Anything For Selena

WBUR & Futuro Studios

Maria García combines rigorous reporting with impassioned storytelling to honor Selena Quintanilla's life and legacy. She also explores the indelible mark she left on Latino identity and belonging, whether it’s fatherhood, big-butt politics, and the fraught relationship with whiteness and language. Anything for Selena has been named an Apple Podcasts Series Essential.

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17 episodes
Avg 37 min
English

Episodes 17

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Wednesday · 37 min
New Podcast Alert: Reaching Out
Reaching Out is a story about fathers, sons, and the distance between them.
August 6 · 32 min
NEW PODCAST ALERT: Muy Excited with Maria Garcia
Host Maria Garcia revisits the importance of Ricky Martin’s career and life, and how he had to live “La vida loca” so that Bad Bunny could do “Lo que le da la gana.”
June 3 · 39 min
Introducing Our Thing: The Birth of Salsa in Nueva York (hosted by Rosie Perez)
This is the story of the birth of salsa in Nueva York and the rebellious, seductive and political label that defined it: Fania Records.
February 11 · 35 min
Introducing – La Brega: Season Three
La Brega returns from Futuro Studios for its third season. This season they’re bringing you stories of Puerto Rico’s champions. La Brega: Season 3 is out everywhere on 2/3.
May 9, 2025 · 40 min
Bonus: Host Maria Garcia and artist Maya Murillio celebrate Selena [LIVE in LA]
In this special bonus episode of Anything for Selena, host Maria Garcia and artist Maya Murillo come together in front of a live audience at the Apple Store at The Grove in Los Angeles to celebrate Selena's legacy and the induction of Anything for Selena into Apple Podcasts Series Essentials.
#11
Mar 5, 2021 · 44 min
BONUS: Selena and Chris
On the 26th anniversary of Selena's tragic death, Maria heads to Joshua Tree, California for an intimate interview with Selena's widower, Chris Perez.
#10
Mar 4, 2021 · 45 min
BONUS: Anything for Selena Live!
The creators of Anything for Selena take listeners behind the scenes for a look at the making of the podcast.
#9
Mar 2, 2021 · 35 min
Selena and Us
Maria reflects on what her year-long examination into Selena’s legacy reveals about the singer's humanity.
#8
Feb 23, 2021 · 45 min
Selena and Race
Maria analyzes why Selena's brownness is an essential part of her legacy.
#7
Feb 16, 2021 · 42 min
Selena and the Internet
Maria explores how the internet has become a place where fans celebrate and remember Selena, as well as grapple with the void she left behind.
#6
Feb 9, 2021 · 43 min
Spanglish
Maria explores why Selena’s Spanglish seemed so revolutionary for its time, and yet so familiar to many fans.
#5
Feb 2, 2021 · 38 min
Tejano Tension
Selena was the "Queen of Tejano music." After her death, Tejano went from boom to bust. Maria discovers that the story of Tejano's decline isn't so simple.
#4
Jan 26, 2021 · 44 min
Big Butt Politics
Ever since Sir Mix-a-Lot’s “Baby Got Back (I Like Big Butts)” hit nearly 30 years ago, the obsession in popular culture with big butts remains strong. Maria has a theory about how big butts went from taboo to obsession -- and it involves Selena and Jennifer Lopez. She uncovers that booty politics is ultimately about race.
#3
Jan 19, 2021 · 41 min
Birth of a Symbol
In this episode, Maria traces how Selena became a symbol for solidarity and resistance.
#2
Jan 12, 2021 · 43 min
Selena and Abraham
Maria knows that to truly understand Selena as a person and not just an icon, she needs to go to Corpus Christi. Maria’s quest takes her to Abraham Quintanilla, Selena Quintanilla’s notoriously guarded father. Maria confronts his complicated legacy and reflects on fatherhood in Latinx cultures.
#1
Jan 12, 2021 · 29 min
Selena and Me
Growing up along the U.S.-Mexico border, Maria Garcia felt torn between her two identities as Mexican and American. But then, something changed her life. She discovered Selena — the Mexican-American pop icon who proved she didn’t have to choose. In the premiere episode of “Anything for Selena,” Maria explores how Selena helped Maria find her own place in the world.
Oct 9, 2020 · 4 min
Anything for Selena: A Podcast About Belonging
I can still see her if I close my eyes. And also myself: 7 years old, new to this country, figuring out how to belong. Then she was gone. Suddenly, violently. Her death changed us. A quarter century later, I’m on the biggest quest of my career: investigating Selena's legacy.

Showing 1–17 of 17 episodes