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've Grown Accustomed to His Face
Gloria Estefan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He almost makes the day begin
I've grown accustomed
To the tune that he whistles night and noon
His smiles, his frowns
His ups, his downs
Are second nature to me now
I was serenely independent
And content before we met
Surely I could always be that way again
And yet, I've grown accustomed to his look
Accustomed to his voice
Accustomed to his face
I'm so used to hearing him say
"Good morning," every day
His joys, his woes
His highs, his lows
Are second nature to me now
Like breathing out and breathing in
I'm very grateful he's a man and so easy to forget
Rather like a habit one can always break
And yet, I've grown accustomed
To the trace of something in the air
Accustomed to his face
The song "I've Grown Accustomed to His Face" by Gloria Estefan appears on her 1994 album "Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me." The song was originally written by Lerner and Loewe for their 1956 Broadway musical "My Fair Lady." The lyrics of the song describe a woman's feelings towards her partner, who has become an integral part of her life. She explains that she has grown accustomed to all his quirks - his smiles, frowns, ups, and downs - and they are now second nature to her. She also admits that she was once content with being on her own, but has now become used to his presence, including hearing him say "Good morning" every day.
The song's lyrics are highly relatable, as many people can identify with becoming accustomed to someone in their life, such as a romantic partner, friend, or family member. The song expresses the idea that even though we may be independent and content on our own, we can still find happiness in another person's company and become accustomed to their presence. The tone of the song is bittersweet, as the woman realizes that she could go back to being content on her own, but also acknowledges the happiness and comfort that her partner brings to her life.
Line by Line Meaning
I've grown accustomed to his face
I have become familiar with looking at his face regularly
He almost makes the day begin
Seeing him in the morning is an important part of starting my day
I've grown accustomed to the tune that he whistles night and noon
I have become used to the particular tune he whistles regularly, day and night
His smiles, his frowns, his ups, his downs are second nature to me now, like breathing out and breathing in
I am well-versed in all his moods - happy, sad, optimistic or pessimistic - and they have become easy to understand like second nature
I was serenely independent and content before we met, surely I could always be that way again, and yet, I've grown accustomed to his look
Before meeting him, I was fine being alone, but now it's hard to imagine life without him, even if I could go back to being independent
Accustomed to his voice
I have become used to the sound of his voice
I'm so used to hearing him say 'Good morning,' every day
Hearing him wish me 'Good morning' every day has become a routine
His joys, his woes, his highs, his lows are second nature to me now, like breathing out and breathing in
His emotions ranging from happy moments to sad times are familiar to me, similar to breathing
I'm very grateful he's a man and so easy to forget, rather like a habit one can always break, and yet, I've grown accustomed to the trace of something in the air
Although I'm thankful that he's easy to move on from, somewhat like breaking a bad habit, I have become used to sensing his presence in the air around me
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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