“I never in my mind thought, ‘Hey, I’m gonna be a Selena impersonator.’ I saw the smiles on people’s faces, the stories that I would head, the memories. My mom used to wear costume jewelry and bustiers, mopping the floor in her heels and high-waisted pants,” Solis says. She looked like her, but it was her wardrobe. “Selena was always a big factor for me because the first time I saw her, she reminded me of my mom. Their business, a paint and body shop, is still open in Texas City. Her parents died in a car accident when she was just six years old. Several months later, she accepted an invitation to sing for free at a quinceañera.ĭespite the uncanny Selena resemblance, Amanda found it as a way to connect with her mother. The reaction to her look took Amanda by surprise. She won first place that night, and when she returned for the next round, she dressed up in one of her mother’s retro outfits, which reflected the ‘90s glam of Madonna, Janet and, yes, Selena. Amanda ventured out one night to a neighborhood bar, where a friend prompted her to sing “Bidi Bidi Bom Bom” in a karaoke contest. She says the Selena tribute started “by accident,” an oft-used phrase by performers that rings true in this case. Amanda attended the University of Houston, where she was a cheerleader, and College of the Mainland in Galveston, earning her associates degree and eventually a real estate license. But less than five years ago, music wasn’t even an option. People would often point out Amanda’s resemblance to Selena. “My traditional roots are still there, with a little twist.” “Let me show you who Amanda is and do something different,” she says. It’s an exciting, bilingual mashup that moves forward genres that have desperately needed the push for a long time. They worked for several months to develop Solis’ own sound, dubbed "cumbia-Americano," a blend of Tejano and regional Mexican rhythms with contemporary flourishes. The end result, a six-song EP cleverly titled “Quinceañera Queen,” is due in 2020. “I think she has loads of talent and has been practicing for her shot all her life.” “They came to us to get our sound but definitely brought ideas on what they wanted,” Dusty says. Corpus Christi native Dusty is a pioneer of nu-cumbia and cumbia electronica, which filters the traditional sound through synths, electro and hip-hop. “Kiebra la Bota” was produced by El Dusty and Mariano Herrera for the Houston-based Street Science Entertainment label. I need to do a song like this from a woman’s perspective’.” But it also made me think, ‘There are only men singing these songs. “The dance floor would just fill up whenever the zapateado songs came on,” Amanda says. Zapateado is immensely popular at quinceañeras and weddings, a point that wasn’t lost on Solis as she performed at the events around the country. She’s inspired me and paved the way in many different ways.” “I’ve been paying tribute to Selena for so long. “I was just excited alone to be working on my music as Amanda,” she says. The lyrics namecheck Houston and Piedras Negras, Mexico, where Amanda’s parents were born. Her first original single, “Kiebra la Bota,” is a party anthem in the style of zapateado, a Mexican dance characterized by continuous foot stomping around a dance floor. Amanda was one of five finalists selected to attend the Madame Tussauds Selena wax figure launch party in Los Angeles and portrayed the singer in a documentary on the Reelz channel.īut Amanda is finally ready to put the bustier aside. It’s kept her booked and busy throughout Houston and around the country. She expertly recreates the late late singer's looks, moves and voice onstage. The Texas city native has spent the last few years paying tribute to Tejano icon Selena. She appeared on national TV in a highly rated docudrama.īut she’d finally and truly like to introduce herself. (Houston, TX) Amanda Solis has performed for 30,000 fans at White Sox Stadium in Chicago.
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