Madison Taylor Baez is only 9-year-old but has more experience acting and singing than many in Hollywood. 

Madison has starred in many national commercials, has vast experience singing the national anthem for major league sports teams and scored the much sought after role of young Selena Quintanilla in the upcoming Netflix series Selena: The Series, which is scheduled to be released in late 2020. According to Google, the slated release date is October 2020. 

According to the press release, the coming of age story will follow the late Tejano singer journey as her dreams come true, and the many life-changing choices on the singer’s journey to success. Ricardo Chavira (Desperate Housewives), Gabriel Chavarria (The Purge), Noemi Gonzalez (The Young and the Restless), and Seidy Lopez (Training Day) will be starring as the rest of the Quintanilla family.

CraveYouTV spoke to Madison about her experience so far, how she got her start, and the upcoming series.

Read the interview below:

Congratulations on your new role!

Thank you!

Are you still filming for the Selena series?

Actually, we have finished filming.

When did you finish filming?

Maybe last Thanksgiving?

Is this your first acting job?

No, I’ve actually done 11 national commercials, and I’ve done one short film Tooth Racket (2019) and I co-starred as young Selena in Selena the series.

You started singing very young. When will you be 10 years old? 

February 24^th

You started singing for your dad right when he was diagnosed with cancer?  How old were you then?

I was around three years old.

I read that you liked to sing Motown songs to your dad?

Yes, I started singing when I was two years old and when I was three, when my dad was sick, I would get his iPad and listen and memorize all of his Motown music, sixties and seventies music, to sing to him.

What was your favorite song to sing to your dad?

Oh, I would have to say Sam Cooke’s ‘I Was Born By The River” (singing the title)

Credit: Anderson PR/ Madison Taylor Baez

Wow!   You are amazing!  Now, for the Selena Series, have you always been a fan of Selena?  Was her music something new for you?

Yes, well I actually didn’t know who she was when I got the role, but my mom and dad were huge fans of Selena’s and they told me all about her and I fell in love with her!  I watched the movie!  I fell in love with all of her songs, and I also researched her.   I watched all of her videos and even Young Selena’s videos, studied all of her movements and even have the little spin down.

The spin is big, yeah (laughing).  Do you know how many girls auditioned to play young Selena?

Well, I would think there would have had to be thousands of girls who auditioned.

How many auditions did you have?

I had two auditions, it took about three months. First I went in for the actual audition, I had to do two songs, one in English and one in Spanish, and then I also had to do two scenes.   I went back for the call-back and I did the same thing, and then I found out that I got the role. (laughing)

That’s wonderful! Now I know singing is your first love, right?  

Yes, yes I love singing!

I’ve seen some of your videos, I went onto YouTube and they are great.  You are absolutely adorable!  Now have you considered or are you considering doing an album?

Um well, I’m maybe thinking about putting out an album, maybe a Christmas album, hopefully!

Do you know if they are doing a soundtrack for the Selena Series?

Yeah, maybe, yeah that would be cool!

I can’t wait to see the series and you in it!

Thank you!  

I look forward to speaking to you again, maybe after the series airs?

I would love that!

Thank you so much and good luck!  I can’t wait to see what you do next!

Thank you and good luck to you!

The coronavirus pandemic has impacted our lives in numerous ways including shutting down and postponing TV show and film productions, which has led to a content drought even with so many streaming services. 

Of course, if you’ve been putting together a list of TV shows that you’ve been wanting to binge for years, this is the time to do it and you absolutely won’t run out of content, but if you’re looking for new programming or new seasons of shows, you’ll likely feel like your options are a bit limited. 

As I was browsing for new shows to watch in the month of August, I figured I’d throw together a list of my findings to help you keep up with all the new offerings.

We have to help each other get through these tough times — we’re all in this together (go ahead, sing it!). 

Below, you’ll find some of the new shows, films and documentaries premiering this month! 

Big Brother – CBS (August 5)

There’s a lot of buzz around Season 22 of Big Brother. Coming off the heels of a pandemic delay, the long-running summer series is changing things up by announcing the cast live during the premiere as opposed to the traditional reveal of houseguests days in advance. It’s unclear who and how many houseguests will be living in the house, but it is the second all-stars edition, so be ready for some familiar faces! 

