Happy birthday, Selena: 'Our cumbia queen'

The spirit, the soul, the sound of Tejano singer Selena still linger.

Her biggest hits - "Amor Prohibido," "Como la Flor," "Baila Esta Cumbia" - provide the soundtrack to weddings, birthdays and family barbecues. Her music is in heavy rotation at Mexican restaurants. English-language ballads "Dreaming of You" and "I Could Fall in Love" play in grocery store aisles.

Even today, 19 years after her death, though, it can be jarring to hear Selena's voice on the radio. Her energy reverberates through every verse, every chorus, every romantic sigh. She sounds vibrant, urgent, alive It makes the emotion all the more heartbreaking.

Selena Quintanilla was shot in Corpus Christi by her fan club president on March 31, 1995. Yolanda Saldivar was convicted of murder and is serving life in prison for the crime. Two weeks after her death, George W. Bush, then-governor of Texas, declared April 16, Selena's birthday, Selena Day. She would be 43 years old today.

Selena already was a huge star with the Spanish-speaking audience when she was shot. But suddenly, the entire world knew who she was.

"As human beings, we have a soft spot for rising stars who (die) early," says Houston rapper and fan Roosh Williams. "It has essentially immortalized her. I think if she were still alive today she would be a worldwide icon, and she would have possibly grown into a prominent and transcendent voice for her people."

Her unfinished English-language debut, "Dreaming of You," was released a few months later, hinting at so much untapped potential. It debuted atop the Billboard 200, a first for a Latin singer, and to date has sold 4 million copies. Billboard named Selena top Latin artist of the '90s and best-selling Latin artist of the decade.

A 1997 biopic made Jennifer Lopez a star and set the tone for her multifaceted career. It's likely Selena, who already had ventured into fashion, fragrances and novelas, would have blazed a similar path. Her posthumous success also helped pave the way for crossovers including Shakira, Paulina Rubio and Thalía.

In fact, it's not crazy to imagine Selena taking a seat on "The Voice" or "American Idol."

Annual repackagings of her hits and rarities continue to sell strongly. Selena was named digital download artist of the year at the 2011 Latin Billboard Music Awards. The 2012 "Enamorada de Ti" album sent several past hits - recast as duets with Selena Gomez, Santana and others - back onto the charts.

"Selena was a large part of the foundation of my musical upbringing," says Jon-Erik Garcia, who DJs at popular hipster dive Barbarella in Houston and Austin. "She is timeless and was an incredibly captivating entertainer." He regularly includes Selena songs amid a mix of current indie hits and electro-pop.

Garcia's parents were part of the Tejano Music Association, and they often attended the award ceremonies in San Antonio, where Selena was a frequent winner.

"She was very accessible. Anyone could relate to her," Garcia says. "She had this energy about her, this electricity that was innate and very natural. I almost always include her music in my sets today."

Selena's blend of regional Mexican music with more modern grooves - everything from pop and R&B to disco and hip-hop - still is unparalleled in Tejano music. Her sound was a gateway to the Latin sound for many younger fans who were disinterested in their parents' folksy tunes. It's also why, after her death, the genre languished. Instead of continuing to progress, Tejano music largely moved backward.

In two decades, there has still been nothing quite like the sound of Selena. And her forward-thinking sound continues to impact new generations of fans.

"I think it's pretty amazing how her legacy and music has transcended decades and demographics," says DJ Gracie Chavez, co-founder of Bombón, a monthly series of tropical dance parties that regularly include Selena in the mix.

"She awakened a revitalization of Latin music, particularly cumbia, in a younger generation. For those of us forging ahead with newer cumbia sounds, she is like our Celia Cruz, our cumbia queen."