Gloria Estefan

Gloria Estefan

Much of the Latin Americans artists are acknowledged around the globe but among all these successful people, I opted for Gloria Estefan as she seized my interest since the first time I came to know about her. She is a successful artist despite being through many obstacles and challenges in her life. I chose the personality of Gloria Estefan as she is a role model to be pursued.  She is a great vocalist, a writer, and a humanitarian, and on top of all is a person that is very proud of her Latin American background. 

Gloria was born on 1st September, 1957, in Havana, Cuba. She left Cuba with her parents when she was just a toddler. Gloria’s father was a Cuban soldier. When Gloria was just was one, Fidel Castro took over the country, and the family migrated to the United States. In the year 1966 Gloria’s father was sent to Vietnam. When he returned, he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. The young Estefan took care for her father and her little sister. She loved playing guitar and singing and this music became an important means to break out of the difficulties and miseries of life.

In the year 1975 when Gloria was in high school, Emilio Estefan invited her to sing in his band. Later she became the lead singer of this band named the Miami Sound Machine.  Both Emilio and Gloria fell in love and started a relationship.  They later got married and had two children.  A boy named Nayib who was born in 1980 and a girl named Emily Marie who was born in 1994. The band Miami Sound Machine had a lot of success and became internationally famous.  In the year 1980 the ban also signed a contract with disco CBS international.  They recorded Spanish song such as ballads, disco, pop and samba. In 1989 Gloria released her first solo album was released in English and Spanish.

In March 20, 1990 while Gloria was on a tour, she had an accident in the bus.  The bus crashed with a trailer leaving Gloria with severe injury in her back; she had a vertebra broken.  It took many surgeries of extended hours to fix her spine.  She was suggested to take a break for a elongated period. Gloria recovered after many therapies, determination and the support of her loved ones. After that, she started her career as a solo singer and won many awards and Grammys.  As a solo artist, she was singing in both Spanish and English, and therefore was gaining popularity in increased audience.  Her listeners were not only the Spanish but also the English people.  She became so famous that she was compared to Celine Dion, Aretha Franklin and others.  She won seven Grammy awards.  Moreover, she was honored with the person of the year award of the Latin Grammy Recording Association. She was the first singer to have a Diamond album in Spain, for sales of more than a million copies (Benson, 2000).

Estefan recovered and continued to write new songs. Despite doctors' warnings to take precautions, her next public appearance was only six months later and soon she was back on tour. In the year 1991, her song ‘Into the Light’ was released, the album went platinum in the UK and double platinum in the US, and was followed by a tour of five countries. Just a year later, her album 'Gloria Estefan Greatest Hits', was released including the track 'Go away' that was a worldwide success.

Estefan persists to be in opposition to communism, and has often expresses her desire for a liberated and democratic Cuba. She was the first and only singer who performed for pope on his 50th anniversary in priesthood. In this ceremony she asked the pope to pray for an independent Cuba. In the year 2003, an English album of Gloria was released named ‘Unwrapped’.