Tejano Music Award for Female Vocalist of the Year
| Tejano Music Award for Female Vocalist of the Year | |
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 2016 Tejano Music Awards
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| Awarded for | Female Vocalist of the Year |
| Country | United States |
| Presented by | Local television and radio stations |
| First awarded | 1981 |
| Currently held by | Elida Reyna (2016) |
| Most awards | Selena (11), Elida Reyna (11) |
| Official website | Tejano Music Awards |
The Tejano Music Award for Female Vocalist of the Year is an honor presented to female Tejano music recording artists. The Tejano Music Awards, first bestowed in 1981, was established to recognize the most talented performers of the genre—a subcategory of regional Mexican music, with roots in the music of early European settlers in Texas. The awards are presented by the Texas Talent Musicians Association (TTMA), to "promote excellence in the Tejano music industry" using the popular vote method to select the winner of the female vocalist of the year. Historically, female musicians fared less favorably in the male-dominated genre and were seen as inferior to their male counterparts. The award was established by Rick Trevino, a male Tejano performer, who founded the Awards in 1981.
The award was first presented to American singer Lisa Lopez. Laura Canales won the award five nonconsecutive times, and is considered Tejano music's first leading lady before the genre's golden age in the 1990s. Selena holds the record for most wins, winning 11 of her 12 nominations. The singer has been called the Queen of Tejano music, and is credited with catapulting the genre into the mainstream market. Following her death in March 1995, the genre suffered and its popularity waned. In 1998 Shelly Lares won for the first time since she was initially nominated in 1986. She holds the record for most nominations at 28. The following year Jennifer Peña won the award; the first time the award was won by two different participants since 1982. The current award holder is Elida Reyna who has the record for most consecutive wins - ten.
Tejano music is a blend of polka, jazz, rhythm and blues, and country music, with influences of American pop music. Early European settlers introduced the accordion and bajo sexto, one of the major musical components used in the genre, to the state of Texas. Tejano music has since been urbanized with the introduction of keyboards and synthesizers. Historically, female musicians were seen as inferior and less successful commercially than their male counterparts, and were often turned down by music concert organizers who wanted sellouts. The female vocalist category was introduced at the first awards ceremony which was pioneered by Rick Trevino, a male Tejano musician, in 1981.
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