When Naya Rivera first auditioned to play Santana Lopez on Glee, the character didn’t even have her own dialogue. “I had to read Mercedes’s lines,” Rivera said in a 2015 interview, referring to the character played by Amber Riley. But while Santana started as a background villain, she gradually became known for her biting one-liners and aggressive eye rolls. With time the character became a key member of the show’s ensemble. She grappled with her sexual identity throughout season two, and ultimately began a long-term relationship with Brittany (Heather Morris), a fellow cheerleader and glee club member at the show’s fictional William McKinley High School.
“I never thought that it would be that serious to some people, and it is,” Rivera said of the relationship between Santana and Brittany (dubbed “Brittana” by Glee fans). “And a lot of people have said that [it] gave them courage to come out to their parents and their friends and their loved ones.”
Rivera, who died at age 33 following a drowning incident at a Los Angeles-area lake, started acting onscreen as a child; she spent her post-Glee years working as a memoirist, actor, and singer. (Her most recent credit was on the YouTube Premium series Step Up: High Water.) But it’s her role as Santana on Glee that fans will always remember. Ahead, five of Rivera’s most indelible musical performances from the show.
“Valerie” by Amy Winehouse (season two, episode nine)
Rivera did not become a series regular on Glee until the second season, and this Amy Winehouse cover was her first big solo. The track became something of a signature for Rivera while on the show, and she performed “Valerie” at various Glee concerts and other events. (A version of the track can be found in Glee: The 3D Concert Movie as well.)
“Landslide” by Fleetwood Mac (season two, episode 15)
The relationship between Santana and Brittany initially started as a bit of a punch line for the writers, playing off the real-life friendship Rivera and Morris shared. But as Rivera once told Vanity Fair, it was fan support that led to the two glee club members hooking up for real. “I think it was because the writers and Ryan [Murphy] were getting such a strong craving from the fans—from the Brittany and Santana fans—for them to be together,” she said in 2011. “And we sort of took it lightly at first. But then we thought it was something people really wanted us to do, that it was something we should tackle. And so one day, [head writer] Brad Falchuk came up to me and said, ‘We’ve decided that we’re going to explore this story line,’ and I was totally for it, and knew people would appreciate it.” It was in season two that Santana finally revealed her true feelings for Brittany by singing “Landslide” alongside both her friend and a teacher (played by guest star Gwyneth Paltrow).
“Rumour Has It”/“Someone Like You” by Adele (season three, episode six)
After being outed as gay in front of the entire school, Santana takes a lead role in this Adele mash-up that was praised by critics after its debut and marked the 300th song on Glee itself.
“Mine” by Taylor Swift (season four, episode four)
As Glee pushed into its later seasons, the reality of high school students graduating and moving on from their hometown forced Santana and Brittany to split—a message that was delivered via words by Taylor Swift.
“Don’t Rain on My Parade” by Barbra Streisand (season five, episode nine)
The often contentious on-set relationship between Rivera and Lea Michele—who played Glee lead Rachel Berry—frequently extended to the show itself. Never was that more apparent than in season five, when Santana auditioned to be Rachel’s understudy in a production of Funny Girl by singing what had been Rachel’s signature song up until that point. Years later Rivera would call this her favorite solo performance on the show. “It was funny because going into it I didn’t think I would love it, but then it ended up being something special to me,” she said.
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