[MUSIC PLAYING]
[APPLAUSE]
PERLA CAMPOS: Thanks, guys,
for coming, and thank you
to everyone on Livestream.
I can't see you,
but you look great.
My name is Perla Campos, and
I am the PM for Google Doodles
here at Google.
And we're here-- hopefully,
everyone is in the room
and everyone on
Livestream are here
for one reason, a very good
reason, a really awesome
reason, and dear to my heart.
We will be launching a Google
Doodle for Selena Quintanilla
on October 17.
We're super excited.
This has been a
huge labor of love,
and it has also been a
really great collaboration
with her family, the
Quintanillas, specifically,
Suzette Quintanilla, who will be
joining us here in one moment.
Suzette is a sister,
older sister, of Selena.
She was also a bandmate
in Selena y Los
Dinos, a pretty cool drummer,
if I do say so myself.
And we're going to
sit down and have
an awesome chat about the
life and the legacy of Selena,
as well as how they felt about
the process of the Doodle.
So Suzette, welcome in.
SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: Hi.
[APPLAUSE]
PERLA CAMPOS: Thank
you so much for coming.
I'm not texting anyone.
Don't worry.
SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: OK.
PERLA CAMPOS: I'm Just going
to pull up the questions here.
SUZETTE QUINTANILLA:
Hi, everyone.
PERLA CAMPOS: Yeah, then
there's also a lot of people
that you can't see, but
if you, I don't even know
where we wave to, like maybe--
I don't know.
They're cool, all those
people on TV land.
SUZETTE QUINTANILLA:
Hi, everybody.
PERLA CAMPOS:
Yeah, so we're just
going to talking about
like life in the band,
and I'm just going to
be asking questions just
so everybody knows.
We'll do about 30 minutes
of just my questions.
SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: Whoa!
PERLA CAMPOS: I know.
I know.
I know.
You're probably like, I don't
know if we can talk that long,
Perla.
I don't know if you're able to.
But after those 30 minutes,
I'll open it up for questions.
I don't know if we're able
to take from the Livestream.
Yes, OK, no that's fine.
But if anybody in the
room has any questions,
feel free so I won't
hog up all the time.
Cool.
So Suzette, we're going
to start off with--
"Tell us about that early days.
How did you guys first
respond to the idea
of forming a family band?"
And you also are
really, really young,
so what did your
friends at school think?
SUZETTE QUINTANILLA:
Don't you remember
that part of the movie that's
like girls don't play drums?
PERLA CAMPOS: Yeah.
Yeah.
I remember every
part of the movie.
It's yes, yes.
SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: You
know, a lot of people
I get asked that quite often.
This kind of just
happened by chance.
I mean, my father had worked for
Dow Chemical for over 13 years.
His dream was also--
at one point, he didn't want
that 9 to 5 job anymore,
so him and a friend decided to
open up a Mexican restaurant.
And it was around in
the '80s, I don't know,
some of y'all might not have
been born around in the '80s.
But it was around the '80s.
And long story short, it was
when the oil boom happened
and all that.
And it was open for not even
six months, so we lost it.
At around that time, Abe--
my dad was teaching Abe
how to play the bass.
And then Selena, of course,
she was the youngest,
and you know, the
young ones always
feel the need for attention.
So she just started
humming something,
and my father picked up on it,
And he was like, wait a minute.
And so that's kind
of how it started.
It's a little bit of everything
of how it just kind of flowed
into, how we actually started
performing at different parties
and things like that.
Once he realized that Selena
had the capability of holding
a tune at such an early age, she
was, I think, like around six,
my cousin had been living with
this from my mother's side.
And he ended up-- he was
supposed to play the drums.
And so he ended up
going back upstate
to stay with his father.
And lord behold, there's
a pair of brand-new drums.
I'm the only kid that's
not doing anything.
So, yeah, you're
going to play drums.
I was like, wait a minute.
And I really said that.
Girls don't play drums,
because at the time,
the only female drummer that was
really well known was Sheila E.
I am sure a lot of y'all
know who Sheila E is.
And you know, she was the only
one, and I remember thinking,
well, Sheila E plays drums.
I am like, well, who is that?
You know what I mean?
So that's how we
started playing,
and then shortly
after that, after we
started performing
as a family band,
just like for little
parties and things
like that whenever my dad I
would have friends, over some
of our friends over,
he'd ask for us to play,
and we'd play like
three or four songs.
It seemed forever for us.
And then the restaurant
ended up closing,
and we actually used to
perform at the restaurant.
Yeah, like on Fridays
and Saturdays.
PERLA CAMPOS: What
was that like?
SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: It was
cool, but it wasn't cool.
You are playing, and
then you can see people
that you go to school with.
You're embarrassed--
that type of thing.
But it really was a blessing
in disguise, because when
my father--
when we lost the restaurant,
we literally lost everything,
like everything, the house.
My parents really
invested everything
into that restaurant.
So the only thing that
we really knew was music.
And so we started playing
little gigs here and there.
We'd make $300, $400, $500.
And woo hoo!
And next thing you know--
PERLA CAMPOS: Yeah, well
we'll get to that part.
We're definitely-- I'm
about to ask your for that.
Don't worry.
SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: That's
really how it started.
PERLA CAMPOS: That's incredible.
SUZETTE QUINTANILLA:
And it was just kind of
like also a labor of love
from all of us, you know,
we were struggling as a family.
And so what do families do?
We come together
and do we got to do.
PERLA CAMPOS: Right.
That's so true.
So actually-- so you're talking
about how it is incredible
a thing to come
together as a family,
and to produce
this amazing thing,
and just so happens that all
of you are super talented,
so that's definitely a plus.
But what were like the pros
and cons of being in it,
because this idea of
being in a band, and maybe
you can get your friends
together, that's one thing,
but like being in a band with
your family I think is another.
So what do you say were
like the pros of that
or also the cons of that?
SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: We're
also a Latino family.
PERLA CAMPOS: That's true.
That's true.
SUZETTE QUINTANILLA:
[INAUDIBLE]..
PERLA CAMPOS: I wasn't going to
say it, but you said it for me.
SUZETTE QUINTANILLA:
We're a little feisty.
So, yeah, they were butting
heads and everything.
But I think one thing that
really helped keep us united
is that my father and my mother
always treated each of us
equally.
There was none of this like,
oh, Selena is in the front,
she gets this, or
I play drums, I
do keep a beat the whole song.
And my brother produces.
You know, nobody
had an ego trip,
and I think that's one
of the things that really
kept the unity of our family.
And we also knew-- each one
of us knew our role model.
And I kind of always like
to explain it like a--
kind of like a football team.
The quarterback knows
what he's got to do,
the receiver, the coach.
My dad was a coach.
My dad was our manager.
We let him take care of that
part, and we did our part,
and I think that's
one of the reasons why
our band was very successful.
PERLA CAMPOS: Right, right.
Well, to keep the
metaphor going,
you were probably the best
team that's ever existed
in the history of the Earth.
SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: Thanks.
Very fortunate.
PERLA CAMPOS: IMO, IMO.
OK, next is you talk about
the early beginnings,
but what is the one moment,
if you remember a moment,
or when did you actually
know that you guys made
it, like this feeling
of, oh, my gosh
this is actually,
like we did it?
SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: To
be honest with you, Perla,
like I don't even think--
the day that even when my
sister passed, you know,
you don't really
realize what you're
doing when you're doing it.
You know, yeah, clearly
you see here your concerts
are being sold out.
You're like, oh, you know,
even to that point where
we were at in your career
right before Selena passed,
it was kind of like, oh, my
god, I hope we have people.
And I hope people show up,
because you know, as an artist,
you never really know.
You do your thing.
You serve it up, basically,
and if people like it.
They like it.
And if they don't, they don't.
So I think that one
scene in the movie where
everybody freaks
out, because you
hear your music on the radio.
You know, we thought,
oh, my god, we hit it.
Yeah.
Our music is playing on
the radio, but guess what?
It's not like that.
Just because your music is
being played on the radio
doesn't mean that the
ching ching is coming in.
It's the fact that it
takes-- it's a process.
And this process took
about four, five, six years
before we actually
started getting known.
So it's not a quick process.
A lot of artists think
that it is, and it's not.
We definitely did our time
playing in small little venues
for like--
I remember, Perla, we
used to play for like--
we'd go for the door, you
know, percentage of the door,
or whatever.
And maybe like 25
would show up, and we'd
be like, OK, so we're not--
we're just going to pack it,
right?
We're going to leave, right?
And then my dad was like, nope.
What?
What do you mean no?
He was like, well, you have to
take this like it's practice,
but just go play.
These 25 people,
they're going to go--
they are going to
have a great time.
They're going to turn around
and bring more people next time
we come.
And that was literally
really the god-honest truth
how it happened, because
every time we'd come back
to a town, more
people would come,
and then more people
and more people.
And in regards to seeing
the actual success,
even now that she's
been gone for 22 years,
I'm still baffled at the fact
that, hey, I am here at Google,
you know, and we're fixing
to release something amazing.
And it's just still
being talked about.
PERLA CAMPOS: Right.
Awesome.
So I think part of
your story, obviously,
there's so much amazing
positivity to it.
But there's also kind of
like the part about hardships
that you guys
definitely face a lot.
And I think that's part
of the power of your story
is like overcoming that.
So we know that given the fact
that you were Mexican-Americans
in the US, but
then also that you
were this female lead
Tejano group, which
Tejano was like a male-dominated
genre at the time.
SUZETTE QUINTANILLA:
It still is.
PERLA CAMPOS: Yeah, and it still
is, and you guys definitely
did face those things.
So what was it like when you
were in the thick of everything
dealing with that,
both because, you know,
you're a [INAUDIBLE]
individual in this country.
But then also in this genre
that's so male dominated, what
was that like?
SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: Definitely,
it was a very difficult one,
because Selena was so young.
When we started performing, she
started singing when she was 6
and 1/2 professionally
when she was like 9, 9 1/2.
And so that made
me, we're about 14--
we're four years apart,
so maybe about 13, 14.
And then my brother is
four years older than I am.
And you know, I
guess we didn't--
when we first started, we
really didn't see it see it,
because we were so young,
and my father kind of
shielded us from that.
And we grew up in Jackson,
Texas, which was--
you know, I didn't
know what a low rider
was until my ninth grade year.
You know what I mean?
So it was predominately Anglo
people, some black people,
but very not too much
Hispanics going on.
So I really didn't
understand a lot of that
until we started growing.
And then I could understand
more about, OK, this promoter
doesn't think that we can
draw, because Selena is a girl,
or we're kids, you know?
We were kids back then.
You got to admit that.
But that shouldn't be a
factor, because our music still
sounds good, whether-- you
know, it doesn't matter
how old we are or what, you
know, if Selena was a female
or not.
I think my father dealt
more with that aspect of it,
and saw more, and felt it more.
But as we grew, I will tell
you that I did feel it more,
and you know, and
it's surprising to me
that it's still like that,
and we're at 22 years later.
I still see it, and I still
vibe it, because you know,
I see what goes on in the world.
And I see what goes
on with other artists
and their difficulties
and struggles.
And definitely it is, no
matter what people want to say,
you know, it is just more
of a struggle for a woman,
for a female, to make it in
a male-dominated business
than it is for a male.
PERLA CAMPOS: Right,
right, well, I
will say that you
guys, I think, we
can all agree are
like an inspiration
for a lot of those people
who are dealing with that.
No matter where
you are, I mean, it
applies to the music industry.
SUZETTE QUINTANILLA:
To everything.
PERLA CAMPOS: It applies to
pretty much every industry,
right?
So I think that's something
that definitely a lot of people
can say.
SUZETTE QUINTANILLA:
But I will tell you
one thing about all that.
I think my father--
my father always told us--
because we would get very
discouraged whenever promoters
didn't want to book us,
or have us at a venue,
or things like
that, or something
didn't go right with our
record company, or whatever.
But my father always
told us, you know, oh,
so you're just going to quit?
Just like that you're going
to quit for everything
you've worked hard for?
And he would tell us all
the time we need to just--
you need to stand up, brush off
your knees where you've fallen,
and try again.
And that's always been our
philocity-- not philocity--
phil- os- o?
PERLA CAMPOS: Philosophy, yeah.
That's incredible words.
Well, going along those
lines of male-dominated kind
of like worlds that
females definitely
can hold their own in.
Drumming, you mentioned
this earlier in the talk.
So drumming professionally
is definitely-- still
was, and still is
very male dominated.
What was it like?
You mentioned kind of
your first reaction
to it when you were
introduced to it?
But what was like throughout
your experience in the band,
like, what was your experience
in that role, especially also,
like I said, given Tejano
music, I mean, just the fact
that you were a girl drummer,
and Tejano music was also
like a double whammy in a way.
Did you ever consider
changing instruments?
Why or why not?
So first, the
experience, and then
if you've ever thought like
maybe actually changing.
SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: Well,
first of all, no, I cannot sing.
I get that asked so much.
Everybody is like,
why don't you sing?
I'm like, well, there is a
reason why I don't sing, guys.
No, I mean, I grew
to love performing.
I really did.
It grew on me.
Initially, I didn't like it.
You know, you're
talking about being
put into a position where you're
like, wait a minute, you know?
I loved it.
And I love the fact that I
was traveling with my family.
There's pros and cons to that.
Yes, we did argue.
Yes, there is
that-- ah, you know,
and certain things that
we maybe disagreed with.
