Who Was Laura Canales and Did She Really Meet Selena Quintanilla Like in "Selena: The Series"?

Photo credit: Netflix
Photo credit: Netflix

From Seventeen

If you're currently watching or just finished binging Selena: The Series you might be surprised to see some major moments between the iconic Tejano singer and many others that we hadn't seen or heard about before. While the people in the series might be totally real, some fans are wondering whether or not Selena's big scene where she meets Laura Canales at her first Tejano Music Awards was actually true or not. So who exactly was Laura Canales? And did she have a big conversation with the Tejano legend?

*Major spoilers for part 1 of Selena: The Series below!*

Here's everything you need to know about Laura Canales and that special scene.

Who is Laura Canales?

If you're a true Tejano music fan than you already know who Laura Canales is. The singer got started in the music industry in the early 1970s, but it wasn't until later on that she got into Tejano music with the band Snowball & Company and then Felicidad, and Los Fabulosos Cuatro. In 1981, she ended up forming her own group, Laura Canales and Encanto, according to the Texas State Historical Association.

Billboard notes that Canales was known for being the Queen of Tejano Music until Selena came on the scene. Known for paving the way for other women in the male-dominated genre, she was inducted into the Tejano Roots Hall of Fame in 2000 as part of it's first class of musicians to be added.

In the 1990s, Canales decided to go back to school in hopes of getting her degree. She graduated in 1997 with a Bachelors in Psychology and Speech Therapy from Texas A&M University at Kingsville. In 2005, as she was studying for her Masters, Canales underwent gallbladder surgery, but died a few days later due to pneumonia and complications from the surgery, according to Encyclopedia.com.

Did Selena and Laura Canales really meet like they did in Selena: The Series?

This one is tough to say because there's no record of when they first met or how it happened. It is entirely possible that it's true, especially since Suzette Quintanilla, Selena's sister, is an executive producer on the series. However, it's hard to say for sure if it's actually true or not.

Were Selena and Laura Canales friends?

Encyclopedia.com reports that even though the two icons were constantly against each other for awards, they still supported each other throughout their careers. The Corpus Christi Caller-Times reported that Laura was present at Selena's funeral.

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