Gloria Estefan: Conga

Big things were coming around the corner for Gloria.

She had met her soon to be.

Husband, Joseph Spoilers, Girl, stop training. We're basically at the training scene in Rocky you guys.

She was putting in the time working out training her voice.

This was serious and they were working hard as a band, playing low key events and parties, but soon they'd be gaining recognition on a much larger scale. So on today's episode, join us as we go through the motions of the Estephans romance.

And learn how Glodia managed to balance school, the band, marriage and motherhood. Jesus Chris, I could barely get up for this.

I'm your host Liliana Oscuez.

And I'm Joseph Carrio and this is Becoming an icon a.

Weekly podcast where we give you the rundown on how today's most famous latinv stars have shaped pop culture.

And given the world some extra level.

Sit back and get comfortable.

Because we are going in the only way we know how, with buenas vividas, buenas.

Riesas and a lot of opinions, as we relive their greatest achievements on our journey to find out what makes them so iconic.

The Miami found Machine finally had a lead singer.

At the time, Glodia was a college student and her family prioritized her education above all else, especially her mom. She was only allowed to join the band if her cousin joined with her, and the band was not to interfere with her studies.

Which meant Gloria would only perform on weekends.

By the way, I didn't know this until I researched that episode, but Glodia majored in psychology with a minor in French. She was also working at the time as an English, span and French translator at Miami International Airport's customs department.

Okay, holy SiZ Aka, homegirl was biz?

Did you also know that she almost worked for the CIA?

Shut your butt?

What uh huh? Because she was fluent in three languages and working as a translator at the time, they were eyeing her for recruitment. But obviously hello. Thankfully for us and the rest of the world, things did turn out a little differently.

What she for sure didn't expect was the Miami saun Machine turning into a full blown career.

As they started working together, Emilio Stefan nurtured Gloria's talent and really helped her come out of her shell. He helped her see her full potential.

Like Dirty Dancing the movie, the whole rehearsal montage, did he lift her up in the lake?

I mean, I'm sure and he was definitely wearing those short shorts stop. But it was in those sessions with the media that she was able to really expand her vocal range.

Out was the shy girl and in was the superstar.

She was gaining confidence not just as a performer, but also in her life because soon enough, her relationship with Emilio would blossom into something more.

July fourth, nineteen seventy six, Clodia.

And Emilia would usually go out to get some air, take a little break during their gigs, you know, just a moment to breathe and center themselves.

On this day, they were doing a little Independence Day gig all Stars in Bangals Ship.

And Gloria claims that Emilia suggested they go get some air like they normally do.

So they go outside and Emilio tells her it's his birthday, which is clearly a lie. That man is a March fourth pisces.

Hang he was four months early or I guess eight months late. It just depends how you look at it. But anyway, point is Emilio asks her for a quote unquote birthday kiss.

He thought he was so slick, honey.

She always the lady suggested she get him a birthday present instead, and he compromised. He said, well, what about a kiss on the cheek. But the kiss on the cheek turned into a real one.

He moved his face.

I hate when guys do that, And yes he did.

Did I do that all the time.

I'm not surprised. And at the end it all worked out because Glodia said what followed were pure fireworks, literally and figuratively, as the Fourth of July celebration was in full force.

And these fellow band members officially became an item.

The Miami Sound Machine, much like Manugal, had its fair share of different members throughout the years.

The OG group consisted of six Cuban born members.

Yes, you had Emilio Stephan Junior on percussion and accordion. Joseph's favorite instrument, Gloria Fajarlo would leave vocals and hand percussion. Mercy Navadro, Gloria's cousin, on lead vocals two with her husband Raoul Muciano on the keys, and then I can't forget about Kiki Enrica Garcia on drums and one marcos Avella on bass.

Soon enough, the band would become a full time job, as they were in high demand. Yeah.

A year and a half later, after Gloria joined the group, the band recorded its first album for a local.

Label, Rena Said or Live Again, was released in nineteen seventy seven.

It was a collection of disco pop and a lot of original ballads, all sung in Spanish.

With Lorita in the mix. More ballads were thrown into the band's estillo.

Yeah, if you go back and listen to this song, which by the way, I had to look up on YouTube, not going to front, it's okay, it's giving okay.

I will say it was a very unique sound that I have only heard in that one song, Like I've never heard anything like it again, Like it was, It's unique. It's a very unique sound.

It felt like, you know, elevator music. Yeah, it felt like eighties elevator music with a hint of rock in Espanol. Just go listen. We're not doing it. We're not helping anybody with this description. Y'all should go listen to.

It eighties elevator sleepy synthesized whatever that means. In between band practice, gigs, and school, Gloria made time to get hitched.

Gloordia had a lot on her plate. She was working hard to become a provider for her family, and Emilio noticed this. During an interview with The Washington Post, he said this, when I met her, there was a lot of sad in her face. I made sure she became a happy person.

Oh, I love that. By September second, nineteen seventy eight, they had an album out in the world.

And after just two years of dating, Gloria's first and only boyfriend became her husband.

Wow. There's From this moment on, these two could be known as the Estefans.

At the time, Gloria's father was still in the hospital, so Gloria walked herself down the aisle.

Once the ideas were said, she went straight to the hospital to see her dad. He was able to see how gorgeous she looked in her wedding fit, which was given Princess leiah Illness.

