Did Jennifer Lopez Sing in the "Selena" Movie?

Playing Selena Quintanilla in the 1997 biopic about the late Tejano singer literally turned Jennifer Lopez's career around. It was her first major film role, even inspiring her to become a singer. "[The movie] made me realize, don't neglect parts of yourself and let people put you in a box because you're an actress. You can do this, and you can also do that," she told Billboard in 2005 for the 20th anniversary of Selena's death. "Life is short, and you don't know what's going to happen. Go for your dreams and don't let anyone hold you back."

But what's interesting is that Lopez doesn't actually sing in the movie. The voice you hear every time Selena performs on stage or records a new song is the late singer's, with Lopez lip-syncing to her tracks.

There is one exception: in the scene where Selena performs in front of a large crowd in Monterrey, Mexico, as the band fears the stage might collapse, you can hear Lopez's voice as she starts Selena's hit "Como la Flor" on a slower melody to soothe the crowds. Only the first three words are in her voice, but interestingly enough, that moment marked the beginning of Lopez's amazing musical career.

This is why it meant so much to Lopez to be able to sing in her latest film, "Marry Me."

"It's called 'Marry Me' and it has a little bit of something for everyone. Music, romance, comedy, emotion. I love that I get to sing on screen for the first time since 'Selena.' It's been a while," she said in a clip at CinemaCon 2021, as reported by CinemaBlend. "It's just one of those movies that makes you feel good, and who's not ready for that after the last year and a half . . . it was so exciting to be reuniting with Owen Wilson, who I worked with before . . . I was thrilled to follow 'Hustlers' by working with another female director in Kat Coiro. Ladies, keep doing it!"

Regardless of the fact that Lopez didn't actually sing in "Selena," after seeing her in the biopic, we will always associate her with the late Tejano singer.