After three decades, since the death of Tejano star Selena Quintanilla, the artist’s family, along with Warner Music Latina, is releasing a collection of songs by the singer, Moonchild Mixes, out on Aug. 26.
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The album features three new variations of previously released tracks and 10 never-before-heard songs and includes a remixed version of “Como Te Quiero Yo A Ti.” Originally released on Selena’s sixth studio album Preciosa in 1987, “Como Te Quiero Yo A Ti” was written by Ricky Vela, an original member of Selena’s band Selena y Los Dinos and produced by her brother, A.B. Quintanilla. A re-recorded version of the track“Como Te Quiero Yo a Ti” was shared on the posthumous 2004 compilation Momentos Intimos.
Moonchild Mixes took more than a year to complete and features songs originally recorded by Selena between the ages of 13 and 16 years old, with her voice digitally altered by her brother during production to sound older.
“Everything was recorded on vinyl,” said A.B. Quintanilla of the album. “So we had to kind of fuse the old school ways with the new school ways—clean Selena’s vocals, put them on timing. And then we also pitched her vocal down just a hair to make her sound a little bit more mature.”
The estate also released an official music video for Selena’s 1995 ranchera single “Tú, Sólo Tú.” When originally released in 1995, the song hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Latin Tracks where it remained for 10 weeks.
“It truly feels like she went into the studio again and recorded it,” said Selena’s sister Suzette Quintanilla. “It’s pretty incredible. The younger generation are discovering her and they’re searching her and they want to know more about her.”
Selena Quintanilla was one of the top-selling artists 1990s before she was murdered on March 31, 1995, at the age of 23. The artist’s fifth and final album Dreaming of You, released after her death, debuted at No. 1 on the Hot 200—the first time for a predominantly Spanish-language album—and elevated Selena to a wider audience, along with the title track, which she sang in English.
The artist’s siblings said that they hope to “breathe new life into this old music” for the newer generation of Selena fans. “What we’re doing is honoring her memory, her legacy,” said A.B. “That’s what it’s about.”
His sister Suzette added, “As an artist and musicians and people that are in the public eye, you have to turn that off. We’re still going to do what we want with our music, with our sister, with our band. And I hope people understand that everything that we do, we do it with loving care and with beauty.”
Photo: Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History
