Selina Quintania was a force of nature, but when a loyal friend betrayed her, she met a fate she never deserved. Even the Rich is a podcast from Wondery that tells you the stories of the crazy lives of the greatest family dynasties to pop culture superstars. In the new season Viva Selina, you'll hear how she made a massive cultural impact and became a legend the world will never forget. All before her twenty first birthday, she had already left
a legacy across cultures that would continue for generations. Her huge talent was nearly overshadowed by her untimely death. She was shot by a close friend and confidant. But there's so much more to Selina's story than her tragic passing. She was kind hearted, brave, and tried her best to bring joy to every one in her life. The positivity she put out into the world still carries on nearly thirty years after her death, and she will always be the queen of Tahano music. You're about to hear a
preview of Even the Rich Viva Selena. While you're listening, follow Even the Rich on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcast, you can binge even the rich. Viva Selena right now add free on Wondery Plus.
This episode contains strong language.
Please be advised.
It's January nineteen ninety five and twenty three year old Selena Quintania is having an amazing day. She's writing Shotgun in a sparkling Cadillac convertible and soaking up the hot Texas sun. Selena turns and smiles at her best friend, Yolanda Saldivar in the driver's seat. Yolanda dotes on Selena. She also works for her, managing her boutiques. When they met, You'll Landa was the president of Selena's fan club, but
she quickly became her right hand man. It's a lot of work, but Yolanda is always ready to drop everything any time for Selena. At this point, a lot of people work for Selena. She's a legit mobile, her music is topping the charts, and she's pretty much a household name. She's got a fashion line, a partnership with Coca Cola, and sold out shows. But today Selena's taking a break from all that. Instead, she's humming her new song dreaming of You as she trails her fingers through the air
outside the car window. Suddenly, Yolanda slams on the brakes and pulls over. Selena jolts out of her daydream and looks up. They're outside of a store called Randolph's Custom Jewelers. Yolanda winks at Selena and tells her to wait in the car. A few minutes later, Yolanda hurries back to the car. She hands Selena a small box and tells her to open. It's jaw drops when she sees what's inside. It's a gorgeous gold ring with a white gold egg
covered in diamonds. Selena gasps and shock as Yolanda grins ear to ear she had the ring custom made for Selena just because.
Okay, this kind of blows the dolphin best Friend necklaces I had made for us out of the water.
No, how could you say that? And it's more like, just because Yolanda can't get enough of Selena. Their friendship is the most important thing in her life, and she wants to show her how much she cares. Selena looks closer and sees that the fourteen caret band has a letter S engraved on it. She starts to get teary eyed. She's won Grammys and sold thousands of albums, but no one has ever given her such a thoughtful gift. Her hands are shaking so much she can barely even get
the ring on. Selena looks at Yolanda and her eyes are full of tears too. Selena scooches across the sea and pulls her in for a hug. Once they're back on the road, Selena tells Yolanda that the whole world will get to see this ring because she'll be wearing it on stage for the rest of her life. They both crack up as the car tears down the road. Selena knows nineteen ninety five is going to be her year. She's done so much already, and she still has so
much left to do. But as we know, Selena will never accomplish any more of her big dreams because in two and a half months, her bright light will be extinguished from wondery.
I'm brook Siffren and I'm Arisha skidmar Williams.
And this is Even the Rich, where we bring you absolutely true and absolutely shocking stories about the biggest celebrities the world has ever.
Se It's a show about power how you get it, how you keep it, and what happens when you merely lose it all.
It's also about how the rich are just like us, because even the rich fall in love and break up and struggle.
And belt out to some classic Donna Summer in the car.
Selena Kintania was a superstar on the rise. With her family by her side, she cemented her status as a cultural icon and left a legacy that would continue for generations, all before her twenty fourth birthday. But her enormous talents were nearly overshadowed by her untimely death, shot by a woman she considered a friend. Her rising star fizzled far too soon. But there's so much more to Selena's story. She was kind hearted and brave, and she tried her
best to bring joy to everyone in her life. The positivity Selena put into the world still shines bright nearly thirty years after her death. It lives on through her iconic stage looks, her legendary megawatt smile, and of course, her music. In this three part series, we'll tell you how the little girl with a Big Voice became one of the most famous figures in the history of Tehano music. This is episode one. The family that plays Together