The award was first presented to American singer Lisa Lopez , who had a US '' Billboard '' Regional Mexican Airplay number one single with " Si Quieres Verme Llorar " ( 1982 ) . Lopez ' core audience was Mexicans , and she became the first female Tejano singer to appear on the '' Billboard '' Top Latin Albums chart in October 1986 . Laura Canales , who popularized '' grupos '' in the 1970s , won the award five nonconsecutive times . She was considered Tejano music 's first leading lady before the genre 's golden age in the 1990s . At the sixth Tejano Music Awards ( 1986 ) , Female Vocalist of the Year nominees included newcomers Shelly Lares and Selena who were up against veteran winner Canales . Selena won the award and won again at the seventh Tejano Music Awards in 1987 ; Canales won the honor in 1988 . Beginning in 1989 , Selena won the award for seven consecutive years . At the 10th Tejano Music Awards ( 1990 ) , the nomination pool increased to include newcomers Cathy Chavez , Jean Le Grand , Agnes Torres , and veteran performers Selena , Lares , Elsa Garcia , and Canales . From the 11th ( 1991 ) and 12th Tejano Music Awards ( 1992 ) , the nominees remained the same with Selena , Lares , and Canales . The 13th Tejano Music Awards nominees included newcomer Esmeralda along with Selena and Lares . At the 14th Tejano Music Awards , Elsa Garcia was nominated for the first time in four years . Selena twice won the award posthumously after her shooting death in March 1995 . She was called the Queen of Tejano music and was credited with catapulting the genre into the mainstream U.S. market . Following the singer 's death , Tejano music 's popularity faded and has never recovered . At the 16th Tejano Music Awards ( 1998 ) , Shelly Lares won the honor for the first time since she was nominated in 1986 . Among the nominees for the 16th annual ceremony was newcomer Jennifer Peña , who was pegged as " the next Selena " , and Elida Reyna who was first nominated in 1996 . Peña was awarded the honor in 1999 , 2001 , and 2003 before retiring from the music industry . In 2000 , Elida Reyna took home the award . At the 22nd Tejano Music Awards , Lares won out over Reyna and Peña . For the 24th Tejano Music Awards nominees Kacy Zavala and Megan Leyva were up against veterans Reyna and Lares , with the former winning the title . The nomination pool increased for the 25th Tejano Music Awards with nominees including newcomers Delia Gonzáles , Julia Pizano , Linna Martínez , Machy De La Garza , Michelle , Stefani Montiel , and Yvette , while Kacy Zavala and Megan Leyva were up against veterans Reyna and Lares who won the award . Lares continued to win the award with her last win at the 26th Tejano Music Awards , when she was up against Montiel , Reyna , and newcomers Tracy Perez and Rebecca Valadez . Beginning in 2007 , Reyna dominated the award and remains the title holder as of 2015
26th Tejano Music Awards
2006 Tejano Music Awards
Tejano Music Award for Female Vocalist of the Year