Forbidden Love in the Spotlight: Selena and Chris Perez

10:23PM May 20, 2022

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Keywords:

selena

sexiest

chris

dated

dreamed

instrument

flute

band

sax

drummer

story

love

pandemic

record

bass players

salinas

plays

saxophone

musician

mexican

Are you ready for a star cross love story that spans everything from Pizza Hut to the Grammy award stage? Well, this one's a tragic tale, but still contains a beautiful love story at its heart. I'm Alisha Rai. And I'm Sarah Wendell. Welcome to lovestruck daily where we deliver a true love story to your eardrums each and every day.

Alisha, it is time for us to do the latest question in the New York Times 36 questions to love quiz. Ah, Yay, I'm so glad we do this quiz to get to know each other better and for people to learn about us. I'll be sad when it ends. I'll be sad when 36 You know, weeks are over. I know we're gonna have to come up with another list of questions. I'm sure BuzzFeed can help us out. But still, I'm certain if not BuzzFeed than every speed dating site ever. Yeah. So what's today's question? Today's question is, is there something that you've dreamed of doing for a long time? And why haven't you done it? Oh, gosh, that's a really good question. I am very, I don't want to say fearless. I do have fears. But if there's something I want to do, I go and do it. Yeah, like there's this game. Undertale. When you eat, you're filled with determination. I am constantly filled with determination. I am a walking Undertale character. Sometimes my hair even looks like the little little eight bit creature. But yeah, I am pretty determined. So if there's something that I want to do, I figure out a way to do it. And if I'm scared, that means I really want to do it. So I use that as a barometer for motivation. The thing I've dreamed of doing for a long time that I haven't done is retire without them and live in different places all over the world. I haven't done it yet. Because it's not time for retirement.

That's why I gotta wait on that one. Because it's a whole money you need. Yeah,

and you're still pretty Yeah, bless. I think for me, it's kind of the same thing. If I have the power to do it. Yeah, I can kind of do it. I do know that. I used to be kind of fearful about travelling overseas. And so I didn't do it a lot. But this pandemic has really changed my view that and I am ready, I am ready to go the minute I can go anywhere. Because I think the way this world has worked for the last couple of years, it's it's really opened a lot of people's eyes up to how short and quick things go, you know, these two years have gone by both so fast and so slow, so smooth. And I think the main thing we could do was just plan. So we just planned and so we have all these trips ready to go. And we're ready to plan. But I think for me, like I've I've dreamed of hitting the New York Times list, you know, the bestseller list. And that is beyond my control. That is in the hands of many other people. And so that's why I haven't done that yet. So but the dreams I have in my control I tried

to do. When does your next book come out?

It comes out in October,

it's October 18. It's called Partners in crime partners in crime. And if we can speak things into being I think it's pretty good. It's got a gorgeous cover. And listen, unless there's a way for us to embed that in the show notes. Just pause for a second and go take a look that cover is it is

gorgeous. I'm

just delicious. It's a wonderful cover.

I can tell you, when I when I got that cover, I thought I have to write a book that will live up to this cover.

Oh, crap, the bar just got raised, which is a good problem that you are a great writer. And let us speak that into existence that you're

the times. I hope so that's yeah, that's a big dream.

Although if I may, if I may make a suggestion. The Times list is curated to be what the times wants it to be. So maybe USA Today, which is actually based on math that is quantifiable?

Yes. Yes. Yes. Any any bestseller list? I mean, I've hit like the Amazon lists and stuff. But yeah, I'm gonna speak that into the universe. And let's see if it happened to speak it into being Yeah.

Well, I think that's an excellent, excellent dream for the future. Well, you know, you mentioned that life is short. Yeah. And the pandemic has taught us that and that goes well with today's story. A few weeks ago, we did an episode about Faith Hill and Tim McGraw. And we are continuing our series about award winning love Grammy award winning love. Today we're going to be talking about the tragic love story of a artist who is known as the Mexican Madonna. Selena Keane duniya. Also known as Selena. This is the original Selena. If you're a young person listening to this, there have been other Salinas. This is not Selena Gomez. This is Selena Quintana. Yeah. Who is actually who Celine is named after a yes. Just to bring you up to date on the Selena timeline. Yes. Now Selena's most famous song is como la Flora again, you can pause this and go listen to it. It is fabulous. Come right back goes into it. Okay, go. Are you back? Awesome. Now let's hear her love story. Selena and Chris Perez is love story is straight out of Shakespeare. They are star crossed lovers forced apart i different families. Selena was born in 1971 in Texas. She's half Mexican and half Cherokee Native American. Her first album was recorded in 1984. And if you're doing math, that's not a long time. And the label refused to sell in stores because they didn't think a female singer could sell a record. Wow. That was wrong. Her father actually bought all the original copies. His name is Abraham's and we're going to circle back to him. So remember that name? Can you imagine he goes out buys dollar dollar copies.

