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
Who Is Gloria Today?
Gloria Estefan Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Do the conga
I know you can′t control yourself any longer
Come on, shake your body baby,
Do the conga
I know you can't control yourself any longer.
Come on, shake your body baby,
Do the conga
Any longer
Feel the rhythm of the music
Getting stronger
Don't you fight it till you've tryied it
Do the conga beat
Everybody gather ′round now
Let your body feel the hit
Don′t you worry if you can't dance
Let the music move your feet
It′s the rhythm of the island and
Like sugarcane, so sweet.
If you want to do the conga
You've got to listen to the beat.
Come on, shake your body baby,
Do the conga
I know you can′t control yourself
Any longer
Feel the rhythm of the music
Getting stronger
Don't you fight it till you′ve tryied it
Do the conga beat
Feel the fire of desire as you dance
The night away.
'Cos tonight we're gonna party
Till we see the break of day.
Better get yourself together
And hold on to what you got.
Once the music hit your system
There′s no way you′re gonna stop.
Come on, shake your body baby,
Do the conga
I know you can't control yourself
Any longer
Feel the rhythm of the music
Getting stronger
Don′t you fight it till you've tryied it
Do the conga beat
Come on, shake your body baby,
Do the conga
I know you can′t control yourself any longer
Feel the rhythm of the music getting stronger
Don't you fight it till you′ve tryied it,
Do the conga
Come on, shake your body baby,
Do the conga
I know you can't control yourself any longer
Feel the rhythm of the music getting stronger
Don't you fight it till you′ve tryied it
Do the conga beat
Come on, shake your body baby,
Do the conga
The lyrics to Gloria Estefan's "Who Is Gloria Today?" is a call to action for everyone to let loose and dance to the beat of the conga drum. The song is lively and upbeat, inviting listeners to join in the fun and let the rhythm take over. The lyrics speak to the power of music and the way it can bring people together.
The chorus of the song repeats the lyrics "come on, shake your body baby, do the conga" multiple times, emphasizing the importance of letting go and allowing the music to guide your movements. The song encourages listeners to embrace their inner dancer and not be afraid to try something new.
Overall, "Who Is Gloria Today?" is an energetic song that celebrates the joy of dancing and the power of music to bring people together. The lyrics are simple and repetitive, making it easy for listeners to sing along and join in the collective celebration.
Line by Line Meaning
Come on, shake your body baby,
Do the conga
I know you can′t control yourself any longer
Let go of your inhibitions and dance to the rhythm of the music.
Feel the rhythm of the music
Getting stronger
Let the music take control and feel its power intensifying.
Don't you fight it till you've tryied it
Do the conga beat
Don't resist the urge to join in the conga beat until you've given it a chance.
Everybody gather ′round now
Let your body feel the hit
Come together and let the beat of the music move you physically and emotionally.
Don′t you worry if you can't dance
Let the music move your feet
It′s the rhythm of the island and
Like sugarcane, so sweet.
Don't stress about your ability to dance, enjoy the sweetness of the island rhythm and let it guide your feet.
If you want to do the conga
You've got to listen to the beat.
To participate in the conga dance, one must follow the rhythm and stay in sync with the music.
Feel the fire of desire as you dance
The night away.
'Cos tonight we're gonna party
Till we see the break of day.
Experience the passion and energy of dancing all night long, because tonight is a night for celebration and revelry.
Better get yourself together
And hold on to what you got.
Once the music hit your system
There′s no way you′re gonna stop.
Stay composed and grounded while fully embracing the music, because once it enters your soul, you won't be able to resist its pull.
Come on, shake your body baby,
Do the conga
I know you can′t control yourself any longer
Feel the rhythm of the music getting stronger
Don't you fight it till you've tryied it,
Do the conga beat
Come on, shake your body baby,
Do the conga
Urging listeners to let go and join in the conga dance, because the music's power is increasing and resisting it is futile.
Contributed by Michael Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
vicki paez
Definitely will need to have a sequel, I can imagine the hilarious obvious scenarios for the next chapter in this Latin family. please please do a sequel!!!!
VILJL
This was an excellent interpretation of "Father of the Bride" It is such a good film, that this is the third movie with that title. The original was in 1950 with Spencer Tracy, then there was the one from 1991 with Steve Martin and Diane Keaton, and now this one in 2022. Andy Garcia and Gloria Estefan, and the rest of the cast were all wonderful. Besides her singing talent, and past credits as an actress, it is great to see Gloria Estefan again on the big screen, especially at her age. She is a pillar of the community that has done a lot of good for the people of South Florida but especially for the Cuban people in Miami and Cubans everywhere in the world. It is great that people can see her portraying a Cuban mother and representing the Cuban community. We Cubans should all be proud.
Garsons2059
@VILJL And the 1950 version remains the only version to date to receive Academy award nominations nods for Best Picture, Best Adapted screenplay and Best Actor (Spencer Tracy). The 1991 version received nothing (its sequel managed a Globe nod for Steve Martin) and this newer version will in all likely hood receive nothing either.
liviu779
I am not cuban, but I admire Gloria Estefan (coincidently, she has the same initials I was born with) and I always found Andy Garcia as a very attractive man.
gentleraine480
@M M Not surprised! Big fan of both Estefan and Garcia. Great movie to share with my family.
M M
I didn't know what to expect. I thought that I was going to give it a chance, but then after the first 5 minutes, it got me and I saw the whole movie and what a surprise, a well acted, updated version. It was really that good.
Hector Guzman
I did watched it last night. I love the movie i will love to see part 2
Maria Miranda
Yes! And Gloria should sing in Part 2! :)
A R
We absolutely loved this movie ♥️Excellent 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
Bindi Love
I’ve had a crush on Andy for YEARS!🥰