Throughout Selena: The Series, we catch a glimpse at Selena’s career-long desire to make a pop album in English. And by the end of Part 1, we’re still left with questions about whether Selena was able to branch out and become the bilingual crossover artist everyone knew she could be. With a voice that spanned from deep vibrato to soaring high notes and a style that inspired comparisons to Madonna, Selena was set to take over the American music scene. Tragically, she was murdered before this true crossover album came to light – a devastating blow that shocked the entire world and left everyone to wonder how her career would have evolved.
Before her death, Selena recorded various pop and R&B songs in English including “I Could Fall in Love,” “Dreaming of You,” and “Missing My Baby.” Five of Selena’s new English songs, plus the bilingual “God’s Child (Baila Conmigo)” featuring David Byrne, were later compiled in her chart-topping posthumous album Dreaming of You. These songs were mixed with some of Selena’s past Spanish hits, creating an album that scoped her entire career until the very end. It is probable that Selena would have continued to record songs in English, making it the American-pop crossover album she had always dreamed of. That being said, this album still made history in more ways than one.
Released just four months after her death, Dreaming of You became the bestselling Latin album of all time – and still continues to be today. The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, a first for a Latin artist, breaking barriers and paving the way for the Latinx singers to come. It sold a whopping 3,000,000 copies and went platinum 59 times. Even more, the single “I Could Fall in Love” achieved the highest debut by an English-language title on Hot Latin Tracks and also the highest chart position since 1988. It is clear that Selena’s star was rising and that she was set to become the first true English-Spanish crossover performer, pioneering a career that opened doors for Shakira, Jennifer Lopez, Ricky Martin, and countless more.
