Google’s Sweet Selena Tribute Came Because a Texan Pushed for it (Of Course): Beloved Doodle Earns Almost Universal Praise, Heartfelt Thanks

While you were surfing the web this week, you may have found something unexpected: a colorful tribute to Selena. Google payed homage to the legendary Tejano singer in their daily Doodle on October 17th since that date marked the 28th anniversary of her self-titled debut album. The search engine displayed a flowery illustration of Selena on their homepage, along with an animated video depicting her epic rise to stardom, set to her hit song “Bidi Bidi Bom Bom.”

How did the beloved late singer wind up on the search bar? A Texan is to thank, of course.

Perla Campos, Global Marketing Lead for Google Doodles, led the project for the last two years. A native of Granbury, Texas, Campos looked up to the singer throughout her life.

“There were always two women who taught me I could do anything and be anything I set my mind to: my mom and Selena. Selena has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember,” she tells Billboard.

Campos, like many Texans, related to Selena Quintanilla’s experience as a Hispanic woman growing up in primarily white communities in the U.S.

“Watching her showed me that this hybrid cultural identity of mine was a valuable gift I should embrace. Watching her made me proud of being Mexicana,” Campos wrote in a statement. 

When Campos joined the Google Doodle team two years ago, there was already a Selena Quintanilla Doodle in the works – but the lifelong fan knew she could make it even better. She worked with designers, animators and Quintanilla’s family to ensure that the project was perfect down to the tiniest details. The microphone even had traces of red lipstick, because Selena was known to touch her lips to the mic as she performed. Anything for Selenas!

Despite the singer’s tragic death more than 22 years ago, she still has a loyal fanbase. Social media users responded to the animation with an outpouring of love and excitement. As Campos explained to Billboard, Selena is a timeless source of inspiration.

“Selena was always about transcending boundaries, and for someone who has such a powerful story to be featured on the homepage of Google — a search engine that connects people the way she connected people — that is such a beautiful thing.”