Celebrating a Mexican American pop icon and her legacy

When singer Keila Martinez slips into a sparkling, purple jumpsuit with flared legs, she transforms into Selena Quintanilla, Mexican American pop icon and the “Queen of Tejano music.”

Known for her chart-topping hits, “Bidi Bidi Bom Bom” (1994) and “Dreaming of You” (1995,) the artist known simply as Selena, helped pave the way for Latinx crossover music artists like Jennifer Lopez, who played her in the eponymous 1997 biopic.

As the 30^th anniversary of her death approaches, a tribute band celebrates her work and her memory, right here in the Bronx.

“It’s an honor to be able to see that people are there at the concerts that we have and they’re still wanting to be part of the Selena legacy,” Martinez said, Selena impersonator who will be leading the tribute concert with her band 512 at the Lehman Center for the Performing Arts.

Much like Selena herself, Martinez began her music career at a young age, but her debut was less conventional. Martinez began playing trumpet and violin for her school’s mariachi band in their inaugural year at Rio Colorado Elementary School in San Luis, Arizona where she still lives. She continued playing band in high school and began singing with local bands around town. But her working-class parents who migrated from Mexico -- her father a farm laborer and her mother a housekeeper -- stressed the importance of an education.

“He would always tell me, ‘You should study because I don’t want you to be doing this kind of work,’” Martinez said, who watched her father wake up at 3 a.m. and work 10 to 12 hours days. “I went to college and all that, he has definitely been an inspiration for me.”

She went on to earn her bachelor’s degree in psychological sciences from Northern Arizona University and an online master’s degree in school counseling. She has been working in the field of mental health for a decade while balancing her tour schedule, taking clients remotely when she can.

In 2020, she was approached by the band Los Chicos del 512 (a Texas area code) who asked her if she would be interested in joining a Selena tribute band. In 2022, the group was in a tragic accident while on tour, traveling to Dodge City, Kansas. They had their opening act in tow when the bus slipped on black ice and lost control, ejecting Martinez and killing four other passengers. She lost consciousness and sustained an open tibia break. She was airlifted by helicopter to the nearest hospital.

Martinez was faced with the challenging decision of whether to continue singing. After an intense recovery process, both physical and mental, she formed a new band, 512.

“We are now a 512 tribute,” she said. “It’s a tribute to the queen Selena, but then also a tribute to the ones that aren’t here anymore.”

When she performs, Martinez dedicates Selena’s, “Dreaming of You” to her lost friends.

Selena sparked a wave of mourning with her untimely demise when she was shot and killed in a Texas hotel room by the president of her fan club on March 31, 1995. She was 23.

Almost 30 years after her death, Martinez is honored to be able to celebrate the queen on this milestone anniversary.

As her favorite part of performing?

“It’s really special to see the young ones,” Martinez said. “I feel like they never got to experience the real Selena and just being there and performing for them is a very special thing.”

Selena and 512 will perform at the Lehman Center on Saturday, March 8.