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If you’ve been searching for Savani Quintanilla, you probably already know the family name. He is the son of A.B. Quintanilla III and the nephew of Selena Quintanilla, the “Queen of Tejano Music.” But Savani, known by his stage name Principe Q, is carving out a career that goes well beyond his last name. This article covers everything about his early life, his family ties, his music projects, and what he is doing in 2026.
Quick facts about Savani Quintanilla
| Detail | Information |
| Full name | Savani Quintanilla |
| Stage name | Principe Q (also known as DJ Moonpie) |
| Date of birth | November 27, 1991 |
| Age (as of 2026) | 34 years old |
| Birthplace | Corpus Christi, Texas, USA |
| Nationality | American |
| Ethnicity | Mexican-American |
| Father | A.B. Quintanilla III |
| Mother | Evangelina “Vangie” Almeida |
| Siblings | Markita Quintanilla (full sister), six half-siblings |
| Daughter | Yvie Quintanilla |
| Profession | Musician, DJ, record producer, sound engineer |
| Associated acts | Royal Highness, Screwmbia, Kumbia All Starz |
| Studio | Alebrije (Corpus Christi, Texas) |
| Net worth (2026) | $3 million to $5 million |
| Social media | Instagram (@principe_q), Spotify, YouTube, SoundCloud |
Who is Savani Quintanilla?
Savani Quintanilla was born on November 27, 1991, in Corpus Christi, Texas, into one of the most recognized families in Latin music. His father is A.B. Quintanilla III, the songwriter and producer behind Kumbia Kings and Kumbia All Starz. His aunt, Selena Quintanilla, became one of the most beloved artists in American music history before her death in 1995.
Growing up, Savani spent time around recording studios and professional musicians. He watched his father build songs from the ground up, and that hands-on exposure shaped how he thinks about rhythm, production, and sound. By his teenage years, he was already experimenting with DJ sets and producing his own beats.
What sets Savani apart is that he did not simply follow a template. He took the cumbia and Tejano roots of his family and layered them with trap, electronic music, and hip-hop to build something genuinely different. His approach treats tradition as a starting point, not a ceiling.
His family connection to Selena Quintanilla
The Quintanilla name carries enormous weight in Latin music, and Savani grew up with that weight every day. His father A.B. wrote and produced many of Selena’s biggest songs, including “Como La Flor” and “Amor Prohibido.” His aunt Suzette Quintanilla played drums in Selena y Los Dinos. Selena herself became a crossover phenomenon who built a massive audience in both the Spanish-speaking and English-speaking United States.
For Savani, Selena is not a distant icon. She is family. He has spoken about honoring her memory through his own work, producing modern remixes of her songs that introduce her catalog to younger listeners. These are not cash-grab projects. They reflect a genuine desire to keep her music alive in spaces where it would not otherwise reach.
The weight of that legacy could have been paralyzing. Instead, Savani has treated it as motivation to get better at his craft, not as a brand to coast on.
His parents and early life
A.B. Quintanilla III is Savani’s father and the most direct musical influence in his life. A.B. first gained recognition as the bass guitarist and primary songwriter for Selena y Los Dinos. After Selena’s death, he kept working, founding Kumbia Kings in 1999 and later Kumbia All Starz. His career showed Savani what it looks like to rebuild and keep creating after loss.
Savani’s mother, Evangelina “Vangie” Almeida, has stayed out of the public eye throughout her life. She and A.B. had two children together: Savani and his full sister, Markita. Though the marriage ended, both parents remained involved in raising their children. Savani has credited his mother’s steady presence as the emotional grounding behind his work ethic.
Savani also has six half-siblings from his father’s other relationships. The extended Quintanilla family is large and closely tied by music and shared history.
Savani’s music career and projects
Getting started as DJ Moonpie and Principe Q
Savani began performing under two names early in his career: DJ Moonpie at local venues in Texas and Principe Q as his primary stage identity. His early DJ sets blended cumbia rhythms with hip-hop and electronic beats in a way that felt fresh for Texas club audiences. Those sets helped him learn how to read a room and develop his ear for what works in real time.
Royal Highness
Savani co-founded Royal Highness, a music duo that combines cumbia with trap and electronic production. The project became his main vehicle for releasing original music and reaching younger Latin music listeners. Royal Highness represents his belief that traditional sounds and modern production do not have to be in conflict.
