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
Mas Alla
Gloria Estefan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Cuando quieres de verdad
Cuando brindas perdón
En lugar de rencor
Hay paz en tu corazón
Cuando sientes compasión
Del amigo y su dolor
Que oculta la niebla
Hay paz en tu corazón
Más allá del rencor
De las lágrimas y el dolor
Brilla la luz del amor
Dentro de cada corazón
Ilusión, Navidad
Pon tus sueños a volar
Siembra paz, brinda amor
Que el mundo entero pide más
Cuando brota una oración
Cuando aceptas el error
Cuando encuentras lugar
Para la libertad
Hay una sonrisa más
Cuando llega la razón
Y se va la incomprensión
Cuando quieres luchar
Por un ideal
Hay una sonrisa más
Hay un rayo de sol
A través del cristal
Hay un mundo mejor
Cuando aprendes a amar
Más allá del rencor
De las lágrimas y el dolor
Brilla la luz del amor
Dentro de cada corazón
Ilusión, Navidad
Pon tus sueños a volar
Siembra paz, brinda amor
Que el mundo entero pide más
Cuando alejas el temor
Y prodigas tu amistad
Cuando a un mismo cantar
Has unido tu voz
Hay paz en tu corazón
Cuando buscas con ardor
Y descubres tu verdad
Cuando quieres forjar
Un mañana mejor
Hay paz en tu corazón
Más allá del rencor
De las lágrimas y el dolor
Brilla la luz del amor
Dentro de cada corazón
Ilusión, Navidad
Pon tus sueños a volar
Siembra paz, brinda amor
Que el mundo entero pide más
The lyrics to Gloria Estefan's song "Mas Alla" convey the message of peace and love that comes with acts of kindness and understanding. The song urges listeners to embrace forgiveness and acceptance, and to always strive for a better future. The first stanza highlights the importance of selflessness and genuine care towards others, as these are the things that bring peace to one's heart. The second stanza emphasizes the power of compassion, the ability to see beyond one's own struggles and connect with others' pain, and the beauty that comes with it.
The chorus, which repeats throughout the song, is a reminder that even in the midst of pain and hardship, there is always a glimmer of hope and a reason to keep pushing forward towards love and happiness. The song encourages us to let go of grudges and embrace the joy that comes from kindness and understanding.
Overall, "Mas Alla" is a beautiful song that carries a timeless message of hope and love, encouraging listeners to be kind to one another and strive for a better future.
Line by Line Meaning
Cuando das sin esperar
When you give without expecting anything in return
Cuando quieres de verdad
When you love someone truly
Cuando brindas perdón
When you offer forgiveness
En lugar de rencor
Instead of holding a grudge
Hay paz en tu corazón
There is peace in your heart
Cuando sientes compasión
When you feel compassion
Del amigo y su dolor
For your friend and their pain
Cuando miras la estrella
When you look at the star
Que oculta la niebla
That is hidden by the fog
Hay paz en tu corazón
There is peace in your heart
Más allá del rencor
Beyond the hatred
De las lágrimas y el dolor
Of the tears and the pain
Brilla la luz del amor
The light of love shines
Dentro de cada corazón
Inside every heart
Ilusión, Navidad
Hope, Christmas
Pon tus sueños a volar
Let your dreams take flight
Siembra paz, brinda amor
Sow peace, give love
Que el mundo entero pide más
Because the whole world needs it
Cuando brota una oración
When a prayer arises
Cuando aceptas el error
When you accept your mistake
Cuando encuentras lugar
When you find a place
Para la libertad
For freedom
Hay una sonrisa más
There is one more smile
Cuando llega la razón
When reason arrives
Y se va la incomprensión
And misunderstanding goes away
Cuando quieres luchar
When you want to fight
Por un ideal
For an ideal
Hay una sonrisa más
There is one more smile
Hay un rayo de sol
There is a ray of sunshine
A través del cristal
Through the glass
Hay un mundo mejor
There is a better world
Cuando aprendes a amar
When you learn to love
Cuando alejas el temor
When you drive away fear
Y prodigas tu amistad
And lavish your friendship
Cuando a un mismo cantar
When to the same song
Has unido tu voz
You have joined your voice
Hay paz en tu corazón
There is peace in your heart
Cuando buscas con ardor
When you search passionately
Y descubres tu verdad
And discover your truth
Cuando quieres forjar
When you want to forge
Un mañana mejor
A better tomorrow
Hay paz en tu corazón
There is peace in your heart
Ilusión, Navidad
Hope, Christmas
Pon tus sueños a volar
Let your dreams take flight
Siembra paz, brinda amor
Sow peace, give love
Que el mundo entero pide más
Because the whole world needs it
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Flavio Enrique Santander
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@luiferchinuma3765
Me brotan las lágrimas hoy al escuchar ésta bella canción. Hoy que termina el 2023 sólo pido PAZ PARA TODO EL PLANETA. No es posible que hallan tantas guerras. Un 2024 mejor para todos! Pura vida!
@estelaapolito6635
GRACIAS ,me hace emocionar 🥲deseo que haya paz 💚 paz amor Prosperidad .Bendiciones para todo el mundo🌍🙏 Saludos desde acá acá 🇺🇾 somos todos Uno .Bendiciones
@user-tm4bv5rj4r
Hermosa canción Con La Bella Voz de Gloria Stefan Cantando Delante Del Querido Papá Juan Pablo Segundo. Es mí Deseo y El De Todo El Mundo Pidiendo PAZ AMOR Libertad Respeto Unión Verdadera Justicia Divina Empatía ❤@@estelaapolito6635
@user-vt3yn9li1o
En estás fiesta navideñas hagomo un minuto de silencio y un brindis por todas esas personas que sufren por dentro, por qué mientras unos celebramos y reímos otros sufren y lloran por dentro , 🎄 feliz navidad 🎄 y próspero año nuevo 🌲
@jorgesandoval6608
😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭
@Tina-jy6el
Si algún día llegas a leer esto, quiero que sepas que jamás podría guardar rencor y odiar a lo que tanto he amado, deseo que dónde quiera que estés, seas todo lo feliz que mereces ser.
@josecastillo-iy1nf
No me cansaré de escuchar esta linda canción,por años siempre ❤️
@user-qj3fn7on7d
igual !
@rafaelavila9661
Gracias Gloria algún dia Venezuela y Cuba se abrirán las puertas de la libertad
@cirilius5035
Cuando Estados Unidos les deje. Aunque Venezuela ya va abriendo, pero porque Biden le está comprando petróleo y ahora dice que Maduro es presidente, no dictador, como decía antes de la guerra de Ucrania.