Pedro Astudillo (born December 1, 1963) is an American singer and songwriter. He was a backup vocalist for Selena y Los Dinos and has released several albums as a solo artist.

Early life

Astudillo was born on December 1, 1963, in

Laredo, Texas Laredo ( ; ) is a city in and the county seat of Webb County, Texas, United States, on the north bank of the Rio Grande in South Texas, across from Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico. Laredo has the distinction of flying seven flags (the flag of ...

, to Pedro and Paz Astudillo. He was one of the leaders of the

Tejano music Tejano music ( es, música tejana), also known as Tex-Mex music, is a popular music style fusing Mexican and US influences. Typically, Tejano combines Mexican Spanish vocal styles with dance rhythms from Czech and German genres – particular ...

scene, and from an early age followed mariachi and conjunto music. He began his musical career in a duo band called Los Bad Boyz alongside his friend Joe Ojeda in their hometown Laredo in 1985. In 1987, they were brought into a band, Selena y Los Dinos, by its manager,

Abraham Quintanilla Jr. Abraham Isaac Quintanilla Jr. (born February 20, 1939)Patoski page 2 is an American singer, songwriter, and producer. He is the father of Tejano singer Selena and was her manager throughout her life. Quintanilla was born to a Mexican-American f ...

, after opening a show for Los Dinos at a disco in Laredo. Astudillo became a backup vocalist for the Queen of Tejano,

Selena Selena Quintanilla Pérez (; April 16, 1971 – March 31, 1995), known mononymously as Selena, was an American Tejano singer. Called the " Queen of Tejano music", her contributions to music and fashion made her one of the most celebrated Mex ...

, the lead member of the group. Astudillo also sang three duets with her — "Amame, Quiereme" (1989), “Yo Te Amo” (1990) and "Siempre Estoy Pensando en Ti" (1992) - two of which were nominated for Vocal Duo of the Year at the Tejano Music Awards. He co-wrote some of Selena's number one hits such as "

Bidi Bidi Bom Bom "Bidi Bidi Bom Bom" is a song recorded by American Tejano singer, Selena. It was released as the second single from her fourth studio album, '' Amor Prohibido'' (1994). Originally written about a cheerful fish swimming freely in the ocean, the son ...

", "

Amor Prohibido ''Amor Prohibido'' ( en, italic=yes, Forbidden Love) is the fourth studio album by American singer Selena, released on March 13, 1993, by EMI Latin. Having reached a core fan base, the label aimed to broaden her appeal with the next studio rel ...

", and the BMI award-winners " La Carcacha", " ¿Qué Creías?", and "

Como la Flor "Como la Flor" ("Like the Flower") is a song that was recorded by American singer Selena for her third studio album ''Entre a Mi Mundo'' (1992). It was written by A. B. Quintanilla and Pete Astudillo. The song was conceptualized in 1982 aft ...

." Astudillo also wrote the song "Estúpido Romántico" that was sung and made popular by Grupo Mazz. As his collaboration with Selena flourished, Astudillo developed as a solo artist as well. In 1992, his debut album ''Entregate a Mi'', which included six songs written by him, was released on EMI Latin. 1993 also saw Astudillo nominated for Male Vocalist and Best Single at the Tejano Music Awards. Also in 1993, he released his next album entitled ''Como Nadie''. This album also had the same winning formula. He left Selena y Los Dinos in 1993, but continued to write Selena's songs, particularly for her fourth studio album,

. In 1995 after Selena's murder, by which Pete was devastated, he released his third album '' Cómo te Extraño'', which included his Lo Nuestro award-winning song by the

same name ''Same Name'' is an American reality television series in which an average person swaps lives with a celebrity of the same first name and surname. It premiered on July 24, 2011 on CBS. The series received low ratings, and CBS pulled it after fou ...

. This song was dedicated to Selena, as well as his mother, Paz Astudillo, who died the previous year. Astudillo is most well known for this song, which he co-wrote with A.B. Quintanilla, Selena's older brother. In 1997,

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

released the

biopic A biographical film or biopic () is a film that dramatizes the life of a non-fictional or historically-based person or people. Such films show the life of a historical person and the central character's real name is used. They differ from docudr ...

film, ''

'', telling her life story. Astudillo played himself in the movie. During this same year, Astudillo released his fourth album entitled '' Si Tu No Estas'' featuring the single by the album name. In 1999, he released his fifth and last studio album to date, ''Donde Estas Amor''. In 2003, Astudillo made an appearance at the 11th Annual El Premio ASCAP Awards, where he expressed that even though he did not win any awards, he was there to show support for the people who did. In 2005, his ''Greatest Hits'' album was released under the

Univision Univision () is an American Spanish-language free-to-air television network owned by TelevisaUnivision. It is the United States' largest provider of Spanish-language content. The network's programming is aimed at the Latino public and inclu ...

label. He re-united with the original Dinos from Selena y Los Dinos for a historic massive tribute concert in honor of the slain superstar, on April 7, 2005, at the

Reliant Stadium NRG Stadium, formerly Reliant Stadium, is a multi-purpose stadium in Houston, Texas, United States. Construction was completed in 2002, at a cost of $352 million and has a seating capacity of 72,220. It was the first NFL facility to have a retrac ...

in Houston, Texas. They performed "

Como La Flor "Como la Flor" ("Like the Flower") is a song that was recorded by American singer Selena for her third studio album ''Entre a Mi Mundo'' (1992). It was written by A. B. Quintanilla and Pete Astudillo. The song was conceptualized in 1982 aft ...

," as sung by Selena in her famed 1995

Astrodome The NRG Astrodome, also known as the Houston Astrodome or simply the Astrodome, is the world's first multi-purpose, domed sports stadium, located in Houston, Texas. It was financed and assisted in development by Roy Hofheinz, mayor of Housto ...

concert, which over 64,000 fans attended.Selena Vive
/ref> In 2020,

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...

released Selena: The Series, Astudillo was played by actor

Julio Macias Julio Arturo Macias (born March 20, 1990) is a Mexican actor. Following a series of cameo appearances, Macias had his breakthrough playing Oscar Diaz on the comedy-drama series ''On My Block'' (2018–2021), for which he received two Imagen Aw ...

References

External links

"Pete Astudillo", ''BMI''

{{DEFAULTSORT:Astudillo, Pete 1963 births American people of Mexican descent People from Laredo, Texas Selena y Los Dinos members Songwriters from Texas Tejano musicians Living people Hispanic and Latino American musicians American musicians of Mexican descent Singers from Texas 20th-century American singers Hispanic and Latino American people People from Webb County, Texas People from Texas 20th-century American male musicians 21st-century American male singers 21st-century American singers 21st-century American musicians 20th-century American male singers 20th-century American musicians 21st-century American male musicians EMI Latin artists Latin pop musicians Latin music songwriters Pete Astudillo