Selena's brother, A.B. Quintanilla III was the music producer and songwriter for the album. Selena wrote "My Love" on her own. "Sukiyaki" was translated from Japanese to Spanish. This was done by Selena's father and manager Abraham Quintanilla, Jr. and Pete Astudillo. The lead single, "Contigo Quiero Estar" got to number eight on the Hot Latin Tracks chart in 1989.
José Behar, president of EMI Latin, went to the 1989 Tejano Music Awards. He was looking for new musicians. After Selena sang, Behar called his boss and told him about Selena. Behar thought he found the next Gloria Estefan. His boss told him that he was "crazy". He said this because Behar was only in Texas for a week. Selena later signed with EMI Latin later that year. She was the first artist to sign with them. Recording started in late 1988 and went on until early 1989. Selena recorded most of the songs in San Antonio, Texas at AMEN Studios. "Sukiyaki" and "My Love" were recorded in Houston, Texas at Sunrise Studios. Selena wrote "My Love" by herself. She wanted the song to be in the album. Her brother A.B. Quintanilla III was the music producer and main songwriter. Their father and manager Abraham Quintanilla, Jr. gave the job to A.B. He believed A.B. was good at producing music.
The only songs A.B. did not write were "Sukiyaki", "Contigo Quiero Estar", and "No Te Vayas". The original "Sukiyaki" was in Japanese. Selena's lyrics were a Spanish version of an English version of the song by Janice Marie Johnson. "Sukiyaki" had been one of Abraham's favorite songs when he was growing up. "Contigo Quiero Estar" was written by Mexican songwriter Alejandro Montealegre. "No Te Vayas" was written by Reinaldo Ornelas. A.B. wanted "No Te Vayas" on the album because of its reggae sounds. He thought it would make the album "exotic" (different) from other Spanish-language albums. He believed this because of the different music genres they had produced.
"Selena" was released on October 17, 1989 by EMI Latin. In its first week on the US Regional Mexican Albums chart (December 2, 1989), it was at number 17. It got to its highest place on the chart, number 7, on March 24, 1990. It was on the chart for another three weeks. On May 5, 1990, it was on the chart again, at number 14. That was after the release of "Ven Conmigo" (1990). However, it left the charts. It was on the chart again two times in August 1990. "Contigo Quiero Estar", "Mentiras", and "Sukiyaki" were released as singles. The lead single, "Contigo Quiero Estar" got to number eight on the Hot Latin Tracks chart.
At the 1990 Tejano Music Awards, Selena won "Female Vocalist of the Year" and "Female Entertainer of the Year". Her album "Selena" did better than albums from other female singers. As of 1996, 24,000 copies of "Selena" have been sold in the United States. 30,000 copies of "Selena" were shipped. On August 27, 2002, "Selena" was released again. It was part of the "20 Years of Music" series. It had one bonus track ("La Bamba"). It also had commentaries for each track. Selena's family and friends talked about what happened during recordings and choosing songs for the album.
Credits were taken from the album's booklet.
Ven Conmigo
Ven Conmigo (English: "Come With Me"), was the third album released by rising Latina superstar Selena, on November 12, 1990, for the CAPITOL/EMI Latin label. This album, was the first to market Selena as a solo artist, no longer identifying her albums with "Selena Y Los Dinos," though they were still very much a part of the mix. The album itself, sold 50,000 units in America, and was certified Gold by the RIAA. Another 242,802 copies were sold on Amazon.com, verifed from their sellers rank.
The group re-recorded "La Tracalera", a cover version of a song by the original Dinos, as well as "Aunque No Salga El Sol," which they had originally recorded, in 1984. The song "Baila Esta Cumbia," was an instant hit in the U.S., and later crossed over to Mexico. Ven Conmigo, was the group's first Gold album.
A remastered version was released in 2002, with bonus tracks and spoken liner notes by the family and friends, who witnessed the entire production.
The album "Ven Conmigo" was recorded and mixed at "ZAZ Studios" in San Antiono, Texas. The engineer was "Gilbert Velasquez" who also mixed the album. The album's main photo was taken by "Robert Lopez". The album was produced, arranged, and performaned by A.B. Quintanilla III. The co-arranged was "Ricky Vela" and "Jose C. Ojeda". The midi and computer sequencing was made by "Ricky Vela".
A.B. Quintanilla, III, wrote and produced almost every song on Ven Conmigo. David Lee Garza, the accordion player for the title track, "Ven Conmigo, participated in the writing and production, as well.
Nadap
The village of Nadap lies on the eastern slopes of Velencei Hills, it is a well oriented, self-contained settlement, with charming rural atmosphere. It is only two kilometers both from the recreation facilities of Lake Velencei and from the M7 motorway, therefore it is easily accessible from Budapest and from Székesfehérvár, too. Each house in the settlement has a great panorama.
The settlements around Lake Velencei are overwhelmed with the spirit of Mihály Vörösmarty. Nadap is not different either, the poet was baptised in the village on 3 December 1800. The baptistery is still in the church today. The inhabitants of the village expressed their admiration for the memory of the poet with a sculpture erected in the Millenium Park.
Nadap also hosts a key cartographical and architectural specialty; it is the home of the etalon for measuring heights in Hungary, called Nadapi szintezési ősjegy (Levelling mark of Nadap).
Pázmánd
Pázmánd is in the easternmost part of Velencei Hills, at the foot of Zsidó Hill (202m).
Archaeological artefacts prove that the village was already been populated the in Iron Age. The name of the village comes from the period when the State was founded; the area was probably awarded as a gift to Knight Pázmány to function as a summer residence.
Little is known about the history of the settlement in the Middle Ages. One thing is sure: when the Turks were expelled from Hungary the fleeing troops slaughtered the families living here, destroyed the Romanesque church and set the village on fire.
At the beginning of the 18th century Tót people (Slovakians) were settled in the area, the village was even called Tót-Pázmánd for some time. The inhabitants of the village declared themselves Hungarians already in the 19th century but their Slovakian roots are still noticeable in their conventions (Sibálás - Easter lashing).
Socratis Kokkalis
Socratis Kokkalis (born May 27, 1939) is a Greek businessman who has been a member of the Forbes 500 list of the world's 500 richest people. He is the Chairman, CEO and majority shareholder of Intracom Holdings. Intracom is one of the largest multinational technology groups in South-Eastern Europe, and the Chairman and majority shareholder of Intralot S.A., the world's leading gaming technology supplier and lottery licensed operator. He was also the owner and president of Olympiacos CFP, until his retirement in 2010. CFP is the most successful and most supported Greek football club in Greece. He is the President of the Kokkalis Foundation. This is a non-profit organization that promotes education and training, culture and social welfare, medical research and information technology, and athletics, both in Greece and abroad.
Mikhail Botvinnik
Mikhail Botvinnik (17 August 1911 – 5 May 1995) was a Soviet Russian grandmaster and three-time World Chess Champion.
He was an electrical engineer, one of the few chess masters who achieved distinction in another career while playing top-class competitive chess.