The Muppets – Disney Plus (July 31)

The old gang of fuzzy friends is back together again! Muppets Now is described as an “unscripted series featuring three different segments of a game show, a cooking show, and a talk show.” It premiered on July 31 with new episodes debuting weekly through the month of August. New-age kids will love it, and there’s a whole nostalgia factor for adults that makes this fun for the whole family! 

Lucifer – Netflix (August 21)

Lucifer fans, it’s happening — it’s almost here. Fans couldn’t be more grateful that Netflix saved the series, but the end is near as the sixth season was announced as the last. But let’s not think about that now because for now, the fifth season is due towards the end of August, and fans are eager to dig more into Lucifer’s backstory.

Lovecraft Country – HBO (August 16)

One of the most exciting offerings of the month is the the drama horror series based on the 2016 acclaimed novel of the same name. It finds Atticus Black, a young Black man living in a Jim Crow America in the 1950s, who embarks on a cross-country road trip to find his missing father with his friend Letitia and his Uncle George. 

Selling Sunset –  Netflix (August 7)

Your reality TV guilty pleasure is back for a season 3 just three months after season 2 dropped. The realtors at The Oppenheim Group are ready to sell more homes, make more money, and stir up more drama. 

Cobra Kai – Netflix (August 28)

From Youtube to Netflix, here’s your chance to catch up on the first two seasons of the Karate Kid spinoff before season 3 drops later this year. If you haven’t seen the original Karate Kid films, you may want to check them out first as the series picks up where the first three films left off. 

The Umbrella Academy – (July 31)

Technically, season 2 of the series dropped July, but unless you took the whole day off, you didn’t get the binge-watch all 10-episodes before the clock struck August. The Hargreeves siblings find themselves displaced in the 1960s with the apocalypse they were trying to thwart following closely behind. 

90s Black Sitcoms

There’s been a lack of Black sitcoms on streaming services, but Netflix is course-correcting by adding your favorites throughout the next few months. Moesha will be available starting August 1.  The first three seasons of  The Game will be added on August 15.  Sister, Sister are coming at you on September 1, The Parkers on October 1, and Half & Half and One on One will be available on October 15. Mark your calendars!

Movies

Project Power – Netflix (August 14)

Summer action flicks are no longer debuting in theaters — they’re available from the comfort of your couch. Jamie Foxx and Joseph Gordon-Levitt are fighting dealers responsible for selling a drug that gives people temporary superpowers. What could go wrong? 

Chemical Hearts – Amazon Prime (August 21)

If you’ve been missing Lili Reinhart while Riverdale is on hiatus, you have to check out this teen romance drama about the trials and tribulations of young love. Henry Page, a hopeless romantic who has never fallen in love, aims to become the editor of a high school paper until Grace Town, a transfer student, becomes his new partner. 

Dora the Explorer – Netflix (August 3)

Get exploring with Dora and friends! The live-action Nickelodeon adaptation arrives at Netflix to explore a lost city in South America as Dora aims to save her parents. It’s like Tomb Raider for youngin’s, and audiences loved it based on the reviews! If you’re looking for a family-friendly film to watch under the stars in your backyard, this is it!

Work It – Netflix (August 7)

Dance movies are an acquired taste with many not reaching the heights of Step Up (the original, come on guys). Alicia Keys aims to change that in her new Sabrina Carpenter-led flick, described as a coming-of-age comedy about Quinn Ackerman, an overly ambitious senior who attempts to join a dance team to get her way into her dream college. But when the team rejects her, she creates her own team, and they need all the coaching they can get! 

Documentary

World’s Most Wanted – Netflix (August 5)

Netflix is big on documentaries for one reason — Netflix audiences eat them up. Coming in August, World’s Most Wanted focuses on, you guessed it, some of the world’s most wanted criminals who have avoided capture “despite massive rewards and global investigations.”

Black Is King – Disney+ (July 31)

Streaming services have been a saving grace when it comes to the coronavirus pandemic. 

As all TV show and film productions shut down in mid-March and are slowly beginning to ramp up, the usual slate of programming that we look forward to in the fall might not be available to us. 

