Commonly referred to as Jenni Rivera, Dolores Janney Rivera Saavedra was an American actress, singer, songwriter, producer, philanthropist, and ambassador. The iconic vocalist was well known for her distinctive Banda and Ranchera songs and is regarded by many media outlets as one of the most important figures in the globalization of Mexican music. She was recognized for her enormous contribution to the Banda music genre, which is often dominated by men, when the famous Billboard magazine awarded her the “Best selling Latin artist of 2013” as well as the “Top Latin artist of 2013.” Eleven studio albums, including “Parrandera, Rebelde y Atrevida” and “Jenni,” which propelled Rivera to the top of the Billboard Top Latin Albums chart, were released over the course of her two-decade music career. She received a star on the Las Vegas Walk of Stars for being one of the best-selling regional Mexican performers and was nominated for four Latin Grammy Awards. She had a television career in addition to her music career. She created the reality television shows “I Love Jenni,” “Chiquis & Raq-C,” and “Chiquis ‘n Control,” which are all Mexican-American. She was chosen by The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence to serve as their spokesman and is also renowned for her humanitarian activities. The Los Angeles City Council observes “Jenni Rivera Day” on August 6 each year in her honor.
Early Childhood & Life
Ingrid Janney On July 2, 1969, Rivera Saavedra was born in Long Beach, California. She and her five siblings were brought up in a musical milieu by her mother Rosa Saavedra and father Pedro Rivera. Mexican music and the Banda musical style were both introduced to Rivera by her family.
She got pregnant when she was fifteen, but her teachers pushed her to keep going since they felt that dropping out would be a complete waste of her abilities. Prior to working in the real estate sector, she later attended California State University and graduated with a degree in business administration.
Career of Jenni Rivera
Jenni Rivera began singing at a very young age, but it wasn’t until 1992 Father’s Day that she released her debut song, an ode to her father.
Entering Mexico’s generally male-dominated music scene proved challenging for Rivera. She once acknowledged that a Los Angeles-based radio host had thrown her music CD into the garbage can while she was watching.
Selena Quintanilla-Pérez, known as the “Queen of Tejano music,” was assassinated in 1995, and she paid respect to her with the CD “Farewell to Selena,” which she independently released.
She joined Sony Music and, in 1999, both her second studio album, “Reyna de Reynas,” and her major label debut studio album, “Si Quieres Verme Llorar,” were released. Much to Rivera’s dismay, the albums were not a commercial success.
‘Que Me Entierren Con la Banda,’ her third studio album, was released by Fonovisa Records in March 2000. It included songs like “Las Malandrinas,” an homage to her devoted female followers who labor hard. The CD was a huge hit, and Rivera at last secured her position in the business.
Her fifth studio album, “Se las Voy a Dar an Otro,” and her fourth studio album, “Dejate Amar,” were both released in the same year (2001), and both were commercial successes.
In 2005, she published her studio album, “Parrandera, Rebelde y Atrevida,” which peaked at number 10 on the Billboard Top Latin Albums chart. According to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), the album has double platinum status. It featured the well-known song “De Contrabando,” which hit at the top of Billboard’s US Regional Mexican Songs chart.
In 2007, Rivera issued her ninth studio album, titled “Mi Vida Loca.” She won a Latin Billboard Music Award for Regional Mexican Album of the Year in 2008 after it peaked at number one on the Regional Mexican Albums chart.
Her ninth studio album, “Jenni,” which she released in 2008, brought her the most popularity. She won a number of prizes for the album, which also became one of her biggest financial triumphs. She won a second Lo Nuestro Award for Banda Artist of the Year as a result of it.
When her studio album “La Gran Seora” was published in 2009, it reached its highest position at No. 2 on the US Billboard Top Latin Albums chart. It was a Latin Grammy Award nominee for Best Ranchero Album.
In addition to hosting TV series including “El Show de Jenni Rivera,” “I Love Jenni,” and “Jenni Rivera Presents: Chiquis & Raq-C,” Rivera has also participated in a number of television award shows.
She made her acting debut in the drama movie “Filly Brown,” which Youssef Delara and Michael D. Olmos were responsible for directing. In the movie, which took home the Best Feature Film prize at the 2013 Noor Iranian Film Festival, Rivera played the role of “Maria Tenorio.”
‘Filly Brown’ was also nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival. It was released following Rivera’s passing, and a moment of quiet was held in her honor during the 2013 American Latino Media Arts Awards.
Through her song, Rivera not only promoted the rights of hard-working women in society, but she also promoted women’s equality. In 2010, she was selected to serve as the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence’s spokeswoman, and the Los Angeles City Council proclaimed August 6 to be “Jenni Rivera Day.”
Jenni Rivera’s ninth studio album, “Mi Vida Loca,” was released in 2007 through Fonovisa Records. Her debut studio album propelled her to greater heights. It received a 4-star rating from Allmusic. Mexican Regional Album of the Year went to Rivera, winner of the 2008 Latin Billboard Music Award. The album debuted at the top of the Regional Mexican Albums list and peaked at number two on the Top Latin Albums chart in the United States.
The most major contribution to her body of work was her album “Jenni.” She received recognition, financial gain, and favorable reviews as a result. The album debuted at the top of the US Billboard Top Latin Albums chart and peaked at number 27 on Mexico’s Top 100 chart.
Rivera became the first female vocalist to win the prize twice thanks to the album, which also earned her a second Banda Artist of the Year trophy at the Lo Nuestro Awards.
Individual Life of Jenni Rivera
Jenni Rivera became pregnant while still enrolled in school, and at the age of fifteen, she gave birth to their daughter, Janney Marin Rivera. Jacqueline and Michael were the couple’s subsequent offspring. They later got married in 1984.
In addition to the several occasions that Marin assaulted Rivera physically and sexually, a subsequent medical check found that their daughter Janney had also been abused by her father.
1992 marked the end of the couple’s marriage. After Rivera eventually brought a lawsuit against him, her ex-husband fled for nine years before being caught. He was given a 31-year prison sentence without the possibility of release after his capture.
After getting married to Juan López in 1997, she gave birth to a daughter named Jenicka and a son named Juan Angel. The couple divorced in 2003.
Esteban Loaiza, a former baseball player for the Pittsburgh Pirates, was the love of her third and final marriage. After two years of marriage, they filed for divorce, but Rivera’s passing prevented it from being finalized.
Legal Concerns of Jenni Rivera
After a fan accused Jenni Rivera of abusing him physically and verbally during a concert, she was taken into custody in June 2008. After the fan hit Rivera with a beer can she threw, she brought him up to the stage and started verbally and physically abusing him. Rivera was detained after a fan alerted the police, but was later freed on bail after posting $3,000 in bond.
When asked to explain the amount of $52,467 she had in her handbag at the time of her detention at Mexico City’s international airport, she was unable to provide a satisfactory response, and she once more found herself in legal trouble. For her release, a $8,400 fine was required.
On December 8, 2012, Death Rivera performed at a concert in Monterrey Arena, Mexico, and thereafter she left the location for Monterrey International Airport. She boarded a 43-year-old Learjet 25 with two crew members, four additional passengers, and four other passengers. The private plane lost contact with the air traffic authorities and was later discovered to have crashed. Authorities declared her dead, and her father later confirmed it at a press conference.
The Mexican Director of Civil Aviation closed the inquiry into the event two years later due to insufficient evidence.
Net Worth of Jenni Rivera
The estimated net worth of Jenni Rivera is around $1 million.