But at the end, we
always came together,
and no matter if you
disagreed or agreed,
we always stuck to whatever, you
know, whatever the final say,
the united say was,
on whatever we did.
I really didn't find myself
feeling any different,
to be honest with
you, performing as a--
I'm the only-- really was the
only female drummer back then
in our genre of music,
and for those of you that
don't understand what
the Tejano music is--
like the magnitude of it.
The magnitude is about this big.
The magnitude of Tejano
music and Latin music
is about that big.
It is basically a
form of music that
is performed in Texas
and only in Texas,
basically, unless
you lived in Texas,
and you moved to Chicago,
now, it's in Chicago.
But it's basically that big on
a spectrum of this big in Latin
music.
So you know, I take
pride in saying this
that we, from having a
genre of music this big,
we took that music, and
we crossed boundaries.
And it's very difficult. And
don't ask me how we did it.
I don't know how we did
it, but our music, it
didn't matter whether
you're from Puerto Rico,
or from Cuba, or from Mexico.
It don't matter what
nationality you were,
our music appealed to everyone.
How?
I don't know.
I don't know.
I think it was a combination
of clearly our music.
We're American Mexican, like
third, fourth generation here.
I grew up on English music.
I didn't listen to Spanish
music until we actually
started performing.
It was a music that my
father introduced to us,
and we're like, oh, oh, no, no.
That's not call.
That is not cool music.
No, I'm being for real.
We were like, we
were all against it.
And he's like, no,
this is your roots.
You have to understand where
this is coming from you
know, blah, blah, blah.
And we grew to
love it, you know?
But, you know,
it's just really, I
think it was a
combination of the fact
that the fact that we were
raised here in the United
States and we listened
to Men At Work,
and I was all about Janet
Jackson, you know, Madonna.
And you grab this--
what we listen to,
and then my brother,
you know, fused
what my father infused
in us with our culture,
and then that's how
we created our sound.
And then adding the fact
that Selena was very soulful
in her singing, and you can vibe
that, and you can hear that.
When she's singing a
cumbia, you can really
hear that soulful vibe.
That comes from the
music that we grew up on.
So it kind of spills over.
And so it creates this mixture.
PERLA CAMPOS: Just
a hybrid being.
SUZETTE QUINTANILLA:
Yeah, hybrid type of music
that we created.
PERLA CAMPOS: Right.
Well, it was definitely the
right mix of everything.
So I mean, you
talk about, we talk
about you created
your own thing,
you faced a lot of obstacles,
and you persevered.
Specifically with Selena,
what do you feel like--
you know, obviously her
sister and very close to her.
When you guys were kind of
out and doing it, was there--
was there something that you
felt like for her just meant
so much, like one obstacle
that she kind of--
that she-- that she fought
through and was like,
wow, I'm really proud of
myself for that in my career?
SUZETTE QUINTANILLA:
That's an easy one.
That would be the
English crossover
that she was working
on before she passed.
I mean, that was
something that--
you know, if you're on this
side of music and mainstream
is like a huge--
who doesn't want
to go mainstream.
And so that was a
thing that from the get
go she wanted to be able to do.
We wanted to be able
to go mainstream
and to be able to have
a crossover album.
And even though
that complete album
wasn't completed because
she was murdered, you know,
she's still got to
experience that.
And she cried.
When she found out that she
was actually-- because it's
really a lengthy process about
picking up the correct song.
I remember they sent us to
LA to-- she had recorded
and English song.
I can't think of the name of it
right now, but she recorded it,
and they felt that her breathing
technique wasn't correct.
Mind you, my sisters
has never had any type
of vocal lessons whatsoever.
So they felt that her breathing
wasn't right on the song.
So they sent her to LA.
I remember going with her--
I had a blast, by the way.
Yeah, so we had a great time.
Anyway, so she went
to go with a coach
that did Michael Jackson,
all these famous singers.
She stayed with
him a whole week.
He coached her.
She comes back.
She re-recorded the song.
And then the
executives heard it,
and they're like, oh, we like
the original version better.
So they ended up keeping
it the way it was.
It was-- oh, my god,
I'll think about it,
and I'll just blurt
it in a minute.
But I don't remember
the name of it,
but it's just really
lengthy process.
And I think that that
was her main goal
was to be able to do the English
crossover in which she actually
was finally able to do it, and
they said, yes, we're doing it,
finally doing it, because
she had been telling her fans
for like over three years,
it's coming, it's coming.
And then it never
did, and she literally
cried to Jose Behar,
who was president
at the time of EMI Records.
She goes, I promised
my fans this.
I want this.
I want it so bad, and
it ended up happening,
but unfortunately, she didn't
get to finish doing it,
but she got at least
to do some of it.
PERLA CAMPOS: Yeah,
that's awesome.
Talking a little bit more
specifically about Selena,
before we kind of get into
her legacy, what would you say
was your favorite thing about
Selena or something that you
really, really feel like--
SUZETTE QUINTANILLA:
Come on, everything.
PERLA CAMPOS: Well, I know.
If you could pick one.
I know there are so many, but
like if you had to pick one
thing-- or rather like--
SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: I could
tell you the one thing.
PERLA CAMPOS: Yeah, go ahead.
SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: One
thing my sister, of course,
all of y'all know she had
this beautiful, hearty laugh.
But she was extremely
goofy and very--
she was one to always
laugh at her own jokes.
She would never say a joke like
all the way through correct.
And then she would
laugh at herself.
And then she'd be the only one
really laughing after everybody
stopped laughing.
PERLA CAMPOS: That's
all that mattered.
SUZETTE QUINTANILLA:
Yeah, and it
was kind of like, I guess that
was the part, because she was
such a fun person to be
around, and so easy going,
and just laughed really
about everything in life.
Even when she was
upset about something,
she would just kind of
blow it off and like, ah,
and she would crack
a joke about it.
So I definitely say
probably that was a thing
that I missed most.
PERLA CAMPOS: Right.
That's awesome.
So moving on to kind of like a
little bit of Selena's legacy,
obviously, it's very clear for
fans, like even people, even
like people very,
very young today
that, you know,
obviously weren't alive
whenever she was--
she's a beacon of
hope and inspiration
for bicultural people
all over the world.
SUZETTE QUINTANILLA:
Well, thank you.
PERLA CAMPOS: When, I guess--
did you really feel
that when you guys were
in the thick of everything,
and did it feel--
did you feel a sense of
pressure and like responsibility
because of that?
SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: Of?
PERLA CAMPOS: Of like, oh,
like we're actually like,
people look up to us.
We're like a source of
inspiration for people,
like, we kind of--
we feel like that's
like a weight on our shoulders?
Or did you just kind
of feel like love,
and it was like kind of--
SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: We
just really felt all love.
There was never this, like, we--
like for instance, when
we played at the Houston
Astrodome, there was--
like, our main goal was,
god, I hope people show up.