Yes, many networks are feeling confident that coronavirus will dwindle enough for them to film some episodes, but the reality is, it might be a long time before our favorite sitcoms and dramas return to “normal”… whatever that is these days. 

So, as we chill out at home, the need for new TV shows to watch is growing. And if you live alone or are simply socially distanced from your friends, you might be looking for a cast of independent, funny, like-minded women to befriend from the comfort of your couch. 

If that’s the case, Darren Star’s new series, Emily in Paris is going to be your new fall obsession. 

If the name Darren Star sounds familiar to you, that’s because he’s the genius behind some cult hits like Beverly Hills, 90210 and Sex and the City.

The new Netflix series, which was originally supposed to air on Paramount, aims to fill the void left behind by Younger, another Star show that has unfortunately delayed production and its highly-anticipated season due to the pandemic. 

Why Isn’t ‘Younger’ Season 7 Returning This Summer?

You don’t need a synopsis to gauge what Emily in Paris is going to be about — the title says it all. Emily, a 20-something marketing professional from Chicago snags a dream job in France and begins her European adventure. 

Alright, fine… here’s the official synopsis:

Emily, an ambitious twenty-something marketing executive from Chicago, unexpectedly lands her dream job in Paris when her company acquires a French luxury marketing company — and she is tasked with revamping their social media strategy. Emily’s new life in Paris is filled with intoxicating adventures and surprising challenges as she juggles winning over her work colleagues, making friends, and navigating new romances. 

The show will not only fill the void of many other bold babe shows that are currently on hiatus but since the entire series was filmed on location in Paris, it’ll also fill that travel void while likely providing travel inspiration for when the world opens back up again. 

If you’ve ever tuned in to any of Star’s shows, you know that in addition to powerful female leads that are career-oriented and rely on their friends to navigate life, the characters are also trendy and stylish boasting some of the best designer pieces and giving you plenty of fashion inspo in case you’re looking for a closet revamp or maybe to invest in some staple pieces. 

Lily Collins, who will step into Emily’s pumps, is already embracing the fashion-aspect by channeling her inner Carrie Bradshaw on Twitter. 

Carrying the iconic @Fendi ‘Baguette’ as a nod to #DarrenStarr’s original muse SJP! Always looking to Carrie Bradshaw for inspiration… especially as I step into the next stages of @EmilyinParis… pic.twitter.com/5x8LnIUZ07

— Lily Collins (@lilycollins) April 11, 2019

Collins not only stars as the titular character, but she’ll also serve as a producer on the series. She posted a still from the series on Instagram saying that the series comes at the perfect time as she’s missing “friends, working, traveling, and especially Paris.”

View this post on Instagram

A first look at @EmilyinParis – officially coming this fall on @netflix… Missing friends, working, traveling, and especially Paris – so this couldn’t come at a better time. I’m so grateful for the lifelong friendships I made working on this show and am incredibly proud of what we all created. Cannot wait for you guys to finally see it!…

A post shared by Lily Collins (@lilyjcollins) on Jul 13, 2020 at 8:59am PDT

Broadway’s Ashley Park will star as Mindy Chen, also a 20-something navigating life in Paris who becomes Emily’s confidant, while Kate Walsh stars as Emily’s co-worker from Chicago. 

Even without watching the series, I know that my biggest complaint will be that the episodes are only a half-hour each, which has been everyone’s biggest gripe when it comes to Younger.

View this post on Instagram

Today marks the last day of filming in Paris. I cannot believe my time here as Emily is over but I know it won’t be the last. I am eternally grateful for the entire @emilyinparis cast and crew for making this adventure pure magic. It has been the experience of a lifetime and I will never ever forget it. Playing Emily these past 64 days has brought me such happiness. I’m beyond proud of what we’ve created and I cannot wait to share her journey with you all. Merci @starmandarren for giving me this opportunity. Paris truly has changed me forever. I may have one more city to go until I am officially finished but I am so sad to bid adieu to this city of love. You’ve certainly filled up my heart in more ways than I could have ever imagined…

A post shared by Lily Collins (@lilyjcollins) on Nov 14, 2019 at 9:57am PST

The first season of Emily in Paris will consist of 10 episodes debuting this fall, so while there is no exact date, I’d keep my eye out on a September or October addition to the streaming service!