Las Reinas del Pueblo

On March 31, 1995, American Tejano music singer Selena was shot and killed by Yolanda Saldívar, her friend and former manager of the singer's boutiques.[1] Concurrently, the artist was engrossed in the development of a crossover, designed to propel her into the American pop market.[2] Within hours of Selena's murder, record stores sold out of her albums; EMI Latin began pressing several million CDs and cassettes to meet the expected demand.[3][4] Concurrently, her song "Fotos y Recuerdos" held the fourth position on the American Billboard Hot Latin Tracks chart the day she was killed, ultimately peaking at the apex during the initial week that encapsulated the impact of her death.[5] Moreover, her album, Amor Prohibido, rose from the fourth to first position on the Top Latin Albums chart. A resurgence of interest in Selena's music helped three of her other albums—Entre a Mi Mundo (1992), Live! (1993), and 12 Super Éxitos (1994)—re-entering the Top Latin Albums chart, while her albums occupied the first four chart positions on the Regional Mexican Albums chart in the same week.[3] Additionally, all four albums simultaneously charted on the Billboard 200, an unprecedented feat for a Hispanic artist.[6]

In 1994, Mexican banda singer Graciela Beltrán signed with EMI Latin, subsequently releasing her debut album, Baraja de Oro, which sold 100,000 units in the United States. Beltrán's prominence surged substantially with the launch of Tesoro (1995),[7] amassing sales of 200,000 units within the US.[8] It has been posited that Beltrán's rendition of Selena's "No Me Queda Más" (1994) during a memorial held in Houston, provided the impetus for EMI Latin to release a compilation album featuring both Beltrán's and Selena's recordings.[8] Selena's affable disposition during a 1992 Mexican press tour earned her the moniker "an artist of the people",[9] and she was subsequently dubbed "La Reina del Pueblo" in the aftermath of her death.[10] According to Beltrán, she and Selena were the only regional Mexican music singers on the label. The company wanted to showcase both of them; Beltrán being from Mexico and Selena from Texas.[11] The compilation album, titled Las Reinas del Pueblo, was announced on April 2, 1995, with a scheduled release date of April 4.[12]

The album comprises six tracks from Selena and six from Beltrán. It commences with Selena's "Como la Flor" (1992), a commercially and critically acclaimed piece widely regarded as Selena's signature song, "Como la Flor" has become a posthumous epithet and swan song,[13][14] as well as her most renowned recording.[15] The subsequent track, Beltrán's rendition of Ramón Ayala's "Baraja de Oro", has emerged as one of Beltrán's most celebrated recordings.[16] Selena's "No Debes Jugar", the third song on the album, was initially released as a studio track on Selena Live! The fourth track, Beltrán's "Pilares de Cristal", ascended regional music charts in various states, including Texas, California, Oregon, Illinois, Arizona, and Florida.[7] Selena's "Bidi Bidi Bom Bom", the fifth song, features lyrics that originally portrayed a jubilant fish swimming freely in the ocean,[17] before it transitioned into a cumbia and reggae song.[18] Its onomatopoeic title and its nonsensical lyrics suggest the sound of a woman's heart throbbing for her crush.[19]

The album continues with Beltrán's cover Mexican singer-songwriter Juan Gabriel on "Tú Me Dijiste Adiós". Selena's "La Llamada" is featured as the seventh track, while Beltrán's rendition of Cornelio Reyna's song "Mi Triunfo" appears as the eighth song, originally found on her Tesoro (1995) album. The ninth track, Selena's "¿Qué Creías?", functions as a "kiss-off anthem",[20] that Selena claimed represents "all the ladies".[21] Biographer Joe Nick Patoski characterized the track as "all sass and fire" and noted its deviation from Selena's customary cumbia style.[22] The tenth song, Beltrán's "Tu Recado," is sourced from her second studio album, Graciela Beltran Con La Banda Santa Cruz (1993). The penultimate track, Selena's "La Carcacha", originally appeared on her album Entre a Mi Mundo (1992). Tejano music often suffered from simplistic and generic lyrical content; however, Selena's brother A.B. Quintanilla and her backup dancer and singer Pete Astudillo overcame this stereotype by crafting songs that rendered vibrant depictions of life in the barrio.[23] The album concludes with Beltrán's "Morena y Delgadita".[24]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic[25]

As reported by Ramiro Burr of the San Antonio Express-News, Beltrán experienced a significant promotional and sales augmentation following her appearance on the album.[26][27] A parallel appraisal by Pat Muir in the TCA Regional News reiterated Burr's contention that Beltrán's career benefited from her participation in the album.[28] Muir wrote how, akin to Selena, Beltrán's voice transcends linguistic boundaries, conveying emotions lucidly. Though English-speaking listeners may not grasp her precise words, they can discern her intended meaning.[29] Following the album's release, its title evolved into an esteemed sobriquet for Beltrán.[30][8] AllMusic characterizes the album's prevailing ambiance as spicy, street-smart, exuberant, sensual, and celebratory.[25]

Las Reinas del Pueblo debuted at number 42 on the US Top Latin Albums chart and number 15 on the US Regional Mexican Albums chart.[31] After a full week of availability, the album debuted at number 192 on the US Billboard 200 chart, concurrently with four other Selena titles, extending her record for the highest number of appearances on the Billboard 200 charts by a Hispanic singer.[32] It subsequently rose and peaked at number four on the US Top Latin Albums and Regional Mexican Albums charts, trailing other Selena releases.[33] In 2010, Las Reinas del Pueblo debuted and peaked at number ten on the Spanish albums chart.[34]

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Las Reinas del Pueblo by EMI Latin.[24]

Credits are adapted from the liner notes of Las Reinas del Pueblo.[24]

• 1995 in Latin music
• Latin American music in the United States
• Women in Latin music