SAN ANTONIO — Hitting play after a long pause, two Tejano music talents have returned to the spotlight.
Jennifer Peña is back on the big stage. Tejano super-group, very popular in the '90s 'Culturas' is also back and with new material.
Tejano in the early '90s was at its peak. The beats. The catchy tunes. The crowded concerts. The energy was electric like the performances on stage.
Jennifer Peña: Tejano Princess
In order to go back in time, KENS 5 dug up the archives. At the time, KENS 5 documented Peña at 12-years-old commanding the stage at a concert in Uvalde. In the early 90's Peña was said to be the next Selena. KENS 5 spoke to her on different occasions. At the time, she made one thing clear.
"I am Jennifer," she said. "I am not the next Selena. I want to be known as Jennifer Peña."
Peña went on to have a stellar career with hit after hit becoming an international star. Until she went on a very long pause. She's been out of the spotlight for 13 years.
"In those 13 years I was a stay-at-home mom, expanding my family," she said.
For more than a decade she focused on being a mom and expanded her family. Peña is now a mother of five.
"I was content at home with my family," she said. "I was fulfilled in a lot of ways. "Obviously there was something missing, right. Because the first opportunity I got, I was like hey, I am back. I want to come back."
Peña is back. She doesn't call it a comeback, but more of a return.
"This return is really dependent on the fans. It started because of the fans," she said. "I really thought people had forgotten about me for so long, that's a long time."
Peña said, so far, she has felt so much love.
"I was born to be a mother," she said. "But being on stage is part of what I was born to do. “It is part of my destiny. I believe."
See full interview with Jennifer Pena below:
Culturas: Delia & Dee
The other 'Tejano Throwback' that's back on play is the show-stopping group Culturas. The high-energy band's front-runners are Delia Gonzales and Dee Burleson.
"Through the years they have always been after us come back," Gonzales said. "At least do one more. When are you going to get together? When is the reunion?"
"We just kind of weighed all the options," Burleson said. "And you know we still got one more in us. Why not, let's do it. Let's do it."
KENS 5 chatted with the two in the same studio where they made their first album in 1992 and now in 2024. The studio is now Ro Records located in San Antonio. Their latest album's fitting title is called: 92/24.
"It's not like a comeback," Gonzales said. "We are not trying to do a comeback. It is just a project we are putting together."
Gonzales said they started as a garage band; they finished the album in that studio. Their first hit was titled 'Besame'. Delia and Dee had a chemistry on stage that was untouched. They went on to win several awards including 'Show Band of the Year.'
"We are like a balance," Gonzales said.
"There are people right around Henry's age that were in diapers when their abuela's were dancing to Culturas," Burleson said. "So now you wonder, they have been told this legend about this legendary band. We were just a band having fun."
The two were quick to say they're not going on tour. But they will do upcoming shows.
"We are just happy that we are able to just do it one more time," Gonzales said.
The duo has been busy and successful with their own lives. Gonzales also went through her own health scares, like cancer and a kidney transplant. She is now a nurse practitioner.
"I love my work," she said. "I love my job."
Burleson now lives in Denver. He is a musical director for 'Su Teatro' and Shadow Theatre. He also likes to encourage the youth.
See full interview with Delia Gonzales and Dee Burleson
What does the future look like?
Even though time has passed, for these two acts, the love remains for the music and the love for their fans.
"Our fans tell us that we are great," Burleson said. "But to us, this is what we do."
"Only God knows," Peña said. "Only God knows what my future holds. I am going full force everything, and everything he has in store for me."
Peña said her focus right now is making more new music and building up her team. Her latest song is with Jesse Turner from Siggno called 'Casate Conmigo.' Her other latest solo project is called 'Fuerte', which came out in 2023.
As for Culturas, their 92/24 album is out. Their upcoming show will be in Las Vegas. They will be performing on July 12 for the Vegas Tejano Takeover happening that weekend. Peña is also slated to perform there that weekend.