Portal:Latin music/Selected article or list/48
The Tejano Music Award for Female Vocalist of the Year is an honor presented to female Tejano music recording artists. The Tejano Music Awards, first bestowed in 1981, was established to recognize the most talented performers of the genre—a subcategory of regional Mexican music, with roots in the music of early European settlers in Texas. The awards are presented by the Texas Talent Musicians Association (TTMA), to "promote excellence in the Tejano music industry" using the popular vote method to select the winner of the female vocalist of the year. Historically, female musicians fared less favorably in the male-dominated genre and were seen as inferior to their male counterparts. The award was established by Rick Trevino, a male Tejano performer, who founded the Awards in 1981.
The award was first presented to American singer Lisa Lopez. Laura Canales won the award five nonconsecutive times, and is considered Tejano music's first leading lady before the genre's golden age in the 1990s. Selena holds the record for most wins, winning 11 of her 12 nominations. The singer has been called the Queen of Tejano music, and is credited with catapulting the genre into the mainstream market.