Suzette Michele Quintanilla-Arriaga (born June 29, 1967) is an American business executive who is the chief executive officer of Q-Productions. Quintanilla began her musical career as the drummer for Selena y Los Dinos, a Tejano band with her elder brother, A.B. Quintanilla, on bass guitar and her younger sister, Selena, as lead vocalist. In 1989, the group secured a recording contract with EMI Latin. After a series of critically-praised and commercially-successful albums, Selena crossed over into the English-language pop market. She was murdered on March 31, 1995; Suzette retired from performing and focused on safeguarding Selena's image with her family. Quintanilla oversaw operations at the Selena Etc. boutiques and expanding the brand in department stores before the boutiques closed in 2009.
She became chief executive of Q-Productions in May 2016 after her father, Abraham Quintanilla, stepped down. Quintanilla manages the Selena Museum and directs licensing for Selena-related ventures. Selena-themed T-shirts were introduced in retail outlets such as Forever 21, Hot Topic, Target and Urban Outfitters, and Quintanilla collaborated with MAC Cosmetics on a Selena-inspired makeup collection. She was executive producer of Selena: The Series (2020–21) on Netflix, one of the platform's most-streamed TV series in the United States, Mexico, and parts of Central and South America. Quintanilla's involvement with a Selena wax figure in Madame Tussauds Hollywood has also maintained Selena's visibility in popular culture.
She remains active in the music industry, managing and promoting artists such as Jennifer Peña, Isabel Marie, and Los Tres Reyes. Quintanilla was executive producer of the spoken liner notes for the 2002 reissues of Selena's albums and Momentos Intimos (2004), was a consultant for La Leyenda (2010), and contributed to the design and direction of Moonchild Mixes (2022). The Quintanilla family has been criticized by some fans and journalists for the commodification of Selena's image, particularly her posthumous releases.
Quintanilla has been on the board of the Selena Foundation, a nonprofit organization which supports students, school-retention programs and has donated over $100,000 to hospitals, schools, food banks, shelters, and other causes since it began in September 1995. She has addressed student audiences and been a keynote speaker at fashion events and mother-daughter workshops. Quintanilla has promoted awareness among young girls of nutrition, physical activity, and mental health.
Life and career 1968-1982: Early life and music career Suzette Michelle Quintanilla was born on June 29, 1967, in Corpus Christi, Texas, to Abraham Quintanilla, a former Army musician and vocalist for the Chicano band Los Dinos, and Marcella Quintanilla (née Samora). She was the second of three children; her older brother, A.B. Quintanilla, was born in 1963 and her younger sister, Selena Quintanilla, was born in 1971. When Suzette was born, Abraham was active with Los Dinos (whose album, Los Dinos a Go Go, was released by Bernal Records the following year. Los Dinos' popularity waned, prompting Abraham to prioritize economic stability over music. After several unsuccessful investments, he moved his family to Lake Jackson, Texas. Abraham adopted a more conventional lifestyle, singing in his spare time. He began teaching A.B. bass guitar, prompting Selena to sing. After realizing that Selena could sing, Abraham recalled, "I saw the continuation of my dreams."
He formed a band consisting of two of his children (A.B. on bass and Selena as lead vocalist) and a visiting cousin from Arizona on drums. When the cousin's father demanded his return, Suzette became the drummer. She was uncomfortable with drumming, considering it a traditionally-masculine role Selena persuaded Suzette to remain in the band, and helped her overcome her shyness. The drum set Suzette inherited from her cousin, who was right-handed, required her to learn to play with a configuration opposite from her dominant hand. She was taught by Abraham, A.B., and her cousin before his departure. Suzette struggled with confidence at first, noting that Selena and A.B. had intuitive ears but music was not as easy for her. With years of practice, her musicianship improved. Initially unenthusiastic, Abraham's children participated regularly in rehearsals and performances. Suzette was not secretive about her dislike for drumming. Abraham entertained relatives with the band, and the children eventually learned to enjoy playing.
According to Selena's biographer, Joe Nick Pastoski, Suzette "had a quick mind, a sharp wit, and the physical wherewithal to play drums". She did not use her wrists when drumming, which she felt held her (and the band) back; she eventually became more proficient. Abraham opened Papa Gayo's, a Tex-Mex restaurant with Selena and Company as entertainment, in summer 1980. When not performing, the children bussed tables. Abraham, wanting to return to the music industry, left his job to manage the venture full-time and occasionally joined the band as an additional guitarist. Suzette continued to resist performing at the restaurant (which was frequented by schoolmates and their families), and remained self-conscious.
A local disc jockey saw the group perform and told Abraham, whom he knew during his time with Los Dinos, that Selena had potential. Abraham said that he "[wouldn't] take her childhood away from her. I'm not going to push her." The 1980s oil bust caused a recession in the United States, and Papa Gayo's was closed by March 1981; Abraham filed for bankruptcy, and the family was evicted from their home. They moved from Lake Jackson back to Corpus Christi, where they lived with relatives. Abraham decided to promote the band, now called Selena y Los Dinos and playing Tejano music. The children, however, wanted to perform English-language pop songs.
