From the time she was singing Selena tunes into a hairbrush as a child, Stephanie Bergara imagined herself pursuing a career in music. What she couldn’t have imagined, however, was the path she would take in the industry and the amazing bond she would forge with Selena’s biggest fans.
After studying music and political science at UTSA, Bergara returned to her hometown of Austin and worked in artist relations and stage management. From 2008 to 2012 she was an agent assistant for High Road Touring, a manager for the kid-friendly stages at Lollapalooza and Austin City Limits while at C3, an event manager for Giant Noise, and a talent coordinator for the Pachanga Latino Music Festival. She sought change, though, and found it as the music tourism and audience development program coordinator for the City of Austin in 2012.
“Honestly, my grandparents and parents didn’t think I had a real job until I went to work for the city,” Bergara says with a big laugh. “They were all telling me to stay there and never quit.”
Eight years later she still hasn’t quit. Bergara manages the finances for city programs that benefit Austin’s music community, and it’s a job she loves. Her office’s programming has made great strides in providing better compensation for the city’s 10,000-plus musicians. “We can’t write a paycheck to all of them,” she says, “but we can provide a curriculum that helps them continue their music careers in a way that will make them money for as long as they want.”
WATCH NOW: Bidi Bidi Banda perform Selena’s Bidi Bidi Bom Bom.
Bergara has successfully executed those game plans as the front woman of her own band, Bidi Bidi Banda, one of the nation’s most popular Selena tribute acts. Bergara’s connections have also aided Bidi Bidi Banda, which has evolved from a ragtag group playing five Selena songs at a festival kickoff party to a masterly tuned celebration of Selena that has opened for Taylor Swift at the Formula 1 fan festival. The group has also performed on the campaign trail with Beto O’Rourke, sold out venues like Austin’s Empire Control Room and San Antonio’s The Rustic, and has even built solid followings outside of Texas in cities such as Phoenix and New Orleans. Bidi Bidi Banda recently wrapped up a Texas tour with electronic pop acts Neon Indian and Empress Of.
Bergara would be the first to admit that she doesn’t look like Selena or sing quite like her either, but she does try to capture her iconic energy and essence every time she takes the stage. “Her personality was as big and enchanting as her music was,” she says. More than anything Bergara loves connecting with Selena’s fans. They often tell her stories about seeing Selena’s final concert at the Astrodome in 1995 or spotting her at Whataburger before she became a superstar.
“The band is giving me so much life, so much fulfillment,” she says. “It warms my heart to see people hearing their favorite song played live. I may be performing, but I’ll never stop being exhilarated by hundreds of people getting so excited that they want to start a cumbia circle.”
On UTSA
Bergara may have been born and raised in Longhorn Country, but the Austinite is a Roadrunner for life. She had musical aspirations from a young age, and chose UTSA for its prime location, she says, in “the Tejano capital of the world.” From 2004 to 2006 she split her studies at UTSA between music theory and political science because she wanted to learn more about how governments operate.
“What I do now for the City [of Austin] is the perfect marriage of what I studied,” she says. She still draws inspiration from an item she received at orientation: a leather bookmark emblazoned with the words come here, go far. “It’s always a huge point of pride for me to see someone wearing a UTSA shirt and talk about it right away,” she laughs, “even if I’m on stage.”
ON HER FAVORITE SELENA SONGS
Yo Me Voy: “It’s one of those traditional Tejano two-step songs. I love that song—and songs like that—because it truly reminds me of when I was a little kid watching my parents dance at weddings and quinceañeras. Those are the kinds of songs that were a catalyst for me becoming interested in Tejano music in the first place.”
Como La Flor: “It was her first number 1 in Texas radio. In the chorus there’s an echoing voice singing “como la flor.” That echoing voice is her brother. As the story goes, she was done in the recording studio that day, and despite their best efforts to have her record one more vocal, she was not coming back. So her brother jumped on the microphone and recorded that backing vocal for her. I think it’s a true testament to the things you do for your family in the best way possible.”
No Me Queda Mas: “She sings it in front of the Alamo in the movie. She recorded the music video at the River Walk. It’s my favorite Selena song because it’s the one I sang with a hairbrush when I was a kid. I would imagine myself singing that song on the River Walk under the twinkle lights. Whenever I get to perform that song in San Antonio, it’s pretty dreamy. That song is the reason I started the band and the reason I became a singer in the first place.”
