Jam: Spotlight on Music StarsSelena Gomez Sings With Her Namesake Selena
Selena Gomez has often spoken about her namesake, the late Tejano singer Selena Quintanilla-Perez, known simply as Selena. But on a new tribute album, Gomez actually gets to sing with her! The 19-year-old recorded a duet of Quintanilla-Perez's song "Bidi Bidi Bom Bom" for the Selena tribute album, Enamorada De Ti, released this month. "I was completely honored when they asked me to be on the tribute CD," Gomez told JustJared.com. "And when I went into the studio to record they actually had her vocals in the booth that she was in, so I felt like she was singing right next to me. It gave me chills! It was incredible and it was a great experience and it was a great song."
The original Selena's brother, A.B. Quintanilla, also approves of the way the track turned out. "She did an amazing job," he told E! Online. "We want to thank all the Selena Gomez fans ... they've been really, really at it just spreading the word. Hard core fans."
Back in 2009, when Texas native Gomez was just 17, she explained her connection to the songstress. "Texas as a state is very proud of Selena. My dad and family loved her. So when my mother got pregnant with me, he wanted to name me Selena, after her," Gomez said. "As I got older and could understand why I was named after her, I went to go visit her grave and where she used to perform." Since becoming a singer herself, Gomez has performed "Bidi Bidi Bom Bom."
Selena Quintanilla-Perez's story became well known when Jennifer Lopez played her in the 1997 movie "Selena," just two years after she was shot to death by the former president of her fan club. Selena, who recorded six albums, won the 1994 Grammy for the best Mexican-American album, and had already begun recording her first English-language album at the time of her death. People magazine wrote that, "For Latin music enthusiasts, the most apt comparison was with the death of John Lennon."
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