1983-1988: Selena y Los Dinos In 1983, Selena y Los Dinos recorded their first singles on Freddie Records. The singles received little airplay, and generated no sales. Freddie Records released the group's first cassette album, Selena y Los Dinos, the following year. The label provided negligible marketing support, considering the group a marginal investment compared to its more-established roster. Freddie executives dismissed Selena y Los Dinos as underdeveloped, advising Abraham to revisit the idea in six years and saying that they lacked immediate commercial viability. Abraham severed ties with Freddie Records and moved the band to Bob Grever's Cara Records, where they released The New Girl in Town (1985). Manny Guerra left Cara Records to establish G.P. Productions, dissolving the group's contract and bringing them onto his label in 1986. During this period, Selena y Los Dinos performed at private events, community fundraisers, local functions, and any venue with potential exposure. The rigorous schedule was socially isolating for Suzette, who noted that their only presence at school dances was as the entertainment.
Abraham sought performance opportunities for Selena y Los Dinos, lobbying promoters despite rejections rooted in gender bias and a preference for male acts. His efforts had little success; promoters eventually dismissed him as unreasonable, and avoided him. Houston promoter Ruben Cubillos described Selena y Los Dinos as "kids making noise" and occasionally discordant, but acknowledged their drive and potential. Abraham faced widespread doubt about Selena's market appeal and the band's distinctiveness in a crowded regional scene; his advocacy gave him a reputation as difficult and emotionally volatile in industry circles. The group's earnings often covered travel expenses only. Abraham prioritized paying band members Ricky Vela and Roger Garcia before dividing the remaining funds among his children, who were eating at Whataburgers. Selena said about this period, "We wanted to make it, so we did everything we could". In 1985, Selena y Los Dinos performed on the Johnny Canales Show.
Their 1986 single, "Dame Un Beso", received considerable airplay and was Selena y Los Dinos' first commercially-successful single. The song was one of the most-played songs on Texas radio stations, ranking at number one in El Paso. Their album, Alpha, was moderately successful and enlarged the group's fan base. Selena's receipt of the Tejano Music Award for Female Entertainer of the Year surprised audiences for a 15-year-old dethroning genre frontwoman Laura Canales. Selena y Los Dinos was also nominated for the Most Promising Band award, making Selena the only female artist nominated outside the Female Vocalist category. Alpha was nominated for the Tejano Music Award for Album of the Year, and A.B. introduced a drum machine to support Suzette.
And the Winner Is... was released in April 1987, following Muñequito de Trapo that year. The album's title alludes to the band's recognition since their entrance into the music industry. And the Winner Is... included "La Bamba", a pop cover of Ritchie Valens' 1957 song, which was released as a single in summer 1987. Tim Baker of Newsweek called the track a "clubbified remix". "La Bamba", the album's most memorable track, was released in the wake of Miami Sound Machine's success. It entered the US Billboard Hot Latin Tracks chart in August 1987, the group's first appearance on a music chart, and peaked at number 20. Selena y Los Dinos' version was released around the same time as Los Lobos' version, which appeared in the film La Bamba. Abraham remembered that A.B. could not rival Hollywood, and the group's version began to fall on the chart as Los Lobos' rose; "we were an unknown group, they knocked us away," he later said.
Selena y Los Dinos released Preciosa and Dulce Amor in 1988, a turning point in their career; the band became one of Texas's most-requested Tejano groups on radio stations. At the 1989 Tejano Music Awards, after La Sombra's withdrawal, Rick Trevino invited Selena y Los Dinos to open the ceremony. The event drew industry executives, including scouts from CBS Records and the new EMI Latin. CBS made a higher financial offer, but EMI Latin president José Behar expressed a strong interest in signing the group. Abraham favored EMI's proposal, drawn by the label's promise of a future crossover with the mainstream market; the group rebranded as, simply, Selena.
1989-1995: Band crew chief, Q-Productions and Selena's death Production on the group's debut album began in June 1989, aiming to break into the international Latin market with plans for an English-language crossover. Selena trendier, more experimental sound was the first collaboration with newcomers Pete Astudillo and Joe Ojeda. Suzette took over the group's marketing, and managed their merchandise. She sold T-shirts, baseball caps, and beer-can coolers with the Selena y Los Dinos logo. In 1991, after attending a concert, Yolanda Saldívar asked Abraham for permission to start a fan club after finding no souvenirs of that night; he agreed, allowing her to run it from San Antonio. Suzette was the contact between Saldívar and the family; focused on merchandising, she welcomed Saldívar's involvement. They became friends, and Saldívar became part of the family.