GLoria Estefan: Still in excelsis

By Ricky Lo

There are singers who can captivate a community. There are vocalists whose sound can deeply penetrate your soul. There are entertainers who can mesmerize, enlighten and entertain, all in one breath.

That’s how Gloria Estefan of the (disbanded) Miami Sound Machine (led by her keyboardist husband Emilio Estefan) is described by the background material from SonyBMG which has just released Gloria’s latest album called The Essential Gloria Estefan. With more than 70 million in worldwide record sales, she’s also touted as “the most successful Latin crossover artist in the history of pop music.”

According to her biography, she was born Gloria Fajardo in 1957 (or 1958) in Havana, Cuba. Her mother was a schoolteacher. Her father, Jose Manuel Fajardo, was a bodyguard to President Fulgencio Batista when Gloria was born. Soon, Fidel Castro and others overthrew Batista and installed a Communist government in Cuba. The Fajardo family fled to the US where Fajardo was recruited by the CIA into a band of anti-Castro Cubans sent to invade Cuba.

The invasion took place on April 17, l961, at the Bay of Pigs. It failed, and Fajardo was taken prisoner. After President John F. Kennedy won the release of the prisoners, Fajardo returned to the US and joined the army and served two years in the Vietnam War. His daughter Gloria grew up in Miami, Florida, where she started her phenomenal career.

The rest is history.

In 1990, Gloria suffered a broken vertebra in her back when the bus the Estefan family was in collided with a trailer on a snowy highway in Pennsylvania. After an extensive physical therapy, intense determination and the support of her family and fans, Gloria made what’s described as a miraculous comeback.

As a solo artist, Gloria continues to make musical history.

Conversations recently did an exclusive phone interview with Gloria. Here are excerpts:

The title of your new album is The Essential Gloria Estefan. What is the essential Gloria Estefan?

“Oh, that’s a good question because what I would consider essential may be different than what my record company and the fans might have in mind. But when you do a retrospective of 20 years like this (album) and realize that you have had so many hit singles, it’s really an honor.

There’s a couple of songs that I wrote, one is called Along Came You for my daughter Emily; and the other, Nayib’s Song (I Am Here For You) for my son. Both are in the ‘slow disc.’ I put them in even if they were not singles or hits because for me my being a mother is an essential part of who I am.”

Oh, that’s nice!

“What I also love about this album is that one disc is completely uptempo and dance, so you can put it on and have a party, or simply when you’re in the mood to dance; and the other disc consists of ballads, most of which I wrote. So it shows a lot about me as a writer. That’s, I think, why they call the album ‘essential’.”

How different is your music now from it was 20 years ago?

“Well, if you compare my album even as late as two years ago, I think as a writer I am much more at the forefront. I wrote all the lyrics and lots of the music on that album. It shows humor of the writer side of me. But I have evolved since then.

How do you reinvent yourself through the years?

“Well, fortunately, I am bilingual and I have really two cultures. So when you have that to draw on, you are able to write from one extreme to the other, or anywhere in-between. If you look at my discography, you will notice that one of my favorite albums is Gloria which is totally dance-oriented, with very sensual lyrics; and then there’s Mi Tierra which is totally roots-oriented and it really promoted our culture worldwide through music, and that’s important for me and also for people of Cuba to know that even though we were in exile and I grew up in the States, our culture and our music are very much a part of my life.”

How do you maintain your clean image, something not every artist can do?

“Well, you know, in the first place I’m a pretty private person. But I can assure you that I’m no saint by any means of the imagination. You know, we go to parties and we drink like any other people. But I think the key word is balance. I’ve been married (to keyboardist Emilio Estefan) for 28 years; we’ve been together for 30 years. I had my son when I was very young and my priority has always been my family. My husband has been very supportive. We live a very normal life, something which may be boring to some people. But it’s a great life! We travel a lot. My son is 26 and my daughter is 11. Family is the center of our lives. We try to stay out of the tabloids.”

Do you inject politics into your music?

“Well, not so much politics. A couple my songs have a social commentary, like Oye Mi Canto (Hear My Voice). I really can’t escape from politics because my father was a political prisoner in Cuba; he went to Vietnam. But I try to stay away from politics as much as possible.”

How does it feel to be declared persona non grata by your own country?

“Well, I’m proud of it. I was declared persona non grata not by the country but by a terrorist regime. But I know that Cubans love me and my music.”

You’ve been to the Philippines...

“...oh yes, I have. Three times. Filipinos are very similar to the Latinos. My hair and makeup guy is a Filipino. His name is Sydney Jamila. He’s wonderful. The nurse who took care of me when I had my accident was also a Filipino. I brought her home with me; she took care of me for two months. I love the Filipinos.”


Ricky Lo is the entertainment editor of the Manila-based Philippine Star and contributes to several Fil-Am publications.