- Bridney C.
Aaliyah Morris Shares Digital Photo Archive of a Tejano Legend
By Bridney C.
Fan accounts on social media often serve as digital photo archives for fans of celebrities, respectively. One singer, in particular, Selena, who has touched the hearts of millions even after her death in 1995 is one of the thousands of public figures who have hundreds of fan accounts sharing pictures, videos, and fan-related content.
While there are numerous Selena fan accounts on Instagram, most people don't often think about the reason behind someone creating a fan account. We at the Sweet Scoop Media decided to contact one of those numerous fan accounts to get ahold of the account holder to understand why and how fan accounts grab Instagram user's attention and gain traction.
Enter Aaliyah Morris, a 16-year-old high school student from Chicago, Illinois. She vividly remembers how she was first exposed to Selena's music and says she was 6-years-old when she first heard of her.
It all started 10 years ago when she and her mom were watching the 1997 movie, Selena starring Jennifer Lopez when little Aaliyah asked her mother a question about the movie. She remembers being amazed at how perfectly Lopez replicated Selena's iconic dance moves and her bedazzled, risqué outfits.
In October 2019, flashbacks of the performance scenes from the movie started replaying in Aaliyah's head, and she decided to search up Selena's songs on YouTube after 10 years. "I wasn’t raised in a Hispanic household, so I was never really exposed to her music," says Morris.
She instantly fell in love with her sultry voice. Then, she conducted more research on the singer, saving pictures of her on her phone. After filling up her camera roll with hundreds of pictures, Aaliyah came up with the idea to start a fan account on Instagram.
"I thought I should share those pictures with fans. Also, nobody around me likes Selena as much as I do, so I had nobody else to talk about her with, " says Aaliyah.
Since then, the fan page has grown to a fan following of 1,592 followers and counting, with at least 30 new followers a day. Aaliyah has also expressed that Selena has inspired her to embark on her own singing career, and she would love to sing and write songs in Spanish.
We asked Aaliyah Morris five Selena-related questions to get to know more about her special fan-connection in the Late Tejano superstar and how she became a huge fan of her.
In this edition of 5 Questions, we asked Aaliyah Morris how Selena inspired her musically, why is it important for women of all ages to have a positive role model, and what is her top 3 favorite Selena songs.
BC: You expressed that you want to be a singer. How has Selena inspired you musically?
AM: She inspired me musically in so many ways. She inspired me to write songs again and write songs in Spanish. I want to sing in Spanish and do Latin dances because of her. I used to not believe that I could ever be a singer, but she inspired me to believe in myself and work towards my dreams of becoming a singer. She inspired me to sing better and dance better.
BC: Why is it important for women and young girls around the world to have a famous, positive role model to look up to?
AM: A lot of girls around the world nowadays are exposed to negativity on the internet and in their communities. They get inspired and influenced by that negativity. As a result, they do not realize it and start to act out. I believe if you look up to someone positive, you will be positive. Selena was a kind, sweet person, and I’m glad that I am inspired by her.
BC: How has Selena inspired you? What about her personality, in particular, drew you to her?
AM: She inspired me to be a loving and nicer person than I already was. She was perfect. I’m a shy person and I can be anti social sometimes. She was so social and confident singing in front of people. I want to be like that one day. I want to be talkative, goofy like her, and feel comfortable singing in front of people.
BC: What is your favorite Selena song? Name your top 3 favorite outfits she wore.
AM: My three favorite songs are "Tú Robaste Mi Corazón," "Enamorada de Ti," and "Yo Te Amo." One of my favorite outfits that she has ever worn is the outfit with the black bustier and the little red flower in the middle of it. Another outfit that I love is the outfit she wore to the 1992 Tejano Awards. I also love the outfit she wore at the 1993 Houston Astrodome concert.
BC: If you could say one thing to Selena if she were alive, what would it be?
AM: I would say thank you for being such a great person, and I love you so much. I would probably hug her too. Even though I never met her before, I miss her so much.
You can follow Aaliyah Morris' Selena fan page on Instagram @selenaqperez__