The Podcast 'Anything For Selena' Tells A Story Larger Than The Artist's Life

The new podcast Anything for Selena, from NPR member station WBUR, doesn't begin with the late singer's biography or her most popular songs. Instead, it starts on the U.S.-Mexico border, with a narrator describing the creosote plants that grow there in vivid sensory terms.

"It has this unforgettable smell when it rains," the voice says. "It's slightly floral, but mostly it's this very specific, cool earthy desert aroma. And there's usually a calm clear breeze, which carries these concentrated little pockets of fragrance."

Selena Quintanilla was known as the queen of Tejano music until her death in 1995, when she was killed at age 23 by the president of her fan club. The podcast is about Selena and her music — but in many ways it's also the about the program's host, Maria Garcia, who spent her young life on both sides of America's southern border.

Garcia spoke with NPR's Ari Shapiro about the genesis of Anything for Selena and the particular resonance of the artist today for those who grew up in the shadow of her career. Hear the radio version at the audio link, and read on for an edited transcript.