11 year-old Texas girl youngest ever to win Tejano Music Award
Three years after Tejano singer Mia Garcia released her first single as an 8year-old, she has become the youngest ever to be nominated for and win Best New Female Artist at the Tejano Music Awards, according to her Facebook page.
Garcia, an 11-year-old Austin girl who has drawn comparisons to Tejano legend Selena Quintanilla, took the award last Saturday at the San Antonio Event Center. She has been performing since she was 5 years old, following in her family’s musical footsteps, according to her Facebook page.
“There’s a lot of years put in, and we have several years ahead of us, but it’s a big accomplishment,” her father Christopher Garcia said. “Apart from making history, Mia wants to be an inspiration to other kids … and not put an age limit, whether too young or too old, on pursuing your dreams.”
In 2015, Garcia released her first professionally recorded single and music video, “El Perdon,” a Nicky Jam and Enrique Iglesias song. It has gained over 346,000 views on YouTube since then, as well as international radio play, she said on her Facebook.
In December 2017, she released her debut album, “La Reina Del Mundo.” The following year, the mayor of Austin declared Oct. 5 “Mia Garcia Day” in honor of her talent.
Garcia said she’s toured across Texas and Veracruz, Mexico. In addition to making the “A” honor roll in school, she also participates in gymnastics and karate.
While she said she wants to live up to the comparisons to Selena, she said she also wants to carve her own path.
“I also would like to lead by example by encouraging other kids to dream big and succeed,” she said on Facebook.