On January 1st, Rolling Stone magazine confirmed that Selena Gomez had been cast in an upcoming biopic about Linda Ronstadt. Ronstadt was the most successful female musician of the 1970s, first starting out in the folk-rock trio “The Stone Poneys” and then venturing into the music industry on her own. Her solo career would make her a rock ‘n’ roll legend. Ronstadt “won 11 Grammys, and was honored by both the Recording Academy and the Latin Recording Academy with Lifetime Achievement Awards. In 2014, Ronstadt was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.” You may recognize some of Ronstadt’s most famous songs like “You’re No Good,” “Long Long Time,” and “Blue Bayou.” Ronstadt’s success came from her fearlessness as an artist as she dove into multiple genres of music from folk to rock n roll to Latin American music to celebrate her Mexican American heritage. The announcement of the biopic is an excellent opportunity to explore the legacy of Ronstadt and why the casting of Selena Gomez to portray her is so important.
In Ronstadt’s 2019 documentary The Sound of My Voice, Linda said when she got a song in her head she had to perform it, or she would die. Her passion for music was rooted in her family. Ronstadt grew up in Tucson, Arizona. Speaking about her family, she said, “Everybody learned how to read music and how to play.” The strength and beauty of Ronstadt’s voice makes it seem as if she was destined to be a singer. The best part of Ronstadt’s career was her variety as a performer. She fought to have a diverse repertoire, especially when it came to music that represented her heritage. In an interview with The Guardian, Ronstadt said, “Back in 1967, Tiger Beat magazine asked me what my ambition was for my career…I said I want to become a really good Mexican singer. But it wasn’t noticed or validated.” In fact, any time Ronstadt expressed her Mexican identity and her aspirations to make a Latin music album she was told it would be career suicide. The experience of Mexican Americans in the United States cannot be generalized; however, it is a very common theme for Mexican Americans to feel that their latino identity is something they must hide instead of embrace. When Ronstadt did record a Mexican music album it became “the biggest-selling non-English language album in history.”
Ronstadt’s career is inspiring, especially for young Mexican American women like me. Ronstadt embodies everything I want to be: a proud Mexican and a proud American. Seeing Selena Gomez cast as Ronstadt was a moment of true appreciation and a prime example of Hollywood casting getting it right. Casting Gomez to portray Ronstadt shows that you do not have to sacrifice representation for success. Selena Gomez is also a Mexican American. I have always admired her since her Disney Channel days. She represented so many of us who are bi-racial, yet her racial and ethnic identities were not the main focus of the show or something that was made fun of.
Linda Ronstadt was a powerhouse singer, but she also experienced the world and the music industry attempting to pigeonhole her as an artist and person. Ronstadt never backed away from fighting for what was important to her, and as the highest-paid woman in rock ‘n’ roll she knew her opinion mattered to people. In a 1983 interview on the Australian Don Lane show, Mr. Lane asked Ronstadt how it felt to be “controversial.” Ronstadt immediately called Mr. Lane out for the accusation, saying “How come you are saying I’m controversial?” Mr. Lane laughed nervously when Ronstadt pushed back on the question. Ronstadt was outspoken against racism and sexism, especially in the music industry. In a clip from her documentary a young Ronstadt stated, “The rock and roll culture is so male-dominated and it also seems to be dominated by a sort of hostility against women.” As the most powerful woman in rock and roll, Ronstadt needed to use her platform to advocate for herself and pave the wave for the future generation.
The biopic of Linda Ronstadt is still in pre-production with very few details released besides the casting of Selena Gomez, but the film is already stirring up audience’s expectations. For this film to be successful it will need to capture Ronstadt as the full, multifaceted person she was. As an excited fan, I hope that the film does not gloss over Ronstadt’s diverse discography; the fact that Ronstadt was successful in country, folk, rock and roll, and Latin music makes her the legend she is.