise. An argument could be made that in death, they represent so much more than they did in life. We should celebrate the lives they led and all they could accomplish in such a short period. The two have earned their flowers and deserve their crowns.
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