Jenni Rivera
Jenni Rivera was a Mexican-American singer-songwriter, actress, television producer and entrepreneur known for her work within the banda and norteña music genres. Rivera performed a concert at Monterrey Arena on December 8, 2012, in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon. When the show ended, she left the Arena along with her staff and departed from Monterrey International Airport. At approximately 3:20 a.m. a U.S. registered private Learjet 25 N345MC (manufactured in 1969) carrying two pilots and five passengers, including Rivera, lost contact with air traffic control near Iturbide, Nuevo León. The plane was en route to Toluca for an appearance by Rivera on “La Voz ... México”. All on board were presumed dead by Mexican authorities when the wreckage was found later that day with no apparent survivors. Reuters

Pop star Jenni Rivera's legacy will live on long after her untimely passing in a December plane crash. The singer's family has announced plans to release her "long lost" English-language album in 2013, according to MTV Tr3s.

Rivera recorded the currently untitled record back in 2004. However, the tracks were shelved for unknown reasons by her label after she submitted them.

The Mexican-American musician's album sales have dramatically shot up since her death along with six others in her entourage in a plane crash last month in Mexico. Since the tragedy, the singer's records have sold 10 times more than the week before the incident; 64,000 albums sold in the U.S. alone, according to the New York Times. Rivera's final latest record, "La Misma Gran Señora," released just two days following her death, snagged the No. 3 spot on Billboard's Latin chart.

The upcoming English-language album was just one of numerous crossover projects Rivera had planned, according to her family. The singer also portrayed a mother serving a prison sentence, fighting to rebuild a fractured relationship with her daughter in the film "Filly Brown," and reportedly planned on starring and producing in an ABC sitcom, which she said would loosely be based on her life.

Since her passing, Rivera's younger sister, Rosie, will look after the iconic singer's five children, and will take charge of Jenni Enterprises, including ongoing business deals and album sales, NBC Latino reported. The new album doesn't have an official release date just yet, but is expected to come out later in 2013, according to Latina.com.

Rivera's father Pedro said it had always been her dream to crossover to the U.S. pop charts, and that he's very excited for the American public to hear her English-language album debut.

After dominating Latin charts for years, many saw Rivera as poised to take on the English-language market. Rivera sold 15 million records, according to Billboard, and recently won two Billboard Music Awards, including favorite Mexican music female artist.

The Banda Music singer was nominated for various Latin Grammy Awards in 2002, 2008 and 2011. In October, People en Español named her to its list of the 25 most powerful women.

"Known to fans as 'La Diva de la Banda' or The Diva of Banda Music, Rivera was well-established as a musical powerhouse with her Spanish-language performances of regional Mexican corridos, or ballads. For fans, the nickname captured her powerful voice and the personal strength many admired," said USA Today.

Rivera and six others were killed when the small private Learjet flying them from the northern Mexican city of Monterrey to the central city of Toluca plummeted from 28,000 feet, said Mexico's transportation secretary said, crashing into a mountainous area 9,000 feet above sea level.

According to CNN, the cause of the crash is under investigation. The accident report will not be ready for nine months to a year, the secretary of communications and transportation said.

The DEA recently announced it is currently investigating Starwood Management, the company that owns the luxury jet that crashed and killed Rivera and her crew. The agency seized two of its planes earlier this year as part of the ongoing probe, reported The Huffington Post.

© 2024 Latin Times. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.