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
I'm Not Giving Up You
Gloria Estefan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It scares me to imagine
What life would be without you
And for this very reason
I ask you to forgive me
For what I'm putting us through
Against us, I've decided
That I'm not giving you up, no
Thinking back, I see what we have
Is something different
I think we've known all along
So how fair would it be
To divide this love's existence
Between what's right and what's wrong
And you, always wondering if we'll make it
Time will tell you
That I'm not giving you up, no, no
We'll find a way to be together
However long it takes, wherever
If it means having you for only a moment
A moment just might be enough
I'm not giving you up, no
No I'm not giving you up, no
Screaming in the silence the promises we've spoken
Come back to haunt me, false and broken
Quiet desperation to see we're lost forever
Searching for water in the desert
No, I refuse to have to do
Without your kisses
I'm not giving you up, no, no
No, I'm not giving you up, no
Not giving you up
Gloria Estefan's song "I'm Not Giving Up You" express the fear and anxiety of losing the person she loves. The start of the song clearly declares her fear of an imaginary life without her significant other. She loves this person so deeply that something as simple as envisioning life without them is scary for her. And because she understands the weight of her love, she knows how unbearable it would be if she lost this person. Estefan then asks for forgiveness for any struggles they are facing as a couple. She's making a conscious decision to stay with her significant other despite everything that got them there.
As the song continues, Estefan realizes that she can't imagine being without this person because their love is genuine and something different. She knows that navigating a relationship is never easy, but she wants to fight for this love even when things get too had. Even though obstacles are in their way, like time management and making a love that's seen as taboo work in society, she stands firm in her love. Gloria explains how she's ready to wait for however long it takes and wherever it takes them, she simply won't abandon this person.
The chorus of the song shows how much she's confident they would find a way to make it, even with the challenges. Even if it's just for a moment, it would be enough for her to know they fought for this love. The final verse signifies the struggles the couple have been through, promising and not keeping their promises. But despite all, she is not willingly letting go of her significant other or the love she has for them, and she is ready to do everything within her power to make it work, insisting that she's not giving up on them.
Line by Line Meaning
To be completely honest
I want to express my true feelings honestly
It scares me to imagine
The thought of living without you makes me afraid
What life would be without you
Life would be incomplete without you in it
And for this very reason
Because of this fear I have
I ask you to forgive me
I apologize and ask for your forgiveness
For what I'm putting us through
For the difficult situation I'm causing us to face
Although there are so many things
Despite the numerous challenges we face
Against us, I've decided
I have made up my mind regardless
That I'm not giving you up, no
I am committed to not letting you go
Thinking back, I see what we have
Reflecting on the past, I realize what we share
Is something different
Our love is unique and special
I think we've known all along
We have always been aware of this fact
So how fair would it be
It wouldn't be fair at all
To divide this love's existence
To separate and break apart our love
Between what's right and what's wrong
To choose between morality and our feelings
And you, always wondering if we'll make it
You are worried about whether we will succeed
Time will tell you
The future will reveal to you
That I'm not giving you up, no, no
I will not let you go under any circumstances
We'll find a way to be together
We will figure out how to remain together
However long it takes, wherever
No matter how long or where it takes
If it means having you for only a moment
Even if we only have a brief time together
A moment just might be enough
That moment could be sufficient and satisfying
Screaming in the silence the promises we've spoken
The vows we made echo loudly in the stillness
Come back to haunt me, false and broken
Those promises are now painful and unfulfilled
Quiet desperation to see we're lost forever
The fear that we may be separated forever is paralyzing
Searching for water in the desert
It feels like we're searching for something that doesn't exist
No, I refuse to have to do
I am not willing to
Without your kisses
Live without your affection
I'm not giving you up, no, no
I will not let you go at any cost
No, I'm not giving you up, no
I am determined to not let you slip away
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: LAWRENCE DERMER, EMILIO JR. ESTEFAN, GLORIA M. ESTEFAN, CLAY OSTWALD, FLAVIO ENRIQUE SANTANDER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Iconicole
To be completely honest
It scares me to imagine
What life would be without you
And for this very reason
I ask you to forgive me
For what I'm putting us through
Although there are so many things
Against us, I've decided
That I'm not giving you up, no
Thinking back, I see what we have
Is something different
I think we've known all along
So how fair would it be
To divide this love's existence
Between what's right and what's wrong
And you, always wondering if we'll make it
Time will tell you
That I'm not giving you up, no, no
We'll find a way to be together
However long it takes, wherever
If it means having you for only a moment
A moment just might be enough
I'm not giving you up, no
No I'm not giving you up, no
Screaming in the silence the promises we've spoken
Come back to haunt me, false and broken
Quiet desperation to see we're lost forever
Searching for water in the desert
No, I refuse to have to do
Without your kisses
I'm not giving you up, no, no
No, I'm not giving you up, no
Not giving you up
yomisma
It scares me to imagine
What life would be without you
And for this very reason
I ask you to forgive me
For what I'm putting us through
Although there are so many things
Against us, I've decided
That I'm not giving you up, no...
21/10/2020
VM-NE
Mona Lisa
She is so beautiful! Her voice is perfection. And I love this song!
Joe Hernandez
One of my favorite tunes by Gloria...so relaxing.
Tone Stefano Araújo
Glória Estefan é simplesmente incrível! !!
Usman Traore
Soft,but such deep song!Gloria has perfect tender voice.
Daniel Barnes
She's bloody good ay?
Michelle Martinez Panini
MINHA FAVORITA DE GLORIA STEFAN! ATEMPORAL!! BRASIL TE AMA =) 2021 APRIL
Reynel
Que bonita canción, Gloria Estefan si que sabe hacer buena musica
Andy Bowlin
One of my favorite songs...the drums in this are amazing and the guitar melts me everytime
Viviana Hernández
Tu voz es como los angeles y no se olvidan fácil mente grande eres ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️🙏
Thien Phu
I love this song and I love Gloria Estefan. Throughout her whole career, one thing Gloria has always managed to do is represent herself as a classy, intelligent lady. I like how she celebrates her Latin-American roots, introducing so many new fans of mainstream America to the beauty of Latin American music and culture, and always doing it with class.