A death that has always intrigued us for the last 20+ years in the Music Industry is the death of Tejano Star Selena Quintanilla. Selena was murdered in 1995 by Yolanda Saldivar, her “friend” and fan club president, but the motive was never clear. Was it jealousy, obsession, or revenge? The questions were never answered until Puerto Rican journalist Maria Celeste Arraras, who had spent an extensive year researching the case and interviewing key witnesses as well as Yolanda herself, published a book which she titled El Secreto de Selena (Selena’s Secret). The book claimed to uncover what really happened and why Selena was murdered, although readers claimed it ended with a confusing note of Maria Celeste citing her journalistic code of ethics as a reason for her not being able to disclose the secret that got Selena killed.

Fast forward 20 years and Maria Celeste publishes an updated version of the book with new revealing details as she stated two decades had passed since the original edition had gone out and said her sources no longer claimed anonymity. Come 2019 and the book is now a series which will premiere on national network Telemundo starting Sunday, August 25th.

Entertainment Affair was recently invited to an exclusive interview with the journalist and author herself as well as the 3 main actresses from the series. After the interview, we got an exclusive look at the first episode. In the first episode, we kind of navigated through the last moments of Selena’s life intertwined with images of how Yolanda Saldivar had made her way into Selena’s life a few years prior. It was interesting, and the rest of the episodes promise to reveal secrets we have yet to know of. Following the special screening was a Q&A with the actresses and Maria Celeste Arraras.

Important takeaways we took from the interview and the Q&A after the screening include the fact that:

• Neither the book or the series is Yolanda’s version of what happened. Yolanda’s interview with Maria Celeste was part of the investigation the journalist conducted which resulted in a book, but it was not based on the interview alone.
• Maria Celeste states that we (the general public and fans) claim to know the story of what happened to Selena, but the reality is that we don’t and this series aims to reveal the truth behind her death.
• Maria Celeste maintains no relationship with Yolanda or the Quintanilla family. The author claims Yolanda is upset at her for claiming in her book that she manipulated Selena the last few years of her life. The Quintanilla family claims the book is full of lies and that the journalist is only looking to profit from the sales. Maria Celeste has clarified that every claim in the book can be proven with evidence, which is why it has never been subjected to a lawsuit; no one can legally dispute its claims and findings. Maria Celeste also states she never received money from the book sales as all royalties were donated.

Nonetheless, it will be up to the public to decide which version they will believe once the series comes to an end. El Secreto de Selena will air every Sunday on Telemundo at 10pm beginning August 25th.

Check out our exclusive interview below with Journalist and Author Maria Celeste Arraras, and actresses Sofia Lama (Maria Celeste), Damayanti Quintanar (Yolanda Saldivar) and Maya Zapata (Selena). Please note that the interview is in Spanish.