New Selena Album: ‘MOONCHILD MIXES’
Back in March 2022, the family of the late Tejano singer Selena Quintanilla first announced their plans to release a new posthumous album. Selena has skyrocketed in worldwide fame and icon status since she was killed in 1995 at the age of 23. Naturally, her devoted fanbase waited eagerly for new material from “La Reina,” which the Quintanillas originally stated would be released in April.
But April came and went with no sign of a new album, and the project appeared to be neglected. Yet when a newly mixed version of Selena’s ranchera ballad, “Como Te Quiero Yo A Ti” – which she originally recorded around age 13 – dropped on July 29, news of the upcoming album was revived.
/*! elementor – v3.7.8 – 02-10-2022 */
.elementor-widget-image{text-align:center}.elementor-widget-image a{display:inline-block}.elementor-widget-image a img[src$=”.svg”]{width:48px}.elementor-widget-image img{vertical-align:middle;display:inline-block}
MOONCHILD MIXES, the latest posthumous Selena album, was officially released on August 24, 2022. All tracks were produced by A.B. Quintanilla III and Suzette Quintanilla, Selena’s brother and sister. A.B. and Suzette were a part of the family’s band Selena y los Dinos when Selena was alive, playing bass and drums respectively.
In an interview, Suzette Quintanilla described the meaning behind the album’s title, MOONCHILD MIXES. “The reason for the name of the album is very simple. It’s because it means her name. In Greek, Selena’s name means ‘goddess of the moon.’ So, hence, ‘Moonchild,’” she explained. “We didn’t want such a traditional name for this album, like ‘Legendary’ or anything like that… Her fans will understand it. They’ll understand the connection because it’s her name.”
The album, however, is not quite representative of who Selena was stylistically during her career. Her voice, which has been slightly pitched down to mimic the maturity and tone of her vocals at the time of her death, is not the focal point of the songs. Instead, the overly produced remixes distract from the raw talent Selena was in her early teenage years.
Songs selected for the MOONCHILD MIXES tracklist were originally released on Selena y Los Dinos’ early albums in the 1980s, Alpha and Preciosa. Traditional ranchera ballads and conjuntos are replaced with EDM cumbia beats, corny synthesizers, and excessive sound effects. While Selena’s voice sounds slightly deeper and fuller due to de-tuning, her original vocal energy more appropriately suits simplistic production. And by including multiple mixes of the same song over different beats – three versions of “Como Te Quiero Yo a Ti,” two versions of “Dame Tu Amor” – the project sounds rushed and short on material.
One of the reasons Selena’s music became wildly popular during her lifetime was her experimentation with her band. They blended traditional elements of Tejano music with a variety of genres. MOONCHILD MIXES is less cutting-edge and more repetitive stylistically. As an EDM cumbia album, it pales in comparison to the sleek production of current dance and house music hits. Still, Selena fans will hopefully appreciate hearing her voice on these hidden gems from her teenage years.
Listen below to MOONCHILD MIXES by Selena.
