It’s been 25 years since Gloria Estefan released “Conga,” which made her an international sensation. Now, after taking several years off to focus on motherhood, the 54-year-old Queen of Latin Pop is back with a new album, Miss Little Havana.
Produced entirely by Pharrell Williams, the album is already dominating the airwaves. The first single, “WEPA,” has reached #1 on the Billboard Dance chart.
The legendary singer talked to Parade.com about her new album, her musically talented daughter, and the secret to her 33-year marriage to music producer Emilio Estefan.
On what prompted her return to the studio.
“It happened naturally. Pharrell and I share a trainer and he kept telling me, ‘Pharrell wants to talk to you. He’s got an idea.’ So we set up a meeting and he brought me ‘Miss Little Havana.’ He also lives in Miami, so we wanted to make a Miami-feeling record. When I heard the songs, it sparked such curiosity in me to see what kind of baby we could come up with. When we got into the studio we clicked. It was just so easy. It poured out.
“I always tell Emilio, women in the entertainment industry are kind of like athletes, you have a window and then suddenly you’re gone. So I feel so fortunate that so many years later I’m still making music and there’s still fans that want to hear it.”
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On the sexier look and sound of Miss Little Havana.
“It’s fun for me. Everything ended up with a lot of double entendres, but Cubans, we use that a lot. It’s part of our culture and the music was sexy, so it just all led in that direction. I’m very comfortable in my own skin now. I started just being myself more and more. For women, this happens as you get older. I loved my 40s — I thought they were fantastic. And I’m loving my 50s. I’m going to love everything because you’re either older or dead!”
On having her 16-year-old daughter Emily play guitar on the album.
“She’s an amazing musician. I sit in awe of her quite honestly. She gets on the drums and then she grabs the guitar, and now she’s programming all this music. She did a remix for ‘WEPA.’ She does sing, but she won’t. She’s got a beautiful voice. She sounds actually like me — even in her speaking voice. She’s kind of like a clone! But I guess she doesn’t want to touch that, but I can understand. Maybe one day she’ll venture out a little into singing. I don’t want to push her. I just want her to be happy and decide what she wants to do. But she’s a total musician.”
On working closely with husband and music producer Emilio Estefan.
“I wouldn’t recommend it to everybody because I think couples need their space, but I never would have done what I did if I was going to be separated from my family. So that would have nixed my career right there. And we just happen to get along great! We’re different, so we balance each other out. But our values and our priorities are the same and we rarely differ on business decisions. We have the same goals and our family is always No. 1.”
On the secret to their successful marriage.
“We both fell in love very deeply before any of this craziness happened. So it’s not like you’re wondering, ‘Hey, did he marry me because I’m this person?’ We were two kids and we fell in love and we wanted to stay married and we really love each other very much. Things like that accident 21 years ago [Gloria was critically injured, suffering a fractured spine, when a semi-truck crashed into her tour bus in 1990] they either break you apart or they cement you even more together and that’s what it did. We just became even more of a tight-knit family.”
On how the accident changed her.
“There wasn’t a big change because my dad was in a wheelchair, so I knew the things that were important and the priorities in life. But I learned that I had discipline that I didn’t think I had. I became a lot of more expressive. As a kid, I tried to hold it together for my mom. I didn’t want her to see cracks in the armor. I was taking care of my dad and I had a lot of pressure on me, so I felt very old, like the weight of the world was on my shoulders, and I kept things inside more. After that accident, I realized, ‘Oh my God. What if I wouldn’t have made it? My mom might not know completely how I feel about her.’ I even became a lot more expressive in my music. I found I had an amazing endurance and I found a lot of patience that I didn’t think I had. I was always a very independent person and then suddenly I couldn’t even get up. My husband had to flip me over. It was tough. I learned a lot of things about myself that made me stronger.”
On following in the footsteps of other musicians who have become judges on talent shows like American Idol and X Factor.
“It’s so hard for me to judge. You could see it on Idol when you watch Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler. Not once did they ever say to somebody that they were no good or that they sounded bad because they’re artists. We know what it takes to get up there and put yourself out there. At least we don’t have to stand there while people critique us right in front of our face. It’s tough for me to do that kind of thing. I would be more of a mentor than any judge.”
On the possibility of a future world tour.
“I’m not going to do those big tours again. I used to go all over and everybody thought I was retiring in 2004 when I said I wasn’t going to do any more world tours. I told Emilio when I was in my 20s that I was going to work really hard so that one day I didn’t have to work that hard. I wanted to do it before I was too old to enjoy it. I spent 15 years on the road between touring and recording and I never saw anything. I want to enjoy life.”
On her favorite stage look over the years.
“My favorite was those chaps because I was in jeans and boots without heels and just a plain shirt. That look was most comfortable because I was up there running around and it was just fun. That’s more of who I am. Fashion is nice, but it’s for the fans. If it were up to me, I’d be in a sweatsuit!”
See photos of Gloria’s stage style though the years
On her favorite song to perform.
“That’s too hard. I have many favorites. ‘Conga’ never gets old. That’s my signature. I probably couldn’t get away with not doing that song. I love them all. I’m lucky. The last tour I did was hits top to bottom. To get to a point in your life when you can do a show that is all hits is a blessing.”
On being an inspiration to fans across the world.
“It’s beautiful because music inspired me. It got me though some very tough times. I would lock myself in my room and play my guitar and cry and the tears would come. Music has been so healing in my life, so the fact that my music could be that for someone else is the best gift of my whole career. People have told me that they got married to my music, divorced to my music, and played my music while they were having their baby. A lady came up to me and said she played my music at her daughter’s funeral because she was my biggest fan and that’s all she wanted. What more could I want?”
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