Her death made international headlines for weeks, and her family was left in mourning.
A lot has changed since that tragedy, and Rivera’s children are still coping with the idea of moving on from not only the reality of their mother’s death, but also trying to establish a life that goes beyond just being “Jenni Rivera’s kids.”
“After her passing, we were kind of shaken a little bit,” Jacquelin Campos, one of Rivera’s daughters, 26, said. “We didn’t know what to do. She was kind of the umbrella for our family. But, we’re finding ourselves now.”
Moving on also involves being a part of a new reality show.
The Riveras, starring Rivera’s children as they pursue their own aspirations and deal with their issues, premiered in October on NBC Universo, where it airs every Sunday at 10pm.
The season premiere of the show garnered 229,000 total viewers and ranked as the No. 1 Hispanic cable-entertainment program in primetime on the network, according to Nielsen.
This isn’t the first time Rivera’s children have been in front of the cameras, however. A few years ago, they were part of Rivera’s own reality show, I Love Jenni, which centered around the singer’s career, household and enterprises.
Things are a little different this time around, Campos said. Initially, when Rivera started I Love Jenni, Campos rejected the notion of starring in a show because of her personal desire to maintain her privacy, but she realized her mom was “actually trying to set up a platform for her children.”
“I was really rebellious, and I think I kind of resented her career choice,” she said. “I was all about being normal, like everyone else, and having a mom as a singer made it hard to have a normal life. I was resentful toward her in that sense.”
It all changed when Campos had her own daughter when she was 19. Becoming a mom allowed her to relate with her mom in a way that she never could before.
“It was weird, because my relationship with her about four months before she passed was amazing,” Campos said. “I got to do things with her that I really didn’t get to do before because she was so busy. I got to enjoy her in a different light, and I was able to reconcile with her and say sorry for being so hard on her… I think it’s beautiful that I got to apologize to her, and I appreciated her in a different sense now that I was a mom. I was so mean— I hope my kids are never like that.”
[aesop_image imgwidth=”500px” img=”http://www.signaltribunenewspaper.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Screen-Shot-2016-11-03-at-4.02.49-PM.png” align=”right” lightbox=”on” caption=”American singer Jenni Rivera’s family at a press event, from left: Pedro Rivera, her father; Juan Angel Lopez, her son; Janney “Chiquis” Rivera, her daughter; Gustavo Rivera, her brother; and Jenicka Lopez, her daughter” captionposition=”right” revealfx=”off”] A few years later, Campos, who works at her mother’s enterprises, found it difficult to acclimate back to a routine lifestyle after already having been on TV. The idea for a new reality show starring Campos and her siblings was sparked by fan interest.
Mixed in with fan support is also criticism. People often comment on social media and judge Campos and her siblings about their life choices.
“It’s hard sometimes, because it feels like people think we are a different type of species or something,” she said. “They just expect us to be perfect. I’m really excited about the show because it gives us an opportunity to show the world that we are regular people… It seems like I am unraveling my purpose and my dreams on camera and trying to figure it all out.”
And, like most families, there are arguments. During a taping of The Riveras, Campos said she got so heated in an argument, that she requested for the cameras to go away.
“It was a really big fight. A bad one,” Campos said. “And I was yelling at the cameras, ‘Turn off the cameras! That’s it! No more!’ … I didn’t want the world to see that. But, I took a step back and thought, ‘This is normal.’ People fight like this in their families. Let’s be an example of reconciliation— of saying sorry when you are wrong.”
In addition to a reality show, Rivera’s family is still basking in the singer’s legacy nearly four years later with the release of a new album.
At a press event at Candelas Taco Bar & Lounge, 831 S. La Brea Ave., in Hollywood on Oct. 26, the Rivera family, including the late singer’s brothers, sister and parents, gathered in front of the venue in celebration of the then-pending release of Jenni Rivera: Paloma Negra Desde Monterrey.
The album, released a couple of days later, is the third installment in a collection of live performances by Rivera at her concert in Monterrey, Mexico on Dec. 8, 2012, the evening prior to her death in a plane accident.
[aesop_image imgwidth=”400px” img=”http://www.signaltribunenewspaper.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Screen-Shot-2016-11-03-at-4.02.57-PM.png” credit=”Facebook.com” align=”right” lightbox=”on” caption=”Pictured is album artwork of Jenni Rivera: Paloma Negra Desde Monterrey, released on Oct. 28. The album is the third installment in a collection of live performances by the late singer at a concert in Monterrey, Mexico on Dec. 8, 2012, the evening prior to her death in a plane accident.” captionposition=”right” revealfx=”off”] Juan Angel Lopez, 15, Rivera’s youngest child, responded to media on the red carpet about his mom and said he was “orgulloso” — proud— of her and her accomplishments, even calling her a “badass” as he concluded his thoughts.
Jenicka Lopez, 19, just a few feet from Juan, explained in Spanish to other local media that her mom’s final CD has been very touching for her.
“Sometimes, the thought of it makes me cry,” she said in Spanish.
Both Juan and Jenicka have felt the sting of losing a parent twice. Their dad died in prison from pneumonia complications in 2009.
They both often stay with Campos or their older sister Janney, or “Chiquis.”
“Their life has changed, and it’s difficult to raise kids who have been through so much,” Campos said. “I sometimes feel like they are stronger than me, and, a lot of the times, they teach me a few things… my door is always open for them.”
When Rivera died, Campos said her siblings became disconnected from each other.
Campos recalled one of the I Love Jenni episodes when the whole family went on a trip to Hawaii and visited a waterfall that was cascading in different directions— the water was dropping from one source, scattered somewhere in the middle, but eventually came together again.
Campos called that a metaphor for family.
Now, she said that’s exactly what is happening on The Riveras, which has brought all of the brothers and sisters back together in a way that echoes what Rivera instilled in all of them.
“It’s about making us more human for these people who see us from so far away and think we live a glamorous lifestyle,” Campos said. “It’s really just a platform to show that life is, dare I say, even harder for us than it is for them because we have to be under people’s microscopes and live up to their expectations… But, we’re normal kids. We’re just regular kids with no parents. We’re trying to figure it out, just like you.”
