Natti Natasha honors a legend in astronomical fashion…
The 33-year-old Dominican singer-songwriter, dressed in a white version of the iconic purple jumpsuit Selena Quintanilla wore during her final live show at Houston’s Astrodome, performed as part of a special tribute to the late Latina superstar during Thursday’s Premios Juventud.
Natti Natasha was joined by Danna Paola, Ally Brooke and Greeicy Rendon in the tribute to la Reina de la Musica Tejana.
The special segment, produced by Selena’s brother and bandmate Abraham Quintanilla III, kicked off with a heartfelt introduction by Karol G.
“She changed the world with music, with an immense talent and with her undeniable identity as a Latina. She became a star that dazzled her fans, that constantly inspires and that always shines,” Karol said. “She is our queen, the one and only Selena.”
Karol G’s speech was followed by a video of Selena performing “Como la Flor” in that final Astrodome performance before Danna emerged on stage to complete the song,
Natti Natasha then followed with a medley of Selena’s hits “La Carcacha” and “Techno Cumbia,” performing alongside a team of dancers.
Ally Brooke then hit the stage to pay tribute to her idol with a performance of “Amor Prohibido.”
Greeicy then performed “Baila Esta Cumbia,” before Danna, Natti and Ally Brooke joined her, concluding the segment together with the fitting Selena track “Fotos y Recuerdos.”
Karol G then returned to the stage to invite A.B Quintanilla, up on the stage to accept two awards. He dedicated the trophies to his and Selena’s parents and thanked the world for keeping his sister’s memory alive.
This year marks the 25th anniversary of Selena’s death. The “Dreaming of You” singer tragically died in March 1995. Even though she was a mere 23 years old when she died, her impact on music, fashion, culture and future generations is immeasurable.
“I fell in love with Selena when I was 11 years old after watching her movie,” Karol G said in a 2018 interview with ET. “[I loved that] she was always working with her father, because the same happened to me. My father was always with me, all the time. I started researching about her story, and todas las cosas que ella hizo.”
The following year, Ally Brooke gushed to ET about her love for Selena.
“There’s this joy that you feel when you listen to Selena,” she said. “Her music is so timeless. I was actually listening to her music [recently]. It’s amazing that you can listen to it now, 10 years from now, 50 years from now and it still feels so fresh and new. Her spirit shines through the records.”
“No Me Queda Más [can] instantly bring me to tears,” she continued. “The passion in her voice and the pain she exudes through her emotions, it really touches your soul. That’s one of my favorite records because that reminds me of home, San Antonio, being with my family and hearing the mariachis along the River Walk.”
“She just had this exuberance,” Ally Brooke added of Selena, who she said is one of her biggest role models. “I think if more humans were like Selena we would live in a completely different — just perfect world.”
“She was the first Spanglish girl that I heard,” Natti Natasha told ET. “I feel like she was such an icon and so talented in a raw way, and that’s the way to go. She had a message to give and she projected that so well and she had a lot of trust in herself that’s what we need in this industry to keep on going. For other people to believe in you, you have to believe in [yourself first]. She was an amazing woman.”