Gloria Estefan

Gloria Estefan tied the nuptial knot with Emilio Estefan in 1978. The couple has two children. She recently became a grandmother when her son had his first baby.

The Estefans operate several business ventures including a chain of restaurants and hotels.

Gloria Estefan was born to Jose and Gloria Fajardo in Cuba in 1957. Her father, a Cuban soldier was forced to move his family to the U.S. due to political unrest during the Cuban Revolution.

She was raised as a Catholic and studied at the St. Michael-Archangel School and later attended Our Lady of Lourdes Academy in Miami.

She earned a B.A. in psychology from the University of Miami. She is well versed in English, Spanish and French.

She met Emilio Estefan, the leader of the band ‘Miami Latin Boys’ while she was still a student. He invited her to sing for his band, and later asked her to join the band and renamed the band as ‘Miami Sound Machine’.

The band started recording and releasing albums from 1977. Their first album was titled ‘Live Again Renacer’. After several other popular albums, the band signed a contract with Discos CBS International.

The self-titled album, ‘Miami Sound Machine’ was released in 1980, and the band went on to release more albums during the decade which made them very popular on an international level.

Gloria rose to fame with the band’s 1987 album ‘Let it Loose’ for which she got top billing. The album became a best seller not just in the U.S., but also in Canada and Australia, acknowledging her talents as the band’s lead singer.

She released her first studio album as a solo artist, ‘Cuts Both Ways’ in 1989. The album became a best seller cementing her reputation as a solo singer.

‘Cuts Both Ways’ (1989) was her first album as a solo artist. The single "Don't Wanna Lose You" became her biggest hit so far. The album went multi-platinum in Australia, U.K. and the U.S.

Her first Spanish album, ‘Mi Tierra’ (1993) is considered to be the most successful album of her career. She won many awards for the album, including her first Grammy Award for Best Tropical Latin Album.

Her second Spanish album, ‘Abriendo Puertas’ (1995) sold more than five million copies worldwide. The soundtrack included the singles ‘Abriendo Puertas’, ‘Tres Deseos’, and ‘Mas Alla’.

Her 1998 album ‘gloria!’ was different from all her previous works. The songs were groovier and hipper, and targeted at a younger audience. The album was received well and went multi-platinum in Spain and Argentina.