That's a good dad. In 1985,

she recorded her second album. Now if she was born in 1971, and she's recording in 1984 and 1985. Yeah, how old is that? 1314 Wow. Her second album was also not sold in stores this time because of copyright issues. It wasn't until 1989 That she signed a recording contract with EMI Latin and started to achieve actual professional success. And at this time, she's known for making the honno music popular among young people. And this is when we meet Chris. Chris was a guitarist born in 1969 in San Antonio, and Chris first meet Selena when he joins her band as a guitarist. From the get go Salinas dad is not too happy about Chris Selena has a pristine image this is her family band. And Chris looks and sounds like he just rolled out a Rolling Stone. The two are very attracted to each other almost immediately. But Chris had a girlfriend back home in San Antonio. And this does not stop him from confessing his love to her buddy in a Pizza Hut buddy shortly afterward the to begin to exclusively date but they don't tell Salinas dad in his book to Selena with love, Chris wrote, We kissed for several minutes, our bodies pressed close together. Despite this little voice in my head saying you're dead. Abraham is going to kill you. Once her dad does find out he threatens to break up the band entirely. If Selena doesn't dump him, their relationship continues in secret for a short amount of time. But then her dad finds out again.

And Chris is fired. This is very Shakespearean it is. Now he

keeps tabs on her from afar and Selena grows in her career to become the Mexican Madonna. She is massively famous. And they keep in touch very quietly been consistently. And if you think about this, this is the early 90s. There weren't a lot of ways to keep in touch. So this had to be very sneaky indeed. And success is not enough for her to forget him. She shows up to a hotel room in which Chris is staying in 1992. And she says she can't live without him. And she knows her father won't support them. But she suggests that they elope so they do

and now we're going to take a quick break. But don't go anywhere because the story will continue and she's Yeah, I mean, they're both young. She's 21 At this point, right? 23 Yeah, very Yeah.

They're very young. And I remember being 21 and 23. Yeah, I thought I knew everything. Yeah, I knew nothing. And you know, emotions are still really big at that age. Don't have a very large you don't have a lot of life experience. But you have big big feelings. Yeah, that can be hard to negotiate. So they eloped. Of course, Selena is famous, and the media finds out and so does her dad. Although he's now more accepting because they're married. And he respects that his influence on Selena is lesser now that they are all adults. Chris rejoins the band and the pair have a very passionate but difficult marriage. They are constantly on the road together. Most of Selena's family is around them at any given time, and it quickly wears on their relationship, despite their happiness and their ability to finally be together. And you know, I can imagine that it would be really hard to be married somebody who is famous whose whole family is on the road with you. Yeah, it'd be like travelling and playing music with a family reunion every day. That would wear me out. Yeah. In fact, you asked me in another episode, if I was an introvert, we were doing that Buzzfeed quiz. And this is like a short short recipe for me to burn out very quickly. Yeah,

a lot of people a lot of sorry.

then tragedy struck. If you know the story in 1995, less than three years after they were married, Selena was shot by the President of her fan club who had been stealing from her. And Selena died when she was only 23 years old. Chris tried to move on and he married another woman six years after Selena's death, but ultimately it ends in divorce. And later, he goes on record saying that it was an attempt to work through his grief. Oh, I'm sorry for him. And I'm sorry for the woman he married to. That's hard. That's really hard. But as I mentioned, Chris wrote a book to Selena with love, which is his whole love story with her. And it's really beautiful. It's a really beautiful book. Now, I do wonder, Alicia, Have you ever dated a musician?

I have dated multiple musicians.

Did you go on tour with their whole family?

