Grammys 2021: Selena Quintanilla Fans Outraged at Lack of Tribute After Lifetime Achievement Award

During the 2021 Grammy Awards telecast, several individuals were honored with Lifetime Achievement awards including Selena Quintanilla, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, Lionel Hampton, Marilyn Horne, Salt-N-Pepa, and the Talking Heads. However, according to the Los Angeles Times, many of Quintanilla’s fans, in particular, were wondering where the Grammy’s tribute to the late singer was. While Quintanilla’s fans might have taken to social media to share their frustrations over her lack of tribute, it should be noted that the Grammys do not typically honor each of the Lifetime Achievement honorees with a dedicated performance.

Quintanilla, who has been described as the queen of Tejano music and culture, died in March 1995. Although she passed away over two decades ago, her influence on the music industry can still be seen today. The late singer has even been commemorated in a slew of projects such as in the eponymous Selena film starring Jennifer Lopez in 1997 and, more recently, a 2020 Netflix series entitled Selena: The Series. Given her legacy, some of her fans weren’t pleased to see that the singer did not receive a dedicated tribute during the 2021 Grammys telecast as she received the Lifetime Achievement Award. Her sister, Suzette Quintanilla, even addressed the matter on Instagram.

“Thank you to The Recording Academy in recognizing Selena for this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award and a special thank you to Selena’s fans for their love and support of her music and legacy,” Suzette began. “SELENA VIVE ps. Yes I also feel they should’ve shown more love and acknowledgment to Selena and to all the recipients of the Lifetime Achievement Award. But I will not allow that to over shadow what this award represents!”

Many of Quintanilla’s fans on Twitter have not held back their own feelings on the matter, sharing their frustrations over the lack of tribute for the late icon. One wrote, “Y’all had 3 HOURS (almost 4) and you couldn’t fit a tribute for Selena Quintanilla in there?! Even though she won the lifetime achievement award?! I’m over it.” As previously mentioned, it’s not typical to see the telecast devote time to each of their Lifetime Achievement Award honorees. So, Quintanilla, like the other honorees, did not receive a dedicated tribute during the telecast.