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
La Flor Y Tu Amor
Gloria Estefan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Bien protegida y coronada de placer
Nació una flor
Cual irrigada en manantial de sentimientos
Crece firme y con fervor, como tu amor
Ay, mi amor, tu eres la flor que embriaga mis sentidos
Tu eres la luz que alumbra mis caminos
Tu eres la voz de mi sentir
Que hoy no puedo ya vivir sin tu presencia
Sin ti, mi amor, siento total indiferencia
Tu lo eres todo para mi, mi dulce amor
En lo mes hondo de mi ser
Bien protegido y coronado de placer
Nació el amor
Y ya no serán tristes las mañanas
Brotaren las flores en invierno
Y golpeare la lluvia en mi desvelo
Y brillare la luna en tus cabellos
Y llenare de amor todo tu cuerpo
Hasta saciar la said de mis deseos
Y cuidare la lluvia nuestros suenos
Para que juegue el viento con tu pelo
Voy a llenar tu cuerpo de amor, ay
Para que nazcan flores de ti y de mi
Voy a saciar la said de mi amor en ti
Hasta que las estrellas se apiaden de mi
Voy a llenar tu cuerpo de amor, ay
Para que nazcan flores de ti y de mi
Voy a saciar la said de mi amor en ti
Hasta que las estrellas se apiaden de mi
Voy a llenar tu cuerpo de amor, ay
Para que nazcan flores de ti y de mi
Voy a llenar tu cuerpo de amor, ay
Llenare de amor todo tu cuerpo
Hasta que las estrellas se apiaden de mi
Voy a llenar tu cuerpo de amor, ay
Voy a llenar tu cuerpo de amor
Voy a llenar tu cuerpo de amor, ay
Tu eres la flor que me embriaga
Tu lo eres todo para mi
Voy a llenar tu cuerpo de amor, ay
Hasta que las estrellas se apiaden de mi
Voy a llenar tu cuerpo de amor, ay de ti y de mi
Voy a saciar la said de mi amor en ti
Para que nazcan flores de ti y de mi
The lyrics of Gloria Estefan's song, La Flor Y Tu Amor, speaks about the depth of love and emotions. The song refers to a flower that was born deep in the singer's soul, protected and crowned with pleasure, by the spring of emotions. The flower continues to grow, fueled by immense love and desire, embodied by the persona's significant other. The singer goes on to describe the role of her lover, the embodiment of light and sound in her life. She cannot imagine living without the presence of her lover, who is central to her being.
The lyrics are filled with vivid imagery of nature, invoking emotions of love, passion, and desire. The singer talks of how the arrival of love has transformed her existence, filling her life with joy and beauty. The lyrics speak of how her lover's presence has awakened her desires, and she promises to fill her lover's life with love, to the point where the stars take note. The song masterfully captures the essence of true love, prompting listeners to hope for the same intensity of emotions and desire.
Line by Line Meaning
En lo mes hondo de mi ser
Deep within my soul
Bien protegida y coronada de placer
Well protected and crowned with pleasure
Nació una flor
A flower was born
Cual irrigada en manantial de sentimientos
Nourished by a spring of emotions
Crece firme y con fervor, como tu amor
Growing strong and passionate, like your love
Ay, mi amor, tu eres la flor que embriaga mis sentidos
Oh, my love, you are the flower that intoxicates my senses
Tu eres la luz que alumbra mis caminos
You are the light that illuminates my paths
Tu eres la voz de mi sentir
You are the voice of my feelings
Y es por eso
And that's why
Que hoy no puedo ya vivir sin tu presencia
Today I cannot live without your presence
Sin ti, mi amor, siento total indiferencia
Without you, my love, I feel completely indifferent
Tu lo eres todo para mi, mi dulce amor
You are everything to me, my sweet love
Y ya no serán tristes las mañanas
And no longer will the mornings be sad
Brotarán las flores en invierno
Flowers will bloom in winter
Y golpearé la lluvia en mi desvelo
And I will fight the rain in my sleeplessness
Y brillaré la luna en tus cabellos
And the moon will shine on your hair
Y llenaré de amor todo tu cuerpo
And I will fill your whole body with love
Hasta saciar la sed de mis deseos
Until satisfying the thirst of my desires
Y cuidaré la lluvia nuestros sueños
And I will protect the rain in our dreams
Para que juegue el viento con tu pelo
So that the wind can play with your hair
Voy a llenar tu cuerpo de amor, ay
I am going to fill your body with love, oh
Para que nazcan flores de ti y de mi
So that flowers can be born from you and me
Voy a saciar la sed de mi amor en ti
I am going to quench the thirst of my love in you
Hasta que las estrellas se apiaden de mi
Until the stars take pity on me
Voy a llenar tu cuerpo de amor, ay de ti y de mi
I am going to fill your body with love, oh, from you and me
Voy a llenar tu cuerpo de amor
I am going to fill your body with love
Tu eres la flor que me embriaga
You are the flower that intoxicates me
Tu lo eres todo para mi
You are everything to me
Voy a saciar la sed de mi amor en ti
I am going to quench the thirst of my love in you
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: RENE TOLEDO
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind