Beginning her career in 1975 as lead vocalist for the then exclusively Spanish-language band, Miami Sound Machine, before crossing over to mainstream pop success with the international hit singles "Dr. Beat" (1984) and "Conga" (1986), Estefan emerged as one of the biggest new stars in the mid-'80s, predating the still nascent Latin pop explosion by a decade, and scoring a series of propulsive dance hits rooted in the rhythms of her native Cuba, before shifting her focus to softer, more ballad-oriented fare.
Born in Havana, Cuba, the young Gloria Fajardo was raised primarily in Miami, FL, after her father, a bodyguard of Cuban president Fulgencio Batista, was forced to flee the island following the 1959 coup helmed by Fidel Castro. In the fall of 1975, Fajardo and her cousin Merci Murciano auditioned for the Miami Latin Boys, a local wedding band headed by keyboardist Emilio Estefan. With their addition, the group was rechristened Miami Sound Machine and four years later, Fajardo and Estefan were wed. As Miami Sound Machine began composing their own original material, their fusion of pop, disco, and salsa earned a devoted local following, and in 1979 the group issued their first Spanish-language LP on CBS International. Despite a growing Hispanic fan base, they did not cross over to non-Latin audiences until "Dr. Beat" topped European dance charts in 1984.
With 1985's Primitive Love, Miami Sound Machine recorded their first English-language effort, scoring three Top Ten pop hits in the U.S. alone with the infectious "Conga", "Bad Boy", and "Words Get in the Way". Following 1987's triple-platinum Let It Loose, Estefan took top billing and the group changed its name to Gloria Estefan & The Miami Sound Machine in 1988, reeling off four Top Ten hits - "Rhythm Is Gonna Get You", "Can't Stay Away from You", the chart-topping "Anything for You", and "1-2-3". 1989's Cuts Both Ways was credited to Estefan alone and generated her second #1 hit, "Don't Wanna Lose You". However, on March 20, 1990, while touring in support of the album, her bus was struck by a tractor trailer. Estefan suffered a broken vertebra that required extensive surgery and kept her off the road for over a year. Her husband Emilio and the couple's son were injured in the crash as well, but all three recovered. Estefan resurfaced in 1991 with Into the Light, again topping the charts with "Coming Out of the Dark", a single inspired by her near-fatal accident. Two more cuts from the album, "Can't Forget You" and "Live for Loving You", secured her foothold on the adult contemporary charts.
With 1993's Mi Tierra, Estefan returned to her roots, recording her first Spanish-language record in nearly a decade and earning a Grammy Award for Best Tropical Latin Album; on the follow-up 1994 covers collection, Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, she also recalled her dance-pop origins with a rendition of the Vicki Sue Robinson disco classic, "Turn the Beat Around". Another all-Spanish effort, Abriendo Puertas (1995), earned her a Grammy as well, while Destiny featured "Reach", named the official theme of the 1996 Summer Olympics. As Latin pop made new commercial headway, thanks to the efforts of acts like Ricky Martin and Enrique Iglesias, Estefan reigned as the most successful crossover artist in Latin music history, with international record sales close to the 50 million mark. In 1999, she also made her feature film debut alongside Meryl Streep in Music of the Heart, recording the film's title song as a duet with *NSYNC, and scoring both a massive pop hit and an Oscar nomination in the process. A new Spanish-language album, Alma Caribeña, followed in the spring of 2000. Several months later, Estefan was awarded a Grammy for Best Music Video for "No Me Dehes de Querer" at the inaugural annual Latin Grammy Awards. Her husband, Emilio, won for Producer of the Year. - Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide
Appearances and tours
In April 2004, Estefan appeared on the Fox Broadcasting Company’s program, American Idol, but declined an offer to be an official judge, saying she did not like to “judge” others.
On July 28, 2004, in a press conference hosted by Donald Trump at the Trump Tower, Estefan announced that her then-upcoming tour would be her final one. The Live and Re-Wrapped Summer/Fall 2004 Tour, her first tour in eight years was produced by Clear Channel Entertainment. The tour featured Estefan’s greatest hits, along with new material from Unwrapped.
In December 2006, Estefan appeared as a special guest singer on the UK talent show The X Factor.
Gloria's 11th studio album,Miss Little Havana. The Miss Little Havana Songfacts says that the first nine tracks tells the tale of a young girl who hooks up with the wrong guy in Miami after moving there from Cuba. All of these tracks were written or co-written by Pharrell Williams of The Neptunes. It is described by Estefan as a project in the vein of her 1998 hit album gloria!.
Songfacts reports that "Hotel Nacional" debuted at #1 on Billboard's Latin countdown - the first time a female artist had achieved that feat since the chart was introduced in 1986. Both "Wepa" and "Hotel Nacional" achieved number one on Billboard Latin Songs and on Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs.
Estefan started a reality show called The Next: Fame Is at Your Doorstep opposite Joe Jonas, Nelly and John Rich on the CW Network, where she, and the other three mentors are searched for the next big star, to record an album with Atlantic Records. Unlike other music reality shows, in this program, the mentors selected the "candidates" for the show, and trained them for a live performance, where they'd be voted for the best act of the day. The first season ended in October 2012, with musician Michael Ray, as the big finalist.
This same year, Estefan appeared as a musical guest in Tony Bennett's compilation of duets with Latin-American musicians, Viva Duets with a rendition of the song, "Who Can I Turn To (When Nobody Needs Me)". Weeks later, she helped the American version of Teleton, releasing the charity single "Por Un Mundo Mejor" along with Mexican singer Lucero, Dominican rapper El Cata and Mexican pop band, Reik. A video for the song was shot, with them recording the song, which was marked as the official hymn for the foundation.
In May 2013, she appears doing another duet with the song "Think I'm In Love Again" as part of the albums Duets released by Paul Anka.
Estefan has announced she was working on a new album of covers, The Standards, released in September 2013. The album will feature some collaborations with artists like Laura Pausini, Dave Koz and Joshua Bell, and the selection of songs are mostly songs from the Great American songbook. Estefan released the first single, "How Long Has This Been Going On?", digitally on Amazon and iTunes on July 9, 2013
Official website: http://www.gloriaestefan.com
Famous
Gloria Estefan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Makes us, then breaks us, then helps us survive
Buries our hopes, then revives our desire to succeed
We're all greed
Who in this world sees when I cry
Throws me, then shows me that I'm justified
Measure my worth, then decide that I'm not what they need
Where in this world can I hide?
Where can I find someone
That sees me inside to confide
How in this world can I go on
Wondering if you'll think of me when I'm gone?
Shielding my eyes from the pitiless light of the glare
Should you care?
When in this world is it enough?
I never thought it could be quite this rough
Living my life as if millions of people don't stare
They're not there
Why should I have to defend or derive
Most of the rules of the game, I've defied
Though it's been hard on my pride
It's been one hell of a ride
Curiously
I didn't set out to be famous
These lyrics from Gloria Estefan's song Famous explore the complex emotions that come with the pursuit and attainment of fame. Estefan reflects on the highs and lows of fame - the way it can bring us to life and then break us down, how it can bury our hopes one minute and revive them the next. The chorus asks some poignant questions about the cost of fame - where can we find refuge from the pitiless light of public scrutiny, who will be there for us when we cry, and where can we find someone who sees us inside to confide?
The verses meanwhile, highlight the challenges of the fame game - being judged for our worth, having our every move scrutinized by the public, and feeling like we always have to defend ourselves. The song also makes reference to the fact that fame is often not something that people set out to achieve, but rather something that comes with success in a chosen field.
In a broader sense, the lyrics of Famous are also a commentary on the way our society values fame and can put people on a pedestal only to tear them down again. The song's chorus of questions doesn't offer any easy answers but instead encourages listeners to reflect on their own relationship with fame and success.
Line by Line Meaning
What in this world, feels so alive
What gives us that feeling of being truly alive?
Makes us, then breaks us, then helps us survive
Life can take us on a roller coaster and sometimes it's difficult to hold on, but in the end, it helps us to keep going.
Buries our hopes, then revives our desire to succeed
Sometimes we may feel like our hopes and dreams are buried, but with perseverance, they can be reignited, giving us the motivation to succeed.
We're all greed
As humans, we have an innate desire for more, sometimes to an excessive extent.
Who in this world sees when I cry
Who truly knows and understands us when we're at our lowest point?
Throws me, then shows me that I'm justified
Someone who can uplift us and make us feel that our emotions are justified and valid.
Measure my worth, then decide that I'm not what they need
People may place a value on us and decide that we're not worth what they're looking for.
They've agreed
Others have unanimously decided to hold a certain opinion about us.
Where in this world can I hide?
Where can we go to escape from the stresses of daily life and find solace?
Where can I find someone
That sees me inside to confide
Someone who can be our confidant and truly see us for who we are on the inside.
How in this world can I go on
Wondering if you'll think of me when I'm gone?
How can we continue to live with the uncertainty of whether or not we'll be remembered after we're no longer here?
Shielding my eyes from the pitiless light of the glare
Should you care?
Protecting ourselves from the harsh judgment and scrutiny of others, while still hoping that someone cares enough to see us for who we are.
When in this world is it enough?
When will we reach a point where we're satisfied with what we have and who we are?
I never thought it could be quite this rough
The challenges of life can often be more difficult than we expect them to be.
Living my life as if millions of people don't stare
Trying to live life without being overly concerned with what others may think or say about us.
They're not there
Realizing that the judgment of others is not as important as we may have once thought it was.
Why should I have to defend or derive
Why should we have to justify ourselves or our actions to others?
Most of the rules of the game, I've defied
Going against the norm and breaking free from societal expectations.
Though it's been hard on my pride
It's been one hell of a ride
While it may have been difficult to go against the grain, it's been a wild and memorable experience.
Curiously
I didn't set out to be famous
Surprisingly, the desire to be famous was not the original motivation for making the journey.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: GLORIA M. ESTEFAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind