This article summarizes the singles discography of American singer Selena. Over the course of her career she released 93 singles, two EPs and eight duets. Billboard honored her as the "top Latin artist of the '90s" and the decade's best‑selling Latin performer, in large part because she accumulated fourteen top‑ten entries on the Top Latin Songs chart, including seven number‑one hits. Across formats, Selena's singles have sold in excess of five million copies worldwide.
Early releases (1989–1992)
Selena's first major single was "Contigo Quiero Estar", issued as the lead from her 1989 self‑titled album Selena. That track reached the top ten of the US Hot Latin Tracks. From 1990, "Baila Esta Cumbia" was the principal single from Ven Conmigo and later became one of her enduring dance numbers.
In 1990 Selena recorded the duet "Buenos Amigos" with Salvadoran vocalist Alvaro Torres; the recording — credited as a duet — climbed to number one on the Hot Latin Tracks. The song did not appear on any of Selena's studio albums released during her lifetime.
Breakthrough and Mexican market (1992–1993)
The 1992 album Entre A Mi Mundo produced several singles that raised Selena's profile across the United States and Mexico. "La Carcacha" served as a lead single and registered on regional radio formats, peaking on the Latin Regional Mexican Airplay chart. "Como La Flor" became one of her most recognized recordings and is often cited among her signature songs; it also reached number one on the Hot Latin Tracks. The album's third single, "¿Qué Creias?", reached the middle of the Hot Latin Tracks chart and, together with the other singles, helped establish Selena as a major act in Mexico where she began to headline tours and set attendance records.
Live album success and Amor Prohibido era
After winning a Grammy Award for Selena Live! (1993), several singles released from that live set — including "No Debes Jugar" and "La Llamada" — reached the upper reaches of the Hot Latin Tracks. Following that period, the 1994 studio album Amor Prohibido produced an unprecedented run of chart‑toppers: the title track "Amor Prohibido", "Bidi Bidi Bom Bom", "No Me Queda Mas" and "Fotos y Recuerdos" all reached number one, expanding her audience across the Americas.
Selena also collaborated outside her albums. The non‑album duet "Donde Quiera Que Estes" with the Barrio Boyzz reached number one on both the Hot Latin Tracks and regional Mexican charts and opened new touring territories for her, including New York City, Puerto Rico, South America and Central America, markets where she had previously been less well known. The singles from this era were among the most successful recorded by Latin artists in 1994 and 1995 in the United States Hispanic market and in Mexico.
Crossover project and posthumous success
By early 1995 Selena was working toward an English‑language crossover album and had completed six recordings by January 20, 1995. She was killed on March 31, 1995; the completed project was issued posthumously on July 18, 1995 as Dreaming of You.
The singles from that release became international hits. "I Could Fall in Love" reached the top of the Hot Latin Tracks and charted in multiple countries. The title single "Dreaming of You" reached number one on several charts and registered in charts across 13 countries. Sales figures reported for the single exceed 4.7 million copies worldwide, with about two million sold in the United States; it received a double‑platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America and amassed multiple certifications internationally. Contemporary accounts list it among the best‑selling singles of the mid‑1990s and show strong positions in decade‑end lists in markets such as the United Kingdom and France.
The English version of the duet with the Barrio Boyzz, recorded for the crossover project, also enjoyed sustained attention in Spain. After Selena's death, record companies issued numerous singles — eighteen in total — and many of those releases entered charts in the United States, Spanish‑speaking countries, France and Canada. Selected singles from across her career, including the crossover cuts, continue to receive radio airplay years after their initial release.
Notable singles (selection)
- "Contigo Quiero Estar" — lead single from Selena (single)
- "Baila Esta Cumbia" — from Ven Conmigo
- "Buenos Amigos" — duet with Alvaro Torres (single)
- "La Carcacha" — from Entre A Mi Mundo (single)
- "Como La Flor" — one of her signature songs (single)
- "Amor Prohibido", "Bidi Bidi Bom Bom", "No Me Queda Mas", "Fotos y Recuerdos" — four number‑one singles from Amor Prohibido (title track, Bidi Bidi Bom Bom, Fotos y Recuerdos)
- "I Could Fall in Love" and "Dreaming of You" — crossover singles from Dreaming of You (I Could Fall in Love, Dreaming of You)