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
Oye Mi Canto*
Gloria Estefan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You've got a right to speak your mind
You've gotta take the stand
No one has the right to say
This is right or that is wrong
It isn't just one way
Things aren't always what they seem
Someday it'll be alright
Changes happen overnight
People, let's give each other room
If we're gonna work it out
We better make it soon
Love is, love is such a common word
When it's pride we mistake for love
Isn't that absurd
Why always take
The upper hand
It's better to understand
Someday it'll be alright
Changes happen overnight
Someday it'll be alright
Changes happen overnight
(Oye mi canto)
(Oye mi canto)
(Oye mi canto)
I believe in love but with no conditions (oye mi canto)
And giving in sometimes
Doesn't make it submission (oye mi canto)
Hate is so common it's almost tradition (oye mi canto)
Come on let's leave it behind
And make that transition
(Oye mi canto)
(Oye mi canto)
(Oye mi canto)
(Oye mi canto)
(Oye mi canto)
Oye oye oye oye mi canto (oye mi canto)
Oyélo oyélo (oye mi canto)
Me tienes que oír, oye mi canto (oye mi canto)
Oyélo oye mi canto(oye mi canto)
(Oye mi canto)
Oye mi canción es de corazón (oye mi canto)
(Oye mi canto) oye oye mi canto
Oye mi canto
Oye mi canto
The lyrics of Gloria Estefan's "Oye Mi Canto" advocate for unity, understanding, and love among people. The song highlights the importance of accepting one another for who they are and embracing differences instead of trying to change them. The line "Take me only for what I am" emphasizes that people should not try to mold others into their own image but rather accept them as they are. The song encourages people to find common ground and understand different perspectives, rather than insisting on one's own views. Moreover, the song urges people to let go of hate and embrace love, as it is a much more powerful force that can bring people together. The overall message of the song is that by respecting each other's differences and embracing love, people can create a more inclusive and peaceful world.
Line by Line Meaning
Take me only for what I am
Accept me as I am
You've got a right to speak your mind
You have the right to express your opinion
You've gotta take the stand
You must take a position
No one has the right to say
We cannot judge others
This is right or that is wrong
There is no absolute right or wrong
It isn't just one way
There are many ways to see things
Find common ground, go in between
Look for shared values
Things aren't always what they seem
Appearances can be deceiving
Someday it'll be alright
Things will get better
Changes happen overnight
Things can change quickly
People, let's give each other room
We need to respect each other's space
If we're gonna work it out
If we want to solve our problems
We better make it soon
We need to act quickly
Love is, love is such a common word
Love is often used without understanding its true meaning
When it's pride we mistake for love
When we confuse love with ego
Isn't that absurd
Isn't that ridiculous
Why always take
Why always be aggressive
The upper hand
The dominant position
It's better to understand
It's better to seek understanding
(Oye mi canto)
(Listen to my song)
I believe in love but with no conditions (oye mi canto)
I believe in unconditional love
And giving in sometimes
Sometimes it is better to compromise
Doesn't make it submission (oye mi canto)
It's not weakness to compromise
Hate is so common it's almost tradition (oye mi canto)
Hate has become normalized
Come on let's leave it behind
We need to move on from hate
And make that transition (oye mi canto)
And make a change for the better
Oye oye oye oye mi canto (oye mi canto)
Listen listen listen to my song
Oyélo oyélo (oye mi canto)
Hear it, hear it
Me tienes que oír, oye mi canto (oye mi canto)
You have to hear my song
Oyélo oye mi canto(oye mi canto)
Hear my song
(Oye mi canto)
(Listen to my song)
Oye mi canción es de corazón (oye mi canto)
My song comes from the heart
(Oye mi canto) oye oye mi canto
(Listen to my song) hear hear my song
Oye mi canto
Listen to my song
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: GLORIA M. ESTEFAN, JORGE CASAS, CLAY OSTWALD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@renevillarroel1940
Esta canción pasará por generaciones y sigue sonando actual
Mucha pasión y fuerza
Bendiciones Gloria..!
@nahinmoreira1211
Fue la pionera en introducir estos ritmos tropicales al mercado anglosajon!
@AndresMUy-vd2fy
No
@JorgeMartinez-hz2vu
Escuchar la voz de gloria Estefan en tiempos de regueton es un bálsamo para los oídos!!!
@canadamontreal3376
Hola soy de Timotes Mérida Venezuela te felicito x ese comentario la música de hoy en día no toda claro es demasiado de mala a mi me da pena oír una canción de esas nuevas con mis hijas me da pena ajena .
@aldovitelioahumadaabdala5509
Estoy completamente de acuerdo con tu comentario, esta hermosa canción, con esta belleza y talentosa mujer la escuche cuando tenía 12 años y todavía me genera una satisfacción para mis oídos.
@mabelregina
Totalmente!! Y no solo. Hay que dar gracias a la vida por dejarnos vivir en epocas de buena musica!!!!
@erikgardetemps9708
Tiempos del reggetón? Eso no existe. Actualmente hay músicos de verdad que hacen trabajos excelentes, desde la música clásica hasta el merengue o cualquier otro arte musical de calidad (bailable o no). Esa música es la que marca el tiempo y hace historia, y no esa mierda marginal que llaman reggetón.
@asaf6781
@Canada Montreal sa
@el_nestorvgc
Esto era una digna representación de la música latina, no la basura de hoy y su regeton de m*rd4.