Screwmbia
His most genre-defining move came through Screwmbia, a project developed with DJ King Louie. The concept takes traditional cumbia rhythms and slows them down, layering in trap drums and heavy electronic bass to create a hypnotic, distinctly modern sound. Screwmbia drew real attention in Texas and beyond because it did not just sample Latin music. It rebuilt the structure entirely.
Read more: Leanne Goggins: the real story behind Walton Goggins’ first wife, her life, and her loss
Work with Kumbia All Starz and his own studio
Savani contributed to his father’s group Kumbia All Starz as a producer and sound engineer, adding modern production touches to the band’s live and studio work. He also operates his own studio, called Alebrije, in Corpus Christi. Running a studio gives him creative control and lets him work with other Latin and electronic artists outside his own projects. An alebrije, in Mexican folk tradition, is a brightly colored spirit guide made from the imagination. The name fits the work Savani does: blending vivid cultural roots with something entirely invented.
What Savani Quintanilla sounds like in 2026
His music sits at the intersection of several things at once: the warmth of cumbia, the weight of trap bass, the texture of electronic production, and the emotional pull of Tejano. It does not fit neatly into a single genre category, which is part of the point.
Savani’s production style pays close attention to rhythm and texture. He uses tempo shifts and layered percussion in ways that feel physically present, not just background music. Listeners familiar with Selena’s original recordings often notice threads of that sound embedded in his work, not as imitation but as acknowledgment.
He releases music on Spotify, SoundCloud, and YouTube, where his catalog is growing steadily.
Personal life
Savani keeps his personal life private. As of 2026, he is single and has one daughter, Yvie, who he describes as his most important motivation. Fatherhood changed how he thinks about his work. He makes music now with a longer view than he had in his twenties.
He is a Sagittarius, which might explain his tendency toward independence and experimentation. He prefers to let the music speak rather than court attention through social media drama or celebrity stories.
Net worth and income
As of 2026, Savani Quintanilla’s estimated net worth falls between $3 million and $5 million. His income comes from several areas:
- DJ performance fees at festivals and clubs
- Music production and sound engineering work at Alebrije studio
- Streaming royalties from his catalog on Spotify and SoundCloud
- Production work with Kumbia All Starz and other collaborations
He built that figure through consistent work, not a single breakout moment. That steadiness is probably his most underrated quality as an artist and businessman.
Final thoughts
What makes Savani Quintanilla’s story genuinely interesting is not the famous name. It is the choice he made to take that name seriously rather than lean on it. He could have stayed close to his father’s sound and built a comfortable career on nostalgia. Instead he went and invented Screwmbia, built his own studio, and created music that a twenty-year-old in 2026 might discover without ever knowing who Selena was, and then discover her because of him. That is a real contribution, not just a legacy continuation.
FAQ
Who is Savani Quintanilla?
Savani Quintanilla, also known as Principe Q, is an American musician, DJ, record producer, and sound engineer from Corpus Christi, Texas. He is the son of A.B. Quintanilla III and the nephew of the late Selena Quintanilla. He is best known for creating the Screwmbia genre and co-founding the music duo Royal Highness.
How old is Savani Quintanilla in 2026?
Savani was born on November 27, 1991, which makes him 34 years old in 2026. He has spent his entire adult life building a career in music, starting as a local DJ in Texas and growing into a producer and sound engineer with his own studio.
What is Screwmbia?
Screwmbia is a music genre Savani created with DJ King Louie. It takes traditional cumbia rhythms, slows them down, and layers trap drums and electronic bass over them. The result is a sound that draws from Mexican-American musical tradition while feeling completely current.
Is Savani Quintanilla related to Selena Quintanilla?
Yes. Selena Quintanilla was his aunt. Savani’s father, A.B. Quintanilla III, is Selena’s brother. Savani has honored her memory through remixes and modern reinterpretations of her classic songs such as “Como La Flor” and “Amor Prohibido.”
What is Savani Quintanilla’s net worth?
His estimated net worth as of 2026 is between $3 million and $5 million. He earns through DJ performances, music production, his Alebrije studio in Corpus Christi, and royalties from his various projects.
Does Savani Quintanilla have children?
He has one daughter named Yvie. He has spoken about her as his primary motivation and the reason he thinks longer-term about his career and the kind of music he wants to make.
What is Savani Quintanilla’s stage name?
He performs primarily as Principe Q. He also used the name DJ Moonpie early in his career when performing at local venues in Texas.
