Jenni Rivera
Jenni Rivera was an American-Mexican singer, songwriter, actress, businesswoman, television producer, and record producer who worked across pop and corrido music.
Born on July 2, 1969, in Long Beach, California, Rivera held dual citizenship in the United States and Mexico. She attended Long Beach Polytechnic High School before going on to Long Beach City College and later California State University, building her education alongside what would become a multifaceted career in entertainment and business.
Rivera worked in both the pop and corrido genres, earning recognition from some of the music industry's prominent award circuits. She received the Lo Nuestro Award for Pop Album of the Year and the Lo Nuestro Award for Pop Song of the Year, as well as the Billboard Latin Music Award for Regional Mexican Song of the Year. Her roles extended beyond performing — she also worked as a record producer and television producer, and ran business ventures that ran parallel to her work in music and acting.
Rivera died on December 9, 2012, in Iturbide, Mexico, at the age of 43. Her recorded work spans the pop and corrido genres, and those remain the musical categories most closely associated with her output.
Quotes by Jenni Rivera
Usually, when a young girl is pregnant, she drops out of school and concentrates on being a mother. I thought that's what I had to do, but my counselors told me there was no way they would let me drop out. I had too much promise.
I realized going back and writing and explaining in details the difficulties I had lived actually became emotional again. It's like therapy but sometimes therapy can be painful. But it's part of life and part of the autobiography so I'll have to finish it sooner or later.
I had no choice but to work hard. I was a straight-A student, went to college, and I loved business. I never thought I was going to be a singer myself.
I'm just being myself. To me, that people are interested in Jenni, not necessarily the artist, but the woman... it amazes me still.
I’ve been recording since 1993. It was a hobby for six of those years. In 1999, I decided to do it full time and take it seriously.
My inspiration is always what I think my fans want to listen to. I often write about social problems. If I’m not going through it or I haven’t gone through it, I want to make sure it touches someone. That’s what I base my music on.
When I started getting so many haters and closed doors, I decided to prove that it could be done. I was a divorced single mother of three at the time and a size 12 – not your typical model artist that labels feel work for the music industry.
I’m just being myself. To me, that people are interested in Jenni, not necessarily the artist, but the woman it amazes me still.
Mexican music runs through my veins. I loved it. Growing up, my father didn’t allow us to listen to English music at home. That’s all I heard. I had no choice.
