Beyoncé's Latin Soul

International superstar Beyoncé Knowles sets out to conquer the Hispanic market with a little help from Latin idols Shakira and Alejandro Fernández

Por Peter Castro
Growing up in Texas in the 80s, it was almost impossible to ignore the influence of Selena. Even if you were an African-American girl who didn’t speak a word of Spanish. Beyoncé, the international superstar, attributes her fervent interest in the Hispanic culture today to those early days in Houston, Texas when she and her best friend, a Mexican girl named Barbara, would listen to the Tejano star and dream of fame.

“I listened to Selena all the time,” recalls Beyoncé. Finally, audiences will hear the American diva sing in Spanish for the first time. After a mesmerizing career as the leader of the pop trio Destiny’s Child and then as a solo artist who won 10 GRAMMY’s and starred in last year’s Dreamgirls, the 25-year-old star is re-releasing her mega hit CD, B-Day, on April 3 with six new songs sung entirely in Spanish, including “Amor Gitano,” her duet with Alejandro Fernandez which is the theme of the Telemundo telenovela, Zorro: La espada y la rosa. PEOPLE En Español editor Peter Castro talked to Beyoncé about this bold new career move into the Hispanic universe.