Jennifer Lopez made sure the musical legacy of Selena would never be forgotten on Thursday night, when she performed a tribute to the late singer at the Billboard Latin Awards. Lopez played the Tejano icon in the 1997 biopic Selena, which launched her career in Hollywood and led her to also pursue making music.

Jennifer LopezLopez played Selena in the 1997 biopic of the tragic singer.

Lopez was joined on stage by backing band Los Dinos, which includes Selena’s brother A.B., sister Suzette and widower Chris Pérez. During the just under eight minute set Lopez performed a melody of the singer’s hits including ‘Como La Flor’, ‘Bidi Bidi Bom Bom’, ‘Amor Prohibido’, ‘I Could Fall in Love’, and ‘No Me Queda Mas’.

Speaking to the ‘Today’ programme after the awards in Miami Lopez paid tribute to the singer saying, "There is only one Selena. And there only ever will be. She's just one of those special types of artists that — with her music and her spirit and her heart — really touched people.”

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"The impact that it had on my life, on my career ..." Lopez continued. "It was a great thing for her to be my mentor. And it was a great thing to have her teach me so much about how to navigate this business, but also how to navigate through life.”

"That's what makes it so emotional,” she added. "When I'm out there dancing and I see her on the screen, I'm thinking, 'If she were here she'd be doing what I'm doing now.’”

Speaking about the 1997 biopic in which she starred as the singer Lopez said, "It's a sad story. It still gets to me to this day because it did mark my life at that time.” Lopez then added that making the film pushed her to also pursue a career in music.

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"You never know what's going to happen," she explained "You have to live in the moment; you have to be present; you have to seize the day. So I decided right after that movie to make my first record, and I did."

This March marked the 20th anniversary of Selena Quintanilla’s tragic death at the age of 23. The singer was fatally shot in a Texas motel room on the morning of March 31st 1995 by 35 year old Yolanda Saldívar, who had been her fan club president.