Gloria Estefan, the queen of 90s Latin music, doesn't romanticize the years when she rapidly climbed the charts worldwide. Mi tierra was a diamond record in Spain in '93. Her voice defined a frenetic decade, whose aesthetics still captivate despite the time passed. "I miss the 90s when Emily was a baby. I enjoyed holding that baby so much. My son was already 14. It was a beautiful time," she says. "We always look back with nostalgia. We feel more joy and affection towards the past than when we were living it. The truth is that in the 80s, many people were dying of AIDS. And in the 90s, a very fun era, there were many people very lost," she reflects.
In addition to presenting Raíces - "an album that closes many circles: a return to the language of my heart and marks a life of love with Emilio [her producer, whom she has been married to for 50 years]," Gloria Estefan visits Madrid as the ambassador of the New Miami that institutions want to establish in the city as a response to the rejection of Hispanic heritage by some left-wing movements. Gloria Estefan performed in Plaza de España hired by the Community of Madrid. She is the artist leading the Latin festival that accompanies the October 12th celebration. "Living in Madrid is very rich," she blesses the new status. "It has an incredible atmosphere. The food is spectacular. Those who come here can speak in their language. Although each Spanish-speaking country has its differences, we share that love for family, music, and gastronomy. I feel very comfortable being here."
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Gloria Estefan has a robe with the initials CQ embroidered. "My children gave it to me." They are the initials of the most lively noble title in history: Conga Queen. "Many people identify me with the conga. It's an expression of joy and happiness." She institutionalized the conga when in the early days she performed at weddings or Mexican Quinceañeras. "When we played that conga at the end of family parties - we always saved it for last - people's shoes would fly off. It was a communal dance. Everyone joined in that conga line. It's almost a ritual celebration. In the streets of Cuba and Brazil, people would come out playing pots and pans. Everyone would parade down the street in total happiness and joy," she comments.
Gloria Estefan arrived in Miami when she was two years old. The family, a family of musicians, fled from the communist dictatorship in Cuba. Now, as she returns from success and has built a very different life from what she would have had if her family had decided to stay, she sees echoes in the political situation in the United States. Trump scares her. There's no metaphor. "Yes, he scares me," she emphasizes. "Not just him, but everything that is happening in my country. It's not him as a person that scares me but the freedoms being crushed. They undermine the separation of powers, one of the things that makes our country great. They ignore laws. They militarize cities unnecessarily. All these things scare me."
Gloria Estefan's Shame
The Cuban diaspora also bears some responsibility. "The situation in Cuba will be reversed by the Cubans who are there. Many people made a mistake in leaving Cuba, thinking they would return soon. Cuba still remains under that brutal regime. The Cubans are the ones who have to remove that regime, but it's difficult: they won't invade the country. Wars are hard. And when young people ask for freedom or food, the regime comes and takes them, they disappear. The people, of course, get scared. We have to prevent these kinds of things from happening in our countries."
Throughout her musical career, which began with Miami Sound Machine, the group she was invited to join at 17 by the man who would become her husband, she only regrets one thing. "I wish I had learned to connect directly with my audience sooner." On stage, Gloria Estefan tried not to look anyone in the eyes: it embarrassed her. "At first, I didn't like being the center of attention. Imagine how much I had to work on myself to feel comfortable on stage. I looked over people's heads because it made me very nervous. I would have loved to learn much sooner. I regret nothing else. It has been a blessing."
Gloria Estefan studied Psychology and Communication when she began to see the colors of music. Now, the singer who needed therapy is the therapist. "I use my psychology on a mass scale more than one-on-one. I think a lot about how people will feel with each song. If it will make them stronger. Give positive ideas. Make them cry. Express to another person with words. In this album, there is a song dedicated to my grandson. I composed it after feeling the emptiness when he left home after spending several days with me. I was looking forward to recording it. There are few songs that a mother has written for a child. I said to myself, 'I hope that one day a mother can dance this song with her son at a wedding.' And it will happen."