Selena to receive Lifetime Achievement Award at 2021 GRAMMY Awards

Selena will be recognized on music’s biggest stage in March.

The Recording Academy announced Tuesday the late Latin music icon will be one of the honorees of the 2021 Special Merit Award, the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2021 GRAMMY Awards.

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“As we welcome the new class of Special Merit Award honorees, it gives us a chance to reward and recognize the influence they’ve had in the music community regardless of genre,” said Harvey Mason Jr., Interim President/CEO of the Recording Academy. “As a music creator and music lover, I am grateful that we are able to look back at our influences and see the impact that they have made on our community. In a year where music has helped keep us together, I look forward to honoring this iconic group of music creators.”

The “Queen of Cumbia” is known for bringing Tejano music to the forefront. Her 1993 album, Live, won Best Mexican-American Album at the 36th Annual GRAMMY Awards. It was the first time a female Tejano artist won the category. According to the Recording Academy, the posthumously released crossover album, Dreaming Of You, sold 175,000 copies on the day of its release, a then-record for a female vocalist.

Selena is one of several artists receiving such honors this year, including Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five, Marilyn Horne, Talking Heads, Salt-N-Pepa, and Lionel Hampton.

A press release states that “given the challenges imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, more details about the special award presentation event will be announced at a later date.”

The news comes just a few weeks after the release of Netflix’s Selena: The Series, which chronicles the life and legacy of the iconic singer who tragically died in 1995 at the age of 23.

The 63rd Annual GRAMMY Awards will be held on March 14, 2021.

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