I did not. That sounds like hell. I definitely didn't add anyone like Selena or Chris. But I did. Two bass players which made me determined to never ever ever database

you know, funny, you should say that like electric bass. Right. Electrified.

Yeah, no offence to bass players. I'm sure some of them are nice. But

no, there's definitely a tide.

Oh, trust you. So no bass players, I got burned one too many times. No bass players and I dated in college very briefly. There was a guy like, it was like a GarageBand. He was like the frontman for it. And I dated him for like a minute. And I was like, never again, not bad either. I feel like I haven't had great experiences with musicians.

Is there a sexiest instrument,

I think guitar or drums. Drums are sexy. I feel like actually, I might have had luck with a drummer. I should have tried to drummer at some point. Because I do feel like they are like the introverts of the band fair. Absolutely. Like they're in the back. They're in the back. They do their job. They're super like, you know, like, they're a big part of the band. But they're not right up front and centre. And I might be completely wrong. Maybe you've dated a drummer, and he's no terrible person

I've ever dated. I played this chance. I remember taking

I was speaking to the listeners, maybe it's okay. To travel around, they're amazing. And they're not that great. I don't know. I feel like I feel like that might be a good instrument to try.

The drummer is interesting, because without the drummer, the song doesn't sound as good. The drums are the foundation to the performance. They keep everybody on time. And that means they have to maintain their rhythm. Yeah,

our producer Abby said that saxophone is the sexiest and I just realised that chi plays as

well, that does increase its Sex Factor, right?

I guess I am still dating a musician. I just forgot. But not a professional. Just somebody who loves the saxophone.

Sax is Alright, sounds.

Okay. Sax is good. Yeah, yeah, yeah, sax is very good.

I do not know if there is a sexiest instrument. I have a lot of instruments in my basement, but I don't know if one of them is the most attractive. Yeah. Or creates the most attractiveness. You know, maybe we should ask the listeners.

Yes.

listeners. What is the sexiest instrument? Is it the sax? Or is the real question, what is the sexiest instrument and why is it the sax? Perhaps you disagree? My son plays the trombone very well and thinks that the sax tries to steal all the glory and the trombone is really the centre of the band.

Yeah, that was like

low brass.

Yeah. The brass lower for brass house battle.

Yeah. Or maybe you're a big Jethro Tull fan. And you like the flute? Who knows? Actually, you know what, I take that back. I don't like Jethro Tull very much, but Lizzo is hot, and she plays the flute. So the flute is very sexy when it's when it's paired with Lizzo. It's very, I agree. I think any instrument paired with Lizzo is gonna be sexy. is very true. Yeah, it's very true. So I want to know what is the sexiest instrument you should tell us?

There are what is your love to go for this musical?

Well, in addition to finding the sexiest instrument, I think that The love to go for this episode is Life is short make beautiful music. I love. I mean, you don't know what's going to happen in your life. If anything in the past few years of the pandemic has underscored. You only get so many trips around the sun. So make beautiful music or make whatever beautiful things. We want to hear from you. What is the sexiest instrument you have to help us out here because we can't decide? I mean, Abby has strong opinions but you know I'm I'm having strong feelings for the flute now. You should email us at lovestruck daily at Frolik dot media. If you have a love story, or a flute to share, or you want to just tell us what you think the sexiest instrument is. What musician couple should we feature next? Yeah,

should it be the Selena that's named after Selena for half? Our love. Oh, man, I have a lot of strong feelings. They're all positive. I could talk about that for a while.

I have heard her makeup line is fabulous.

Oh my god. It's amazing.

I think I might need to ask you this in a whole other episode.

I think so. I think I think I do rare beauty because I have a number of rare beauty

items. All right. I want to hear everything because you know, I need to replace all my makeup because I haven't worn it in two years and I gotta toss it all out. But before we move on to make up Selena, you can follow us on Instagram at lovestruck daily on Twitter as well. We placed lots of extra content. And please leave us the beautiful music of a review. It would make us so happy seriously. It gives me the absolute goodies. I dance in my chair. Our researcher is Jesse Epstein. Our editor is Jen Jacobs. We are produced by Abigail steckler and little Scorpion studios with executive producer frolic media. This is an iHeartRadio podcast but we wish you a beautiful musical happily ever after. love with the love with you. I'm in love with you