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Selena Quintanilla-Pérez At 50: Preserving And Protecting A Precious Legacy

Fans with a photo of Selena during a ceremony honoring her in 2017. Over the decades since her death, Selena's legacy has become even more profound than writer Deborah Paredez ever anticipated. AFP Contributor/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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AFP Contributor/AFP via Getty Images

Selena At 50: Preserving And Protecting A Precious Legacy

April 16, 2021 • This week marks what would have been the 50th birthday of Selena, who died in 1995. Now, she's experiencing a remarkable revival. But has she ever really been that far from our thoughts or playlists?

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Playlists

Hand-picked songs curated by the NPR Music staff

Disco Beethoven. Chris Sharron hide caption

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Chris Sharron

NPR Classical

Ten new tracks this week offer a broad range of sounds, from Hilary Hahn, New York Polyphony and electronic master Thomas Fehlmann to Simone Dinnerstein, Louis Andriessen and Anohni's "Another World" with strings.

Comic book artist Daniel Warren Johnson (Murder Falcon, Extremity) illustrates the music of Viking's Choice. Horns up! Daniel Warren Johnson hide caption

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Daniel Warren Johnson

Viking's Choice

This week: Fire-Toolz's next-level industrial, Mabe Fratti's cello drone, Quicksand's cinematic hardcore, James Brandon Lewis' jazz pointillism. Throwbacks to Minako Yoshida, DMX, Moss Icon.

Heavy Rotation: 16 Songs Public Radio Can't Stop Playing

Jensen McRae's "Starting to Get to You" is featured in March's edition of Heavy Rotation. Joe Robles/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Joe Robles/Courtesy of the artist

Heavy Rotation

NPR member stations share a mix of the most popular songs on their airwaves this month, including music from CHAI, Joe Chambers, serpentwithfeet and more.

Lars Gotrich/NPR

Press Pause

A regularly updated playlist that keeps track of new songs deemed absolutely essential by the NPR Music staff.

More playlists

Editors' picks

Essential stories and videos from npr music

Catching Up With Laurie Anderson, An Artist Always Ahead Of Her Time

Laurie Anderson, an artist and performer whose work spans disciplines, channels her emotional past into transformative art. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Courtesy of the artist

Catching Up With Laurie Anderson, An Artist Always Ahead Of Her Time

The versatile, eclectic multimedia artist and musician Laurie Anderson has taken stock of her life's work, pursuing reissues and retrospectives while always forging ahead.

Scott Everett for NPR

I Grew Up Afraid. Lil Nas X's 'Montero' Is The Lesson I Needed

For all the fuss around the viral hit "Montero (Call Me By Your Name)," its true message is a tender one: Hell hath no fury like what young queer people go through every day.

The Rhymes And Reasons Behind Re-Recording Your Own Classics

Taylor Swift, onstage during the Fearless Tour at Madison Square Garden on Aug. 27, 2009 in New York. Swift released a re-recorded version of her 2008 album Fearless on April 9, 2021. Jason Kempin/Getty Images hide caption

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Jason Kempin/Getty Images