With sales of more than 100 million albums, more than three-dozen number one singles, and a shelf-full of awards, singer/songwriter Gloria Estefan is arguably the most successful crossover artist in Latin music history. Pre-dating the first global Latin pop explosion by a decade, Estefan paved the way for artists such as Ricky Martin, Jennifer Lopez, and Shakira, to name just a few. Her achievements, solo and with Miami Sound Machine (co-led with producer-multi-instrumentalist husband Emilio Estefan, Jr.) began with the European club smash ‘Dr. Beat’ in 1984. She effortlessly moved between Latin and Anglo approaches, employing everything from cumbia and funk, salsa, soul, and pop. Estefan went number one first with 1988’s ‘Anything for You,’ and ruled the nineties charts with hit singles including ‘Turn the Beat Around,’ ‘Mi Tierra,’ and ‘Oye.’ Her run continued in the 21st century with the multi-platinum Alma Caribeña and 2007’s gold-certified 90 Millas. In 2015, a Tony-nominated Broadway musical, On Your Feet, was based on their lives and music. In 2020 the singer/songwriter ended her hiatus with Brazil305, exploring the African musical connections between Brazil and Cuba in re-envisioned hits and new tracks.
Born Gloria Fajardo in Havana on September 1, 1957, Estefan was raised primarily in Miami, Florida, after her father, a bodyguard for Cuban president Fulgencio Batista, was forced to flee the island following the 1959 coup helmed by Fidel Castro. As Miami Sound Machine began composing their own original material, their fusion of pop, disco, and salsa earned a devoted local following. Despite a growing Latino fan base, they did not cross over to non-Latin audiences until the single ‘Dr. Beat’ topped European dance charts in 1984. For 1988’s triple-platinum Let It Loose, the group was billed as Gloria Estefan & Miami Sound Machine, 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.’ 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 close to a decade and earning a Grammy Award for Best Tropical Latin Album. In 1999, she made her feature film debut recording the film’s title song with *NSYNC and scoring both a massive pop hit and an Oscar nomination. In 2017, she became the first Cuban-American singer/songwriter to receive a Kennedy Center Honor. The full-length Brazil305 was released in 2020, showcasing re-recorded music and vocals for her hits along with new tracks. In 2022, she released The Estefan Family Christmas, continuing her legacy as a renowned artist and philanthropist.