You know?
And then we found out
that it was sold out.
Like it was like, what?
We sold it out?
It was never-- there was never
this thinking about that.
It was more about like
our short-term goals,
you know what I mean?
And just kind of like
taking it like that
and never really thinking
about what we were
doing while we were doing it.
So I know some people
plan their life,
and OK, by the time I'm
this age, I want to do this.
And they have certain
goals that they want.
Our goal was just like,
dude, let's just survive,
and get money, and have a
house, and a car, and eat,
and we're good, you
know what I mean?
That was our goal.
It wasn't to be
able to be this--
well, oh, my god, this
phenomenal group or anything
like that, or I hope
we're inspiring people.
It wasn't that mindset for us.
It was more like, all
right, let's go play.
PERLA CAMPOS: Right.
Many popular artists today--
obviously, I think
you think of Selena
as an inspiration to them,
and you see them, like,
sharing photos of her
and like wearing her
on their clothes,
and things like that.
So how does-- what
does that mean to you
and your family to see that?
What kind of goes
through your head?
SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: Did y'all
see the Drake when he was
wearing a Selena shirt?
Oh, so cool.
Just recently, I saw Diplo
wearing a Selena shirt too.
It warms my heart.
I mean, you know, it's
pretty incredible,
and it's very far
in between like what
is happening right now with
her legacy and what's going on.
I mean, we're in a
different phase now.
I mean, I've always seen it.
I get asked like, how
do you feel about this?
And do you see it-- did
you see this coming?
I was like, well, yeah,
I mean, I remember
when my sister passed away.
One of my father's
goals was to--
he made it very clear.
He wanted to make sure that
nobody forgot about Selena.
And we worked very
hard behind the scenes,
and we're very
selective of things
that we do associate
Selena's name to.
And there's a reason for that.
You know, we've been offered
to do so many crazy things.
And we just say, no, that's
not what we want to do.
And no, there's a reason for it.
I think also just having
her presence, you know,
and people knowing about who she
was and what she represented,
not just as a person,
but for our culture.
She is definitely a role
model for us Latinos.
She inspires the youth.
She was very much
about not doing drugs.
She was all about
speaking out about--
I don't know if a lot
of people know this,
but she was a spokesperson
for battered women.
She was about giving back
to her community that way.
She was very loving, and she
wanted just like everybody
to kind of like
understand where she
was coming from as a person.
And I think that everybody gets
that that's ever heard her.
And then not only
that, but I think
that how can you not be
captivated by her 22 years
later?
You look at her now, she
still looks very current.
Selena was what you would
consider an artist that's
timeless, you know?
You know, her look was very
simple, but sheik, and kind of
like cool, but not over the top.
PERLA CAMPOS: Yeah, people
still like copy her to this day.
SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: Yeah,
yeah, and even at that,
like, even if you sit down
and just block all that out
and just listen to
her vocals, you know,
if you listen to her
voice, it captivates you.
If you just listen to it,
it just captivates you.
And you know, then
on top of that,
just add the fact that she
had this amazing body, hello.
And she had this
amazing personality
to go along with it.
So I hope that in
another 20 years,
we're still talking about her.
PERLA CAMPOS: Right.
I'm sure that will be the case.
I will certainly do my part.
SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: She was
definitely one of the greats.
I will say that,
and I can say that.
PERLA CAMPOS: I agree.
I agree.
So actually, you just started
to mention this a little bit.
"Among many other things, Selena
was and is known for her style
and being a trendsetter."
This is my note.
Frankly, her performance
wardrobe, everything she wore
was fierce and on point.
But what was her style
behind the scenes?
Was it different?
SUZETTE QUINTANILLA:
Very different.
PERLA CAMPOS: From
what people would see?
And what did that entail?
SUZETTE QUINTANILLA:
T-shirt, baggy jeans, a belt,
her hair slicked
back in a low bun,
and very, very
little bit of makeup.
She always wore makeup,
just very little,
and a little bit of lip
gloss, and that was her, very
stripped down and very like--
she used to also like
to grab Chris's shirts,
and she used to just like--
like the "Amor Prohibido" video.
Are you familiar with her?
She's wearing the
red-- it's tied?
That's Chris's shirt.
She had a big old
suitcase full of stuff,
and what did she pull out?
Chris's shirt.
She just tied it, and let's go.
There's also another
outfit she is wearing.
She's wearing all white.
And it's one of Chris's
shirts she just like tied it,
tucked it under, and
just made it hers.
When she wasn't performing, she
was opening up her boutiques,
and she was actually
working on her makeup line.
She was wanting to
do a makeup line.
She was also looking
into perfumes.
She had already picked
out the tones of a perfume
that she wanted to do.
So she also was attending
a business university here
in LA via correspondence
for business,
because she wanted
to educate herself
more on the business side for
her business, her businesses.
I have her on tape
actually on a thesis.
Nobody's ever heard it.
PERLA CAMPOS: Really?
SUZETTE QUINTANILLA:
Yeah, it kind of
sounds crazy, because she's
talking all like smart.
PERLA CAMPOS: Well, I
actually didn't know that.
That's incredible.
I mean, obviously, she
was, I mean, in the time,
like an entrepreneur for
sure and had that mindset.
So it was really cool
that was something
that behind the scenes, she
was really pursuing kind
of on a more traditional level.
SUZETTE QUINTANILLA:
That and the fact
that she wanted to be a mother.
She was-- her and Chris
wanted to have children.
She wanted to have
an army, but Chris
was like, whoa, calm down.
And she loved, of
course, animals,
and she wanted to have-- yeah,
she didn't want to have a farm.
Crazy girl.
PERLA CAMPOS: The
sky's the limit, right?
SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: Yeah.
PERLA CAMPOS: So we talk
about how Selena was--
I mean, and you guys
were just an inspiration
to people and a hero.
A lot of people consider her
like a hero, their heroine.
But who was hers,
do you feel like?
Did she ever talk about
someone who she really just
looked up to?
SUZETTE QUINTANILLA:
That's easy.
My father-- my
father and my mother.
I mean, my father played
a huge role in guiding us.
He still guides us.
I mean, he still manages us.
He manages my brother.
He's a force that we've
always looked up to.
My mother has been
always also somebody
that my sister has
always looked up to.
I would definitely say those
two people were the ones,
and I still--
if you asked me that
question, my answer
is the same too, my parents.
PERLA CAMPOS: Right.
I agree.
My mom is also mine.
So it's funny how
that works, right?
I think the last one before
we kind of go into the Doodle,
and we can open it up
for questions for people.
You mentioned a lot
about the movie.
You like the anecdotes
from the movie.
So how was it working
on that project?
How accurate was it,
because that's also
something I've always wondered.
What was it like to see
yourself and your family
being portrayed by actors?
SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: Well,
when we first talked--
when we first--
kind of crazy how
the movie came about.
