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Fans ecstatic after first glimpse of new Netflix series about Selena Quintanilla Pérez

"Selena was a superstar when she was alive, but she was made a legend through her death," says a fan, one of the younger generations of Latinos who love the late pop star.
Actor Christian Serratos steps into the bedazzled bustier of iconic Tejano singer Selena Quintanilla Perez in the upcoming Netflix series.
Actor Christian Serratos steps into the bedazzled bustier of iconic Tejano singer Selena Quintanilla Perez in the upcoming Netflix series.Netflix
/ Source: NBC News

Selena’s new television show will make its debut just in time for the holidays. Netflix dropped the teaser trailer for “Selena: The Series” Tuesday morning, tweeting, “Every legend begins with a dream.”

It’s a new series about the coming-of-age story of Selena Quintanilla Pérez, the bilingual singer and pop star who broke records but whose life was cut short 25 years ago after she was murdered at 23 by her fan club manager in 1995. The singer will be played by Christian Serratos.

Now, after a quarter of a century later, fans of the Tejano music icon are ecstatic about its release.

Longtime fan Vanessa Perez grew up listening to Selena’s music, recalling the days when she would listen to it in her mother’s car while running errands with her. “We would turn up her songs and start singing our hearts out,” Perez said. When the singer’s biographical drama film starring Jennifer Lopez was released in 1997, she stood in line for two hours to watch the premiere.

“I remember being so excited to see the movie to witness how her life was since I really enjoyed her music! It really spoke to me as a Mexican American and how relatable Selena and her life was," said Perez. Now, she hopes the new exposure to Selena’s life will inspire even more people.

Though Brooklyn resident Rogelio Tec, 25, was only a year old when the singer passed, he found his first Latinx idol in Selena as he grew up. “Selena was the music both my parents and I could sing, dance, and play to,” Tec wrote. “She was mythic. Selena was a superstar when she was alive, but she was made a legend through her death. The J-Lo starring movie only cemented that to me.“

“Although I was skeptical of the new series (as any protective fan would be), the trailer eased my anxiety. It was delicate, magical, and somehow familiar,” Tec said. Even more fans took to Twitter to show their excitement.

Last year, NBC News spoke with Moisés Zamora, the series’ head writer and one of the executive producers, about how Selena’s ability to navigate her American life and her Mexican roots resonated with his own situation. Zamora moved from Mexico to California at the age of 11 and though he was educated primarily in English, he felt he had to thrive by writing in Spanish too. Selena grew up speaking English but her Spanish ballads are among her most famous songs.

“Both of my worlds were merging, and I think she did that for a lot of people," said Zamora, "and why she’s so wonderful."