Tejano MusicI. What I knew about Tejano musicFor me, it all started with Selena. I remember a boy in my middle school class dedicating “Como La Flor” to me at one of our school dances in seventh grade. After that, Tejano kind of got stuck in my head and all I thought about the song was that I had rejected that boy. Selena was a bona fide Tejana star at the time and I was shocked by her murder two years later. She was a five-star role model that Mexican-Americans could relate to and appreciate. His songs live on in the Tejano world, as does his spirit and love for music. We then move on to listening to bands such as La Mafia, Intenso and Intocable; singing “Vida” by La Mafia was one of my favorite pastimes. Even though I didn't speak Spanish well, I could still sing it well. I knew they were regional bands and probably the only ones you could find in the Rio Grande Valley to play at a wedding, quincenera or party. I thought Tejano couldn't be born anywhere other than Texas because after all, that's the meaning. of Tejano-Texan in Spanish. I have lived in South Texas my entire life, which means I grew up in a segregated Hispanic community. Although I wasn't a fan of Tejano music, I identified with the music and understood the lyrics well. Tejano wasn't popular worldwide at the time, but I had my favorites. I knew that as a Mexican American, this music was a mixture of cultures. Over time, Tejano music became my favorite. I think this music contains so much feeling and love and sometimes it makes me emotional. “Corrazon,” by Intenso, always reminds me of an old heartbreak and no matter what, every time I hear it, I have to sing it. Whenever I want to feel sad and happy at the same time, I turn the radio to a Tejano station. I feel my roots in the music that our culture has created; I don't believe Tejano music can be taken away from me now.II. What I wanted to knowTejano has been around for a long time, but for how long? The length of its existence can say a lot about Tejano culture, because the music speaks so much for its people..