LOS ANGELES (KABC) — It’s official! The new exhibit honoring Tejano music legend Selena Quintanilla-Pérez at the Grammy Museum is officially open.
“Selena: From Texas to the World” runs from Jan. 15 to March 16 at the museum in downtown.
Last year, there have been a number of celebrations for the “Bidi Bidi Bom Bom” singer, including the Netflix documentary “Selena y Los Dinos.”
The exhibit was curated in close collaboration with Suzette Quintanilla, Selena’s sister and president of Q Productions. It displays personal artifacts from the Selena Museum in Corpus Christi, Texas. The exhibit will mark the first time these items have been shown outside of Selena’s home state.
It’s an appropriate home for a Selena exhibit: In 2017, she received a posthumous star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
At the time, according to a Hollywood Chamber of Commerce spokesperson, the crowd was the largest-ever for a Walk of Fame ceremony, breaking a 1998 record set by onlookers at the unveiling of the star for Mexican singer Vicente Fernández.
Selena’s Grammy and Lifetime Achievement Award is on display at the Grammy Museum, as well as hand-drawn fashion designs from the singer’s teen years.
All descriptions in the exhibit are available in English and Spanish, a reflection of Selena’s biculturalism and bilingualism.
“It’s incredibly special to share these treasured items, for the very first time outside of our Selena Museum, at the iconic Grammy Museum in Los Angeles,” Suzette Quintanilla said in a statement. “Selena and our band were extremely proud to receive a Grammy for our live concert. This exhibit is a beautiful tribute to her spirit, her culture and the unwavering love she had for fans.”
Selena’s superstardom arrived in the early 1990s, with her unique blend of Tejano, pop, cumbia and other musical styles manifesting in huge hits like “Bidi Bidi Bom Bom,” “Como la Flor,” “Amor Prohibido,” “No Me Queda Mas” and “Tu Solo Tu.”
Known as The Queen of Tejano, Selena broke barriers for women in Latin music. She opened the floodgates for a new generation of contemporary artists of Latin descent who would go on to enjoy huge popularity with mainstream American audiences. She often sang in Spanish and spoke in English, reflecting a cross-cultural identity that resonated with listeners.
In 1997, a biographical film about her life, “Selena,” would quickly become a classic and boost the career of lead Jennifer Lopez.
Selena was killed by her fan club’s president, Yolanda Saldívar, in 1995. Saldívar is serving a life sentence in Texas. She was denied parole in March of this year.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.