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
No me dejes de querer ('Flores' del cari
Gloria Estefan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Me levanto y siempre ahí estas tu
En el mismo sitio y cada día
La misma mirada,
El mismo rayo de luz
El color ya no es el mismo de antes
Tu sonrisa casi se borro
En mis pensamientos y en mi corazon
Nadie tiene un pacto con el tiempo
Ni con el olvido y el dolor oh no
Si desapareces yo te encuentro
En la misma esquina de mi habitación
Cada día que pasa te pienso y te vuelvo a mirar
Cada cosa en su sitio el pasado presente
En el polvo mis dedos se juntan
Y quiero tenerte cambiando conmigo
Luego miro tu foto, el tiempo, los años
Si me hablas de lejos
Procura avisarme temprano y así controlarme
Me levanto en tu fotografía
Cada día invento una actitud
Y aunque no se note en blanco y negro uh
No me desespero, uso mi imaginación
Nadie tiene un pacto con el tiempo
Ni con el olvido y el dolor oh no
Si desapareces yo te encuentro
En la misma esquina de mi habitación
Cada día que pasa te pienso y te vuelvo a mirar
Cada cosa en su sitio el pasado presente
En el polvo mis dedos se juntan
Y quiero tenerte cambiando conmigo
Luego miro tu foto el tiempo los años
Si me hablas de lejos
Procura avisarme temprano y así imaginarme
Que te tengo aquí
In "Tu Fotografía," Gloria Estefan sings about the power of memories and how a single photograph can transport you back in time to relive precious moments. The opening lines of the song, which translate to "I wake up in your photograph / I wake up and there you are / In the same place and every day / The same look / The same ray of light," set the stage for the rest of the lyrics. By waking up in the photograph and seeing the same details every day, she is able to keep the memory of the person alive in her heart and mind.
The song goes on to explore the emotions that come with remembering a past love. Although the color of the photograph may have faded and the smile may be less vivid, the singer can still conjure up the spirit of the person she misses so dearly. She admits that nostalgia can be painful, but she would rather hold onto the memory of the person than forget them altogether. She sings, "Nobody has a pact with time / Nor with oblivion and pain / If you disappear, I find you / In the same corner of my room," reflecting on the idea that the memory of the person is always within reach even if they are physically gone.
Ultimately, "Tu Fotografía" is a touching tribute to the power of memories and the importance of cherishing those special moments that bring us joy. By invoking the image of a photograph, Gloria Estefan reminds us that our memories are a tangible piece of the past that we get to keep with us always, even when life inevitably moves on.
Line by Line Meaning
Me levanto en tu fotografía
I wake up to the memory of you captured in a photograph
Me levanto y siempre ahí estas tu
You are always there, in the same place and every day
En el mismo sitio y cada día
In the same place and every day
La misma mirada,
With the same look
El mismo rayo de luz
In the same ray of light
El color ya no es el mismo de antes
The colors have faded over time
Tu sonrisa casi se borro
Your smile is almost erased
Y aunque no estés claro yo te invento
Though you are unclear, I imagine you in my thoughts and heart
Nadie tiene un pacto con el tiempo
No one has a deal with time
Ni con el olvido y el dolor oh no
Neither with forgetting nor pain, oh no
Si desapareces yo te encuentro
If you disappear, I will find you
En la misma esquina de mi habitación
In the same corner of my room
Cada día que pasa te pienso y te vuelvo a mirar
Every day that passes, I think of you and look back
Cada cosa en su sitio el pasado presente
Everything in its place, past and present
En el polvo mis dedos se juntan
My fingers gather dust
Y quiero tenerte cambiando conmigo
And I want to have you changing with me
Luego miro tu foto, el tiempo, los años
Then I look at your photo, time, and years
Si me hablas de lejos
If you speak to me from afar
Procura avisarme temprano y así controlarme
Please warn me early, so I can control myself
Cada día invento una actitud
Every day, I create a new attitude
Y aunque no se note en blanco y negro uh
Even if it's not noticeable in black and white, uh
No me desespero, uso mi imaginación
I don't despair, I use my imagination
Si me hablas de lejos
If you speak to me from afar
Procura avisarme temprano y así imaginarme
Please warn me early so I can imagine having you here
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Foreign Imported Productions & Publishing
Written by: ROBERT BLADES, EMILIO JR. ESTEFAN, GLORIA M. ESTEFAN, EMILIO REGUEIRA PEREZ
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@vipjcaq
Hay algo que nuestra Gloria Estefan no haga bien ... esto es perfeccion !!!
@mercedesdelafuente5923
Soy argentina y tal vez sin mucha noción de la cultura cubana y su musica, pero este tema me parece lo más hermoso en materia de representación cultural de ese hermoso país, el baile la letra de la canción y obviamente la Voz de una MAGNÁNIMA COMO ES LA SRA GLORIA ESTEFAN !!!!
@ericklopex5819
🤭🤭Precioso "Cubano" con el primero que llega cantando cinesero y el puro en la mesa Wow que hombre !
@manuelj.m.4576
Estimada Gloria, NO PODEMOS DEJARTE DE QUERER jamás... porque tus canciones son melodías en nuestras vidas.
@notevoyadarminombre156
Esto es una absoluta maravilla, la verdadera escencia latina. Se daban el derecho a experimentar, a jugar con los tonos, con los tiempos, a hacer solos de piano y trompeta; le ponían el sabor que salió de la mezcla de años de sentimiento y cultura musical compactados en canciones que tenían buena letra, buena melodía, armonía y ritmo. Este es un espectáculo digno de apreciar.
@seanhunter4297
This is so beautiful! Tanta belleza. I am American but I took Spanish in HS & was a Spanish major in college. I studied in Spain. I loved listening to this mujer cubana :)
@rubiangulo4787
Ella es una excelente cantante, pero el camarógrafo es un verdadero genio, que video tan hermoso.
@AMALIAISABEL90
Gloria Estefan es un claro ejemplo de lo grande que somos los Hispanos, Latinoamericanos y Carineños
@juanmanuelgomezpiriz1518
DIVINO TESORO ES ESTA SEÑORA Y SU MUSICA , SALUDO S
DE UN ESPAÑOLITO
@Delducca
Reina del Pop <3 Por siempre Gloria