When she passed away, our
lawyers in LA found out--
our entertainment lawyers
had found out that, you know,
somebody there is already
companies wanting to make
a movie, because we live--
this freedom of speech,
anybody can basically
do everything without getting
the consent of the family.
So that's the only reason--
that was one of the main
reasons why the movie came
out two years after she passed,
because if anything was going
to be done, we
wanted to make sure
that it was done correctly,
and it was done the right way
and portrayed Selena in
the right light and not
any other light just
to sell movie tickets.
And so the whole process was--
it's pretty insane, like what--
you know, the whole
process of trying
to pick a Selena, you know,
that they narrowed it down
out of like, I don't
know how many girls,
like 70-something
girls, to like five,
and Jennifer Lopez
was one of them.
And actually, the girl who
played Constance Marie,
the one who played
my mom, she actually
auditioned for the Selena part.
And so you know, they
narrowed it down.
And this one girl, she wasn't
a professional actress,
and I wasn't on the
set, but they all
did taping, like a live taping
type of thing, like filming,
and this girl looked
like my sister so much.
It was crazy.
They dressed her up,
and I was, like, whoa,
but she could not act.
And after like the
30-something take,
you could hear all
the-- like my dad said
you could here everybody
working, you know, like, ohhh.
You know what I mean?
So that right there is
an indication that--
making a movie, it wouldn't
be good to make a movie.
So then Jennifer came
in, and they just
thought that they all agreed,
the director, the executives,
and everybody agreed
alongside with our family
that Jennifer was a perfect
part for Selena, you know?
But the crazy thing
was, what surprised us,
is that a lot of the--
like, once they announced that
Jennifer was going to do it,
there was a lot of backlash
from Selena, from the fans,
because they were
like, oh, my god,
how can a Puerto Rican
portray a Mexican?
You know, blah, blah.
That freaked me out, because you
know, we're all the same here,
you know what I mean?
I am like, it doesn't matter.
She's Latina.
You know?
And that's the important
thing and the fact
that she physically
looks like my sister,
I mean, like body-wise,
the fact that she has dance
you know, Jennifer has a
dance background, I mean,
I thought it was perfect.
Like we were-- we
were super happy.
Once everybody calmed down,
I think everybody was,
but the whole process,
Jennifer worked her butt off.
She stayed with me for
about a month at my house.
I will share a story with y'all.
She totally freaked me out.
She came in like-- you
know, after a while
when you're hanging out
at somebody's house,
you get comfortable?
Well, she came downstairs,
and we were in the kitchen,
and we're going
to eat, and we're
preparing food or
whatever, and then
she comes, and I
have a sectional.
And my sister, Jennifer came in,
and she sat right in the middle
where my sister would sit,
and she brought her feet up,
and she grabbed--
I have a little wrap thing like
when you get cold, you know?
I call it a throw, and
she covered herself,
and I'll never forget this.
I looked at my husband, and
he looked at me, and I'm like,
what?
My sister did the
same exact thing.
PERLA CAMPOS: Wow!
SUZETTE QUINTANILLA:
Freaked me out.
It freaked me out.
And then we're
cooking, and I'm like,
do you think she's still acting?
PERLA CAMPOS: She's really
getting into character
right now.
SUZETTE QUINTANILLA:
And then my husband
was like, do you think,
but how would she know?
You know?
Like stuff like that.
She was so cool to work with.
Constance, Eddie
Olmos, all of them,
it's a lot of work
to do a movie.
I just want to let y'all know.
I think the sets at
the house, you know,
where I'm cutting Chris's
hair and all that,
that was all they created.
They went in.
They took pictures of our house,
and they reconstructed it.
And the scene in the movie
with the bus where, you know,
I'm pissed off, because
of the Doritos situation?
PERLA CAMPOS: Right.
SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: That
was pretty interesting,
because they created a bus,
and it wasn't really a bus.
It was like in a
big, old studio area,
and it had big,
old air tire things
to get it that movement
it was like on a bus.
PERLA CAMPOS: Oh, wow!
SUZETTE QUINTANILLA:
It was super cool.
Little things like,
it was really cool.
And it was very difficult too.
There were some times that I
clearly I went there every day.
It was also very
difficult, especially
the scene where, you know,
the hospital scene at the end,
I completely--
I showed up all like, hey!
And then they told
me what scene.
I was like, OK, bye, guys.
And I left, and I just
heard that it just everybody
was in tears, you know?
And Jennifer, and
Jackie, and the whole--
PERLA CAMPOS: Crew and everyone.
SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: The
whole crew and everybody just
said that it was probably
the most difficult thing
that they've ever
had to do, you know?
Because it felt so real.
But I will share on a good note.
We'll end this section
on a good note.
Jennifer, when she
came out of the trailer
with the white dress where they
are recreating the scene where
Selena won the Grammy,
I ain't going to lie,
that was probably the only
time that I truly freaked out.
Like I got chills all over my
body, because when she stepped
out, she kind of scooted
her little dress down,
and she looked up, and
for a split second,
I thought it was my sister.
Like, I like-- and she
goes, what do you think?
And I was like, oh,
wow, you look amazing.
And then we would
just kind of sit back,
and I just sat back
with my father and go--
we were just like freaking out.
PERLA CAMPOS: Right.
Well, it sounds like you
said, it was a lot of work,
but I know if anyone out there--
I have seen it many, many times.
SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: I
know it's always on, right?
PERLA CAMPOS: It's
a family favorite.
It's a family favorite.
SUZETTE QUINTANILLA:
I know, yeah.
PERLA CAMPOS: And I will
definitely see it more times.
And so you can tell that
it was a labor of love.
SUZETTE QUINTANILLA:
It definitely
was the right [INAUDIBLE].
PERLA CAMPOS: And I
love that it's there,
because it's something that, not
only for people who loved her,
but it's just like a great way.
I'm so glad you guys
had a hand in it
so you could tell the story
the way you wanted to tell it.
And it's just a great
way for a lot of people
to learn about her story.
SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: And
I think that it helps
us keep Selena's memory alive.
That's how a lot of--
I feel like a lot of millennials
can identify or understand
who she was, because
the movie is always on.
They hear the music.
They start seeing
what's going on.
PERLA CAMPOS: Right.
Well, that's a perfect
segue into another thing
that I hope we'll do a
similar thing, the Google
Doodle that we'll be launching
next week on October 17.
SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: Yeah.
PERLA CAMPOS: My
last final question
before I open it
up for people is
kind of what-- kind of
with your head, whatever,
because I, full disclosure,
gave Suzette a call.
I was like, hey,
we want to do this.
What was kind of the first thing
that went through your mind?
SUZETTE QUINTANILLA:
Are you really Google?
PERLA CAMPOS: Oh, yes.
Yes, also like, yeah,
you're [INAUDIBLE] Latina.
Like, this is great.
But yeah, so kind
of what was your--
what was your thought when
we first approached you,
and how has the
process been for you?
SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: I was
pleasantly surprised, you know,
that I got a call
from you, Perla.
I initially you know that
when you and I started
talking on the
phone, I instantly
found this connection with you.
I could hear the
passion that you had in
presenting what you
guys wanted to do,
and it's always-- it's
been that from day one.
You know, there's definitely
passion in this creation
that you guys are fixing to see.
I sat down with [INAUDIBLE].
I got to meet you and
Kevin, talked about details
of certain things and
what your idea was,
and we kind of twerked
it here and there.
And I think that Google
wraps up Selena completely,
even though it's very
short in the sense of-- it
doesn't tell--
it's not like a whole
hour long really,
but it's perfect, because
it sends a huge message
that, you know, you can do
anything you really want.
Selena started when
she was really young,
and she became this
amazing artist,
and she's still being
remembered, and you know,
I will end it with this.
Selena's favorite saying is the
impossible is always possible,
and it is, and I think
that this Google--
there is that form of
that totally in that,
because it shows the passion
that you guys put into it
and the whole creativity
of having her young into--
PERLA CAMPOS: Showing the
story throughout to the--
yeah, and we hope that
everyone, like I said,
both fans and people who
don't know about Selena,
will be able to learn about it.
And along with it, we're also
going to be launching-- sorry,
launching a digital
exhibit of select items
from the Selena
museum, so that's
another amazing
collaboration we have
with the Quintanilla family.
And we're excited for people to
see a lot of the things there,
a lot of great-- a lot
of great, iconic items.
SUZETTE QUINTANILLA:
Yes, definitely.
But I think the
hardest thing for me
is, you know, you already
know, Latinos are really
hard to keep secrets.
I'm like, come on.
Come on.
Hurry up.
I haven't told
anybody in a month.
They're like why are you
going to San Francisco.
I'm like business.
Well, what are you doing?
I'm like, I'll tell you later.
PERLA CAMPOS: What are
you doing on the 17th
at 12:01, because
I'll give you a call.
Cool.
AUDIENCE: Hi, thank
you for being here.
Yeah, I was just wondering if
there were any things that you
do for your sister just
to honor her memory that
are personal to you that
you're open to sharing?
I think when you lose
someone like having
these special things, it
really makes a big difference.
SUZETTE QUINTANILLA:
As a family,
from the get go, from the first
anniversary of her passing,
we kind of just
don't get together.
We don't make it an event.
Clearly, it's a day
that she lost her life.
We just kind of like
call each other, hey, hi.
Hey, just checking on
you, seeing if you're OK.
That's basically all we do.
In regards to me, you
know, remembering her
or anything like that, I don't
do anything special like that.
I just keep her here
and here, and I'm good.
And I just try to
keep her always--
and even when I'm
shopping, it's crazy,
because I'll be shopping,
and I'll be with my mother,
and we're like, oh,
my god, that's Selena.
Like, oh, my gosh, she would
totally buy this-- you know,
stuff like that.
So I keep her alive like
that in little things,
you know, throughout my day.
This right here is a
total labor of love.
This is one of the
things that brings me
great joy, coming here and
speaking about her to you
guys means a lot to me.
You know, I do this,
because I love her,
because I know if the shoe
was on the other foot,
and I wasn't here,
I know for a fact
that she would be here
doing this for me, you know?
And so it's definitely
a labor of love.
And going back to
your answer, no,
I don't do anything in
particular, none of us
do, not even Chris.
We just kind of check on each
other and make sure we're good.
And it's crazy, because
it has been 22 years,
and last year was really bad.
You just want to stay in bed
and cry your butt off, you know?
And then the other days, I
mean, some years, you just
want to like, you're OK.
And you want to talk about it,
and you don't have no problem,
and then you want
to blast the music.
There are some days that I don't
even want to hear our music,
because it hurts.
It's just I remember
when she passed away,
this older man, a friend
of my father's, told me,
you know, with time, time
will heal your heart,
and I found out it
doesn't heal your heart.
There is a void
there in your heart
that will be there forever.
You can never feel that.
What time does,
it helps you deal
with what's been
put in front of you,
and you have a choice to
either move forward or just
stay where you are at,
and you don't do any good
in staying where you're at.
I learned that, because
I went-- you know,
I took about 2 and 1/2 years
before I figured out me again.
That's how long it took me to
figure out who I was again.
PERLA CAMPOS: But you do a lot--
I think the things that you do--
I mean, just having gone
and spent some time with you
guys in Corpus Christi, which
was like a really awesome thing
for me to do, just
seeing the museum
and how you treat the people
who come there that really want
to learn about Selena
and cherish her memory
is just really awesome.
And just watching you
guys do the day to day,
and all the calls, and
answering questions and all
of those things, I think, all
of those in your day to day,
I see you guys honoring
her and making sure
that people who love
her and people who want
to learn about her do that.
And I think that
yeah, in that way,
it's a really awesome thing that
I was able to see in person.
SUZETTE QUINTANILLA:
Thank you [INAUDIBLE]..
PERLA CAMPOS: Yeah.
AUDIENCE: So I had a--
PERLA CAMPOS: Oh, I
didn't even see you.
OK, go ahead.
AUDIENCE: From the back.
So working with
Perla this Doodle,
and the team has been amazing,
and getting to meet you today
is just fantastic.
But I think what
surprised me is I always
knew that Selena was
so popular, but seeing
how devoted her fan
base is, basically
throughout this project.
What is the fan interaction
like with you now?
Do you still get a lot
of artwork or things
that people are sharing
with you and your family?
What is that like?
SUZETTE QUINTANILLA:
It's awesome.
We have pretty creative people
send some pretty amazing
paintings on Selena.
I love interacting
with Selena's fans.
I like to hear
stories about what
Selena means to them,
how she inspires them,
how they look up to her.
I love hearing that.
I mean, it's amazing,
and it's a good feeling.
It definitely leaves
that good feeling.
And you know, going back to
like when you lose someone,
people have died, people lose
their loved ones all the time,
and I'm super blessed.
I try to look at life like that.
I'm super blessed having to be
able to hear my sister's voice.
I'm able to see her on YouTube.
I'm able to hear stories
about how she inspires people,
and that's part of the legacy.
That is part of her legacy, and
I feel that I'm doing my part
to help that, you know, along
with her fans, because clearly,
we cannot do this
without her fans.
So I feel blessed.
PERLA CAMPOS: Cool.
AUDIENCE: Cool.
Hey, thanks for coming.
SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: Thank you.
AUDIENCE: I have two questions.
One is on behalf of my sisters.
They want to know what
was Selena's favorite shoe
designer?
SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: Ummm.
AUDIENCE: I know.
I looked--
PERLA CAMPOS: I like
how specific this is.
SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: I
don't think she had any.
Selena was one to just
really shop anywhere.
She wasn't always like
about designer stuff.
She literally just--
if she found something.
I remember one time
we were shopping,
and this lady goes,
oh, I like your dress.
She goes, thank you,
I got it at Kmart.
I was like, I knew
she got it at Kmart,
but I said, why did you
tell that lady that?
She was like, well,
I got it at Kmart.
So my sister loved shopping.
If it was cool, and she
liked it, she bought it.
So she wasn't really into
designer things back then.
Mind you, she liked the good
stuff, but what girl doesn't.
She didn't have any
favorite favorite.
She wore a lot of boots
too when she performed.
So she would always
look out for boots.
AUDIENCE: Perfect.
I'll tell them Kmart.
So thank you.
SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: Tell
them to keep it simple.
AUDIENCE: Keep it
simple In the movie
Edward James Olmos, who I
think is a fantastic actor,
played your father--
sort of a very
dominant, machismo role.
I think Latinos across the
country could resonate that,
whether it's the
mother or the father.
SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: Yes.
AUDIENCE: How was that
dynamic in a band group
though when you know that's your
father, but also your manager?
And how much
pushback did the kids
give to make sure things got
done at the end of the day?
SUZETTE QUINTANILLA:
At the beginning,
I mean, clearly, yes,
it was at, first of all,
pretty much all Latinos
understand what you just
said, because, yes,
there's that male machismo,
and it's just the
way our culture is.
At the beginning, I think
that's what helped us,
because it was pretty
much, hey, we're
going to do this this way.
And as we started
getting growing,
we started having
more say about what.
And actually, that's
how my brother
started producing our
music, because Abe
was complaining about--
complaining to my
father that the music
that they were sending us was--
and they were treating
AB kind of like, ah, you
know, kid get away, you know?
Other producers that were
in our genre of music,
they were like, oh, you know?
And Abe was getting
really frustrated,
so my dad said, well, you don't
like it, then do it yourself,
you know?
And that's how he
became a producer.
From him-- what
I'm trying to say,
that machisimo part of my father
and that strict part of him
pushing us, and pushing
us, and pushing us,
and one thing I think that was--
it didn't bother us,
because clearly you were
raised in that environment.
So I was like, OK,
it's dad being dad.
You know?
But now in hindsight,
I look back,
and I think, what a blessing,
because if he wouldn't
have pushed us and
pushed us and never
let us stop doing
what we were doing,
then this wouldn't
have been, you know?
You know, and so
it's a blessing.
And yes, was there arguments?
Yeah.
There was arguments.
But we pretty much were
OK with things the way
that they were being
handled, you know?
There were a little
bit of complaints,
but nothing on a kaboom type
of thing, like a situation.
We pretty much
were in agreement.
We're always like,
OK, if you feel
that that's what we need to do.
Perfect example, when we
got signed to Capitol EMI,
which is our first major
album, which is what--
PERLA CAMPOS: The
date of the Doodle
is actually the day of this.
SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: October 17.
PERLA CAMPOS: The
first [INAUDIBLE]..
SUZETTE QUINTANILLA:
October 17, the Doodle,
day it's going to come
out, it's actually
celebrating our first album
released with Capitol EMI,
which is our record company.
That was our first
big record company,
and when we were going
to sign with EMI,
Sony was also interested in us.
And Sony was offering us way
more money to sign versus EMI.
But my father told--
my father was like, no, I
don't think that's a good idea.
I think we need
to stay with EM--
let's go with EMI.
We're all three going,
what are you talking about?
They are offering
way more money.
He's like, it's not
about the money.
It's the fact that EMI doesn't--
this is a new thing for them,
a new venture into Tejano music.
They don't have any
artists right now signed.
So that means that
they're going to give
full force in whatever
they do to make sure
that whoever is
signed with them,
they're going to back them
and make sure that they
go where they need to go.
So it was more of a business
decision that we took.
And so we allowed.
We stepped back, and we
said, all right, you know,
we'll let you do your thing.
And thank goodness, because it
was probably the best decision
that we could have ever made.
PERLA CAMPOS: Wow!
Cool.
AUDIENCE: Yeah, thank you,
and your T-shirts are fresh,
by the way.
SUZETTE QUINTANILLA:
Oh, thank you.
Thank you.
That's awesome.
AUDIENCE: Hi, Suzette.
SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: Hi.
AUDIENCE: My name's Cynthia.
It's nice to meet you.
SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: Hi.
AUDIENCE: First of all, I just
want to say I love Selena,
and anytime anybody
ever ask me who
my favorite artist of all
time is, I always say Selena.
SUZETTE QUINTANILLA:
Oh, thank you.
Thank you.
AUDIENCE: Of course.
My question is, what is
your favorite Selena song,
and do you know which one was
Selena's favorite to perform.
PERLA CAMPOS: Good question.
SUZETTE QUINTANILLA:
She used to love
performing Rocio Durcal songs.
AUDIENCE: Which one?
SUZETTE QUINTANILLA:
Rocio Durcal cover tunes.
I don't know.
She used to-- her
favorite English song--
whenever-- I don't
know about performing.
Off the top of my
head, I really can't
say as regards to
what her favorite was.
But her favorite
song was by Extreme
"More Than Words," that
was her all-time favorite
to the point we would tell
her to shut up in the bus.
She would sing it over,
and over, and over.
We told her to go to
the back of the bus,
because she wouldn't shut
up about that stupid song.
My all-time favorite is--
"Yo Fui Aquella," or a lot of
the rancheras, "No Me Queda
Mas" clearly, but more of the
rancheras like "Que Creias."
You know, stuff like that, now,
to me, all of them are amazing.
I never listened to
our music back then,
but I tell you what, when I lost
her, that's all I listened to,
and I actually carried
our music and my car,
because I didn't do that before.
Like, people would be like,
hey, give me one of your CDs.
I am like, are you kidding?
I don't have my music,
you know what I mean?
Or a cassette tape, I'm
sorry, cassette tape.
It wasn't CDs back then.
So I don't know,
that's a good question.
I don't know what Selena's
favorite song was.
AUDIENCE: That's good.
Thanks.
SUZETTE QUINTANILLA:
I think-- what
is the one that she's
like telling the guy off,
because she really got into it?
"Que Creias."
PERLA CAMPOS: That's a good one.
SUZETTE QUINTANILLA:
Remember when
she's like singing to
the guy, she gets down.
She's grabbing him.
She's like, she calls somebody
out from the audience.
There's a video of her.
She calls somebody out, and
she goes, she invites a guy up,
when she tells them, you're
going to be my boyfriend.
And the guy gets all happy,
and she starts telling him off
in Spanish.
PERLA CAMPOS: Now you're not
going to be so happy about it.
SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: So yeah.
Hi.
