0:00

Selena Quintanilla was a force of nature,

0:03

but when a loyal friend betrayed her, she met

0:05

a fate she never deserved. Even

0:07

the Rich is our podcast from Wondery, where

0:09

we tell you the stories of the crazy lives of the

0:11

greatest family dynasties to the lives

0:13

of pop culture superstars. In our new

0:15

season, Viva Selena, you'll hear how she

0:17

made a massive cultural impact and became

0:20

a legend the world will never forget. All

0:22

before her 24th birthday, she had already

0:24

left a legacy across cultures that would

0:26

continue for generations. Her huge talent

0:28

was nearly overshadowed by her

0:30

untimely death.

0:31

She was shot by a close friend and confidant,

0:33

but there's so much more to Selena's story than

0:36

her tragic passing. She was kind-hearted,

0:38

brave, and tried her best to bring joy to

0:40

everyone in her life. The positivity

0:42

she put into the world still carries on, nearly 30

0:45

years after her death, and she will always be

0:47

the queen of Tejano music. Enjoy

0:50

Even the Rich on the Wondery app or wherever you

0:52

get your podcasts. You can binge Even the Rich

0:54

Viva Selena right now, ad-free on

0:56

Wondery+. Get started with your free trial

0:59

at wondery.com slash plus.

1:01

This episode contains strong language. Please

1:04

be advised.

1:13

It's January 1995, and

1:15

23-year-old Selena Quintanilla is

1:17

having an amazing day. She's

1:20

riding shotgun in a sparkling Cadillac

1:22

convertible and soaking up the hot

1:24

Texas sun. Selena

1:26

turns and smiles at her best friend Yolanda

1:28

Saldivar in the driver's seat. Yolanda

1:32

dotes on Selena. She also

1:34

works for her, managing her boutiques. When

1:37

they met, Yolanda was the president of

1:39

Selena's fan club, but she quickly became

1:41

her right-hand man.

1:42

It's a lot of work, but

1:45

Yolanda is always ready to drop everything,

1:47

any time for Selena. At

1:50

this point, a lot of people work for

1:52

Selena. She's a legit mogul.

1:55

Her music is topping the charts, and she's

1:57

pretty much a household name. She's

1:59

got a fast

1:59

in line, a partnership with Coca-Cola,

2:02

and sold-out shows. But today,

2:05

Selena's taking a break from all that. Instead,

2:08

she's humming her new song,

2:10

Dreaming of You, as she trails her fingers

2:12

through the air outside the car window.

2:15

Suddenly, Yolanda slams on the brakes

2:17

and pulls over. Selena jolts

2:19

out of her daydream and looks up. They're

2:22

outside of a store called Randolph's Custom

2:24

Jewelers. Yolanda winks

2:26

at Selena and tells her to wait in the car.

2:29

A few minutes later, Yolanda

2:32

hurries back to the car. She hands

2:34

Selena a small box and tells her to open

2:36

it.

2:37

Selena's jaw drops when she

2:39

sees what's inside. It's a

2:41

gorgeous gold ring with a white gold

2:44

egg covered in diamonds. Selena

2:47

gasps in shock as Yolanda grins

2:49

ear to ear. She had the ring custom

2:52

made for Selena just because.

2:54

Okay, this kind of blows the dolphin best friend

2:57

necklaces I had made for us out of the water.

3:00

No, how could you say that? And

3:03

it's more like just because Yolanda can't

3:05

get enough of Selena. Their friendship

3:07

is the most important thing in her life, and

3:10

she wants to show her

3:11

how much she cares. Selena

3:13

looks closer and sees that the

3:15

14-carat band has the letter S engraved

3:18

on it. She starts to get teary-eyed.

3:21

She's won Grammys and sold thousands

3:23

of albums, but no one has ever

3:25

given her such a thoughtful gift. Her

3:28

hands are shaking so much she can barely even

3:30

get the ring on. Selena

3:32

looks at Yolanda and her eyes

3:34

are full of tears too. Selena

3:36

scooches across the seat and pulls her in

3:39

for a hug. Once they're

3:41

back on the road, Selena tells Yolanda

3:43

that the whole world will get to see this

3:45

ring because she'll be wearing it on stage

3:48

for the rest of her life. They

3:50

both crack up as the car tears down

3:52

the road. Selena knows 1995 is going

3:54

to be her year. She's

3:57

done so much already, and she still...

3:59

has so much left to do. But

4:02

as we know, Selena will never accomplish

4:05

any more of her big dreams. Because

4:07

in two and a half months, her bright

4:09

light will be extinguished.

4:19

["Arysha Skidmar Williams"]

4:25

From Wundery, I'm Brooke Sifrin. And

4:28

I'm Arysha Skidmar Williams. And

4:30

this is Even The Rich, where we bring

4:32

you absolutely true and absolutely shocking

4:35

stories about the biggest celebrities the world

4:37

has ever seen. It's a show about

4:39

power, how you get it, how

4:41

you keep it, and what happens when you

4:43

merely lose it all. It's also about how

4:45

the rich are just like us, because even

4:47

the rich fall in love and break up

4:50

and struggle and belt out to some

4:52

classic Donna Summer in the

4:53

car.

5:01

Selena Quintanilla was a superstar on the rise. With her family by her

5:03

side, she cemented her status as a cultural

5:05

icon and left a legacy that would continue for

5:08

generations, all before her 24th birthday. But

5:12

her enormous talents were nearly overshadowed by

5:14

her untimely death. Shot by

5:17

a woman she considered a friend, her

5:19

rising star fizzled far too soon. But

5:22

there's so much more to Selena's story. She

5:24

was kind-hearted and brilliant. She

5:27

was kind-hearted and brave. And

5:29

she tried her best to bring joy

5:30

to everyone in her life. The

5:33

positivity Selena put into the world still

5:35

shines bright, nearly 30 years after

5:38

her death. It lives

5:40

on through her iconic stage looks, her

5:42

legendary megawatt smile, and of course,

5:45

her music. In

5:47

this three-part series, we'll tell you how the little

5:49

girl with the big boys became

5:51

one of the most famous figures in the history of Tejano music.

5:55

Episode one, the family that plays

5:57

together.

5:57

you