Svani Quintanilla: Selena’s Nephew Making His Own Mark on Cumbia

Svani Quintanilla is a DJ and music producer who performs as Principe Q. His father is A.B. Quintanilla III, the musician who helped shape Selena’s sound, and Selena was his aunt. That family connection draws attention, but Svani’s own music gives people another reason to know his name. He has spent years finding new ways to use cumbia rhythms in tracks made for modern dance floors.

His work with DJ King Louie in Royal Highness helped introduce Screwmbia, a mix of cumbia, hip-hop, trap, and electronic sounds. He has also released music under his own stage name and performed as a DJ. To understand Svani’s story, look beyond his surname and listen to the music he has made.

Table of Contents

Quick Bio

Field	Details
Full name	Svani Quintanilla
Professional name	Principe Q
Earlier stage names	Principe Cu; reportedly DJ Moonpie
Profession	DJ and music producer
Father	A.B. Quintanilla III
Famous aunt	Selena Quintanilla
Daughter	Yvie
Musical duo	Royal Highness
Royal Highness partner	DJ King Louie (Luis Espada)
Music style	Modern cumbia and electronic dance music
Sound associated with his work	Screwmbia
Screwmbia influences	Cumbia, hip-hop, trap, and electronic music
Royal Highness release	Screwmbia (2012)
Solo EP	Screwmbia Vol. 2 (2018)
Texas hometown reported in an interview	Corpus Christi
City listed on his artist profile	San Antonio
Houston music connection	Bombón collective
Known for	Bringing cumbia rhythms into modern DJ sets and productions

Who Is Svani Quintanilla?

Svani is a Texas-based musician whose work centres on DJing and production. Today, his main professional name is Principe Q. Earlier work with Royal Highness credited him as Principe Cu. Published accounts also identify DJ Moonpie as an earlier name he used. Those different names mark stages in his career, but cumbia has remained a steady part of his sound.

He makes tracks, collaborates with other artists, and plays live. His approach blends older rhythms with sounds from hip-hop and clubs. Listeners may first search for him because of Selena or A.B., but his releases offer a much clearer picture of what he does as an artist.

Growing Up With the Quintanilla Music Legacy

Svani comes from a family with a long history in Latin music. His father, A.B. Quintanilla III, played bass with Selena y Los Dinos and worked as a songwriter and producer. A.B. later continued his career with other cumbia projects. Selena’s songs also brought Tejano and cumbia to listeners far beyond Texas. People often connect that musical background with Svani.

In a 2013 interview with Houston Press, Svani spoke about growing up around musicians and developing a love of music. He also made clear how much cumbia meant to him. Those remarks help explain where his career began. Cumbia was a sound he knew, but he wanted to see what else he could make from it.

A well-known last name can draw attention to a new artist. It does not, by itself, make a DJ set exciting or a track worth playing again. Svani’s career has depended on making music with others, developing ideas, and bringing them to an audience. His family history is part of the story; his work is what carries it forward.

From DJ Moonpie to Principe Q

Published profiles say Svani once performed as DJ Moonpie. He later used Principe Cu in the early Royal Highness recordings. Principe Q became the name most closely linked to his own releases and DJ work. Searching that name now leads to his tracks and artist profiles.

The name shift is less interesting than the sound taking shape behind it. Svani moved toward music that kept cumbia’s pull while adding heavier drums and bass. His work reaches people who already love the genre as well as those hearing it through a club remix for the first time.

As a producer, he can shape a track’s pace and feel. As a DJ, he can hear how those choices work in a room full of dancers. Those two parts of the job feed each other. A beat that sounds good alone must also give people a reason to move.

How Royal Highness Began

Svani formed Royal Highness with Luis Espada, the DJ known as King Louie. The duo’s name grew out of their stage identities: Svani was Principe Cu, and Espada was King Louie. In their Houston Press interview, the two talked about trying different sounds instead of staying within one style.

They worked with cumbia samples, hip-hop beats, and electronic dance music. The pair were also open to mixing in other club influences. That freedom became central to their recordings. They could start with a rhythm people recognised, change the beat around it, and see where the track went.

Royal Highness released Screwmbia in 2012. The album credits Svani and Espada as its artists and includes tracks such as “Screwmbia,” “Diamante,” and “Magic Carpet.” Its release notes describe a mix of trap, cumbia, and other sounds with a Texas character. The record shows what the pair meant by bringing these influences together.

What Does Screwmbia Sound Like?

Screwmbia is the name Svani and King Louie gave to the sound they developed through Royal Highness. Cumbia supplies its dance rhythm. Slower pacing, strong bass, and drums influenced by hip-hop and trap give it a different weight. The result can feel both familiar and new, depending on what a listener brings to it.

Screwmbia does not follow one exact beat in every song. Royal Highness tried a range of ideas, and that spirit of play shapes the sound. A track might lean toward a club mix; another might let the cumbia rhythm stand out more clearly. The connection is the decision to let these styles meet.

The idea continued beyond the duo’s first album. Principe Q released Screwmbia Vol. 2 in 2018. The title shows that this was more than a one-off experiment. Svani kept returning to the sound and testing what he could do with it as his own music developed.

A Career Connected to Texas Dance Music

Texas has played a strong role in Svani’s career. Houston Press described him as being from Corpus Christi when it interviewed Royal Highness. His Principe Q profile now lists San Antonio and notes his work with Bombón, a Houston collective tied to the local cumbia scene. These connections put his music in a wider network of DJs, producers, and dancers.

His artist profile also lists performances outside Texas, including festivals in Mexico and later events such as Bonnaroo and EDC Orlando. Those stages suggest how far his work has travelled. Still, a festival name tells only part of the story. The tracks and DJ sets show what he brings to the stage.

His appeal comes from the way he handles a rhythm many people already know. He keeps cumbia’s movement and gives it new surroundings through modern club music. That choice connects his music to the past while leaving space for his own ideas.

Svani Quintanilla as a Father

Svani is also the father of a daughter named Yvie. He has shared much more about his professional work than about his family life, so the clearest public picture of him comes through his music. His artist pages document his projects and performances, but offer few details about his life at home.

Some websites list an exact age, relationship status, or net worth, but those details are not consistently supported. The clearest story comes from his releases, his partnership with King Louie, and the sound he continues to explore as Principe Q.

Conclusion

Svani Quintanilla inherited a close connection to cumbia and Tejano music, but he has made his own choices as an artist. He became a DJ and producer, joined King Louie in Royal Highness, and helped bring Screwmbia to listeners. His work shows how much room there is to experiment within a rhythm people already love.

Selena and A.B. Quintanilla are an important part of his family history. Svani’s own chapter is told through the records he makes and the music he plays. As Principe Q, he gives a familiar sound another place to grow.