Episode Transcript
Transcripts are displayed as originally observed. Some content, including advertisements may have changed.
Use Ctrl + F to search
0:00
Selina Quintanilla was a force of
0:02
nature, but when a loyal friend betrayed
0:04
her, she met a fate she never deserved. Even
0:07
the Rich is a podcast from Wondery that tells
0:09
you the stories of the crazy lives of the
0:11
greatest family dynasties to pop
0:13
culture superstars. In the new season,
0:16
Viva Selina, you'll hear how she made
0:18
a massive cultural impact and became
0:20
a legend the world will never forget. All
0:22
before her 24th birthday, she had already
0:25
left a legacy across cultures that would continue
0:27
for generations. Her huge talent
0:29
was nearly
0:30
overshadowed by her untimely death.
0:32
She was shot by a close friend and confidant,
0:35
but there's so much more to Selina's story
0:37
than her tragic passing. She was kind-hearted,
0:40
brave, and tried her best to bring joy to everyone
0:42
in her life. The positivity she put into
0:44
the world still carries on nearly 30 years
0:47
after her death, and she will always be the
0:49
queen of Tejano music. Enjoy
0:51
Even the Rich on the Wondery app or wherever you
0:54
get your podcasts. You can binge Even the
0:56
Rich Viva Selina right now ad-free
0:58
on Wondery+. Get started with your
1:00
free trial at wondery.com slash
1:03
plus. This episode contains
1:05
strong language. Please be advised.
1:07
It's January 1995, and
1:09
23-year-old Selina Quintanilla is
1:13
having an amazing day. She's riding shotgun
1:16
in a sparkling Cadillac convertible and
1:18
soaking up the hot Texas sun. She's
1:21
also riding a bike to the top of
1:23
the mountain. Selina turns and
1:25
smiles at her best friend Yolanda Saldivar in
1:28
the driver's seat. Yolanda dotes
1:30
on Selina. She also works
1:33
for her, managing her boutiques. When they met,
1:36
Yolanda was the president of Selina's fan club, but
1:39
she quickly became her right-hand man. It's
1:41
a lot of work, but Yolanda is always ready
1:44
to drop
1:44
everything, any time for
1:47
Selina. At this point, a lot of people are
1:49
watching. Yolanda
1:52
has had a lot of fans sinceopearage. They
1:54
usually come from around the North Bend segment or
1:56
in the사를, in the жеfa origin
1:58
of Sevilla.
1:59
much a household name. She's got a
2:02
fashion line, a partnership with Coca-Cola,
2:05
and sold-out shows. But today,
2:07
Selena's taking a break from all that.
2:10
Instead, she's humming her new song
2:12
Dreaming of You as she trails her fingers
2:14
through the air outside the car window.
2:16
Suddenly, Yolanda
2:18
slams on the brakes and pulls over. Selena
2:21
jolts out of her daydream and looks up. They're
2:24
outside of a store called Randolph's Custom
2:26
Jewelers. Yolanda winks
2:29
at Selena and tells her to wait in the car.
2:31
A few minutes later, Yolanda
2:34
hurries back to the car. She hands
2:36
Selena a small box and tells her to open
2:38
it.
2:39
Selena's jaw drops when she
2:41
sees what's inside. It's a
2:44
gorgeous gold ring with a white gold
2:46
egg covered in diamonds. Selena
2:49
gasps in shock as Yolanda grins
2:51
ear to ear. She had the ring custom
2:54
made for Selena just because.
2:56
Okay, this kind of blows the dolphin
2:58
best friend necklaces I had made for us out
3:01
of the water. No, how
3:03
could you say that? And
3:05
it's more like just because Yolanda can't
3:07
get enough of Selena. Their friendship
3:10
is the most important thing in her life, and
3:12
she wants to show her
3:13
how much she cares. Selena
3:15
looks closer and sees that the
3:18
14-carat band has the letter S engraved
3:20
on it. She starts to get teary-eyed.
3:23
She's won Grammys and sold thousands
3:25
of albums, but no one has ever
3:27
given her such a thoughtful gift. Her
3:30
hands are shaking so much she can barely even
3:32
get the ring on. Selena
3:34
looks at Yolanda and her eyes
3:36
are full of tears too. Selena
3:39
scooches across the sea and pulls her in
3:41
for a hug. Once they're
3:43
back on the road, Selena tells Yolanda
3:45
that the whole world will get to see this
3:47
ring because she'll be wearing it on stage
3:50
for the rest of her life. They
3:52
both crack up as the car tears down
3:54
the road. Selena knows 1995 is going
3:56
to be her year.
3:58
She's done so
4:00
much already, and she still has so
4:02
much left to do. But as
4:04
we know, Selena will never accomplish
4:07
any more of her big dreams. Because
4:09
in two and a half months, her bright
4:11
light will be extinguished.
4:28
From Wundery, I'm Brooke Sifrin. And
4:30
I'm Arisha Skidmar Williams. And
4:33
this is Even The Rich, where we bring
4:35
you absolutely true and absolutely shocking
4:37
stories about the biggest celebrities the world
4:39
has ever seen. It's a show about
4:41
power, how you get it, how you
4:44
keep it, and what happens when you nearly
4:46
lose it all. It's also about how the rich
4:48
are just like us, because even the rich fall
4:50
in love and break up and struggle
4:53
and belt out to some classic Donna
4:55
Summer in the car.
5:03
Selena Quintanilla was a superstar
5:05
on the rise. With her family by her
5:07
side, she cemented her status as a cultural
5:10
icon and left a legacy that would continue
5:12
for generations, all before
5:15
her 24th birthday. But her
5:17
enormous talents were nearly overshadowed
5:19
by her untimely death. Shocked
5:21
by a woman she considered a friend, her
5:23
rising star fizzled far too soon.
5:26
But there's so much more to Selena's story. She
5:29
was kind-hearted and brave. And
5:31
she tried her best to bring joy
5:32
to everyone in her life. The
5:35
positivity Selena put into the world
5:37
still shines bright, nearly 30 years
5:40
after her death. It lives on through
5:42
her iconic stage looks, her legendary
5:45
megawatt smile, and of course,
5:47
her music. In this three-part
5:49
series, we'll tell you how the little girl with the
5:51
big boys became one of the most famous
5:54
figures in the history of Tejano music.
5:56
This is episode one, The Family
5:59
That Plays Together. you
Podchaser is the ultimate destination for podcast data, search, and discovery. Learn More