AUDIENCE: Hey, yeah,
thanks for coming.
So, obviously, you
spoke a little bit
about how this was a family
endeavor getting into the band
and doing this together.
But I was just
wondering what were
your own personal musical
inspirations back then?
And also, what are
you listening to now?
SUZETTE QUINTANILLA:
Back then, I really--
back then, I was all about Janet
Jackson, Madonna, Men at Work,
you know?
Pretty much what
every other kid was
into in like, what, the '80s?
Oh, my, god, I sound old.
But yeah, in regards
to now, I mean,
I pretty much listen
to everything that's
on the radio, Bruno Mars.
I like all the--
I like Drake.
I like, you know, Travis Scott.
I mean, I listen to a
little bit of everything.
One thing I didn't
listen to back then,
which I was like, eh, was
country music, which is weird,
because I'm from Texas.
But I really didn't
listen to country music.
But I find myself gravitating
more towards it now,
as I'm a little older.
But I listen to everything.
You name it.
I'll listen to it.
I have no set preference.
In regards to like, you
know, the whole musician
aspect of it, you know, I
think growing up and being
self-taught, because
I learned how
to play the drums from
my dad, which is weird.
Because he is not a drummer
and also a friend of mine
that was a drummer,
and my cousin as well,
just getting the basics down.
I never learned how
to play as a musician.
Are you a musician?
AUDIENCE: Mhm.
SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: Yeah.
Are you a drummer?
OK, well, drummers, they
have to play with their rest.
I tended to play--
I taught myself, because
I was self-taught,
I play more with my forearm
than I do with my wrists.
So my rolls aren't as fast
as what they should be.
But one thing I do say
that, am I fancy drummer?
No.
But I tell you what,
I am a solid drummer.
That's what I've been told.
To Everybody tells
me I can keep a beat.
And that's one thing
I think that's really
cool about our music
too is that we never--
there was never a fight.
When my brother produced
our music, there was like,
you know, sometimes you get
a whole bunch of musicians
together, and everybody wants to
take the lead, and ahh, la, la,
you know, and all that stuff.
We kept it pretty
much simple and clean,
and I think that that also
was another reason why
our music still
resonates 22 years later
with a lot of people.
It's the drummer.
PERLA CAMPOS: Cool.
I think we have--
Tracy, have time for
one more question?
AUDIENCE: Hi, thank
you for being here.
SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: Thank you.
AUDIENCE: I just
want to share too--
building on what Perla
said, but I remember seeing,
I was really little
when Selena passed away.
I think I was like 10.
And I'd heard her music,
but I didn't really
understand her story
until I saw the movie when
I was in junior high, and it was
the first time I saw a Latino
woman in such a leading
role, and it was really
just incredible for me to see
my culture, my mother's culture,
being represented in such a
positive way in like a stage
that, you know,
that the world sees.
And it just it stuck with
me forever to this day.
I thank you guys for
wanting to make sure
that the world continued to
know her story, even people who
weren't obviously
there at the time.
It's like being able
to have shared that
and continuing to
share it today is just
so incredible for the
entire world really.
SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: Thank you.
AUDIENCE: Bu t my question for
you is, what is exciting you
musically these days?
Or do you have any personal
music plans as a drummer
yourself that is on the horizon
or that you could share?
SUZETTE QUINTANILLA:
Well, first of all,
thank you for your words.
I almost cried
right now seriously.
They are very, heartfelt,
and I appreciate that.
I don't have any plans.
Right now, I
stepped out of that.
When Selena passed
away, like I said,
it took me about 2 and 1/2,
3 years to find myself again.
And I didn't find the
need to play anymore,
to be honest with you.
My brother continued with his
band, you know, Kumbia Kings.
He created a band that
has been very successful.
But I just didn't
find myself being
OK with playing with anyone.
I didn't want to
start my own band.
I do feel like--
I don't know.
It just didn't feel right.
And then I just kind
of gravitated into--
we have a production company.
Our production company has
three recording studios,
and we have like-- we do-- we
have an editing department,
and we have a
graphic designer now.
So we do layouts for CDs and
DVDs for other bands and things
like that.
So I just kind of found
myself helping my father
and just so many people
calling and doing things,
and I don't know, it just kind
of felt right just to be there.
And so now I'm CEO and
president of our company,
and I wear a lot
of different hats.
And will I ever play again?
We have a yearly festival
in Corpus Christi called
Fiesta de la Flor in our city.
I got up, and I jammed with
my brother and Jackie Cruz
with "Orange is the New Black."
She was down visiting for that.
We had her sing.
We're like, get up there.
And it wasn't planned.
Literally, my brother
is like, hey, you
want to play with me tomorrow?
I am like, what?
I haven't played.
I was so freaking
nervous, you have no idea.
Like, it was insane.
It was probably
the coolest insane.
I felt panicky.
I didn't remember the
count of our song,
like, I had a couple of drinks
and turned out, not gonna lie.
But it was crazy,
because as soon
as I-- as soon as that
second or third beat came in,
it was like riding a bike.
It was like, oh, I got this.
Oh, oh, yeah, I
remember this song.
It was "Como la Flor."
And I don't know.
I don't know what
the future holds.
I don't know.
Will I ever play again?
I don't know.
I'm one of those that
I'm very spontaneous,
and I'm like, if I feel
like it, maybe when
I get a little older.
Yeah, maybe, why not?
I mean, not that--
I'm already old.
But one thing I will say
that was really cool about
that night was
that I have a son.
He's 19, and he
got to see me play.
So how cool am I?
PERLA CAMPOS:
Yeah, that is cool.
SUZETTE QUINTANILLA:
How cool am I to my son?
So I don't know, maybe.
Maybe one day.
PERLA CAMPOS: Cool.
Well, thank you, Tracy--
SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: Thank you
PERLA CAMPOS: --for
your question.
And thank you guys
again for coming,
and thank you to
Suzette and your family.
SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: Thank you.
PERLA CAMPOS: I mean, this was
like a dream project for me
and obviously just super
meaningful for a lot of people
at Google.
And on October 17,
hopefully it will
be extremely meaningful to a
lot of people out in the world
as well.
SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: I love it.
I love it.
I love it.
This is just-- this is
just another thing that
just elevates Selena, and
just kind of helps us.
So thank you so much.
And thank you to Google
for coming to our family
and wanting to do
this to honor her.
And I think that
her fans, you guys
are going to make so
many people happy.
PERLA CAMPOS: I think so too.
SUZETTE QUINTANILLA:
It's going to crazy.
Y'all just wait.
PERLA CAMPOS: I know.
I'm so ready to
break the internet.
I just want to do it.
SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: I just
want to tell somebody right now.
PERLA CAMPOS: That
will come soon.
But thanks so much.
I really want to
thank you, Suzette.
SUZETTE QUINTANILLA: Thank you.
[APPLAUSE]
