In memory of Jenni Rivera, who passed away two years ago today, we're revisiting a post we originally published in July 2013.
Jenni Rivera made it clear -- "I'm not a victim, I'm a survivor"
Swimming against a current of depression, abuse, and controversy, “La Diva de la Banda” found strength in her experiences to succeed despite adversity and she rose up within a male-dominated genre.
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On December 9, 2012, the Mexican-American singer boarded a flight towards Toluca, Mexico that would be her last. The star’s tragic death was reported nationwide amid mourning for a woman who seemed well on her way to further success.
On How Society Will Remember Her
AP
"They're going to think of a woman who's real. They'll think about a woman who went through hell and back and never gave up. No one else has ever opened doors for me—I opened them myself. And people have a problem with women who do that. They have a problem when we're no longer as passive and submissive as, say, their mothers were growing up. Too bad. I say what I say, and I do what I do. I'm me." (AP Photo/Alan Diaz)
Falling Down
AP
"The number of times I have fallen down is the number of times I have gotten up." (Foto por Todd Williamson/Invision/AP, Archivo)
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The Making Of A Star
AP
On Writing Her Autobiography
Getty Images
"It was more difficult than I thought it would be. I realized going back and writing and explaining in details the difficulties I had lived actually became emotional again. It's like therapy but sometimes therapy can be painful. But it's part of life and part of the autobiography so I'll have to finish it sooner or later. I'm about three quarters of the way done." (Photo by Imeh Akpanudosen/Getty Images)
The Negative
AP
"I can't get caught up in the negative because that destroys you." (AP Photo/Patrick T. Fallon)
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On Proving Haters Wrong
Getty Images
"When I started getting so many haters and closed doors, I decided to prove that it could be done. I was a divorced single mother of three at the time and a size 12-not your typical model artist that labels feel work for the music industry." (Photo by David Martinez/Clasos.com/LatinContent/Getty Images)
On Having A Big Heart
AP
"When somebody else's happiness makes you happy, it means you are a person with a big heart." (Photo by Todd Williamson/Invision/AP)
Advice For Immigrant Girls
AP
"If I had the opportunity to speak to a young immigrant girl that just arrived to the U.S. the advice I would have for her would be: ask, speak, search; because there are opportunities out there. And, know that you aren't the only immigrant or the last to come to this country. Many that have come before you have succeeded. It is possible." (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
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On Success
AP
"I'm happy for the success that I've had, but I've worked so hard at it. It's not that I feel that I deserve it. You work hard and you have expectations. So I'm living my expectations right now." (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo, file)
Women In The Music Industry
AP
"I admire any female who makes it in the music industry especially when they dare to be different from anyone else." (AP Photo/Telemundo, Gary I Rothstein/Telemundo)