Again, let's describe it for the people. It was a hooded white wedding gown and it like draped and her hair was very short in the photo, I mean it looked like almost yeah, Princess Leah realness.

I'm not gonna say it was like a gown.

Please google via Stefan's wedding photo.

Trust yes, let us know what you think, and I.

Will say the gown was incredibly fitting. Because you guys, they didn't have a big Latin typical wedding, right like we invite our cousins, cousins, the vesinos, the tillas, like the people that cut your we invite everybody. This was not that. Because of her father's condition, of course, they decided on a smaller ceremony. It was nothing major, but their friends did surprise them with a big party to celebrate their big day. Then there was a short honeymoon, back to work and back to Cuba.

The Estephans would spend some time on the island together. They were there to help Amelio's brother Jose and his family leave Cuba for the United States.

Emilio's niece Lilia Stephan remembers that day well, sharing they drove for something like eighteen hours from Havana to Santiago to Cuba.

They were in Cuba to help Emilio's brother Jose and his family leave for the United States, and they all left together in nineteen eighty. By that year, the Miami sound machine had become something of a cultural phenomenon.

Gloria said it was a humbling experience. They were packing soccer stadiums in Latin America with over fifty thousand people, but they'd go back to Miami to play weddings for two hundred tests.

If there is one thing that'll humble you, honey, it's the American entertainment industry. They're not easily impressed with anything, even if it's gold right under their noses. But now it's the eighties and in Miami, opportunity was in the air. Baby.

Yes, there were people that wanted to ruin the city's image by focusing solely on the high crime rate that was servicing, talking about drug cartels and blaming Latino immigrants.

But popular staples like Miami Vice had trained the city's image around to trademarking it a popular destination.

Plus, the NFL was drawing attention with Miami Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino breaking records left and right. There was an infectious sound in the air, adding to all the hype. Miami Sound Machine's popularity was growing around the world, and yes, the US finally got the memo.

They didn't stop recording.

The band was signed to these ghost CBS International. On top of that, they even had their own label named MSM Label.

Not only was the band getting busy, but so were they of Stefan's Amelia left his job as a sales manager at McCarty, deciding to devote all of his time to the Miami Sad Machine. He took up more of a managerial position, devoting his time and energy to promoting the band.

Emilia would also devote his time to his wife as a dedicated husband and a soon to v father.

Their son, Naives Stefan, was born on September two, nineteen eighty, two years after their wedding.

Sadly, two months later, Gloria's father passed away. Emilio was the one to break the news. She went straight to the hospital after this, and with her mom, she was able to see her dad and say their last goodbyes. Despite the heavy loss, Gloria was able to jump back and continue working with the band towards the inevitable success that awaited them.

So far, they had Rena said, and the self titled Miami Sound Machine albums.

They were a sensation. They were on top of the world, making and selling records, plus inspiring a new generation of soon to be latinx icons.

They definitely had what it takes to dominate the US airwaves.

Emidio even convinced Sony to let them release doctor Beat as a music video, and it was off to the racist from there. They believed in themselves enough to see this through. Emilial produced and financed the video himself.

At first, you would have thought all their hopes and dreams and cash went down the drain because of this song. It didn't really perform well in the US, but.

Hold on because it did become a huge success worldwide, especially in Europe.

It cracked the top ten in the UK and boosted their popularity worldwide. Doctor B don't you start? Doctor Beat?

Joseph, what was your first impression of the video?

I know, at first, I was just kind of like when you're watching it. At first, I was like, Whoa's gloriac gonna jump? So I know, you guys don't know what I'm talking about. You have to like watch the video to know. But it was weird it was like a movie.

It gave me kind of like thriller vibes. There's a lot of storytelling. Okay, so here's what happened. So this video is actually shot on the roof of the Bookcardi Imports building, which is funny enough, where Enrika Garcia and Emilio both worked for a short period of time and is stefan. Gloria is calling for doctor Bat right, which is played by her drummer Enrica Garcia.

Who also wrote the song right, yes.

And she's calling for doctor bat to help hear her from her desire to dance continuously. This is truly the storyline for the video.

Okay, she's just gyrating the whole time, like she's dancing the whole time. She's even when they're trying to strap her down in like a bed like.

Yes, okay, so she like dances all the way to the hospital. Then she's laying on the hospital bed and you guys, this is the best part of the entire video. They open Gloria up and reveal that a juke box was living inside her, attached to like.

The a chord, a chord like an umbilical chord.

Yes, exactly, And guess who cuts the cords, tell me Doctor b it was a lot. I will say that I'm looking for a Halloween costume, and I feel like if I dressed up like Gloria in this outfit.

I wonder if people would know who you were. But I do want to say this, you know, as much as we're like, oh, you know, it wasn't such a great song. It did hit number seventeen on the Hot Dance Club Play charts.

The thing about the video is that it's totally out there. It's wacky, but it's very eighties. This is what videos were in the eighties. They were wacky, they were fun. They were camp right, pure camp is the best way to describe it.

Oh my god, you know what that word is, exactly what that fucking video is.

If you want some fun, go back and watch the video, because if you've ever wondered, like when the met Gala happened and people like, what does camp mean? Does it mean camping? No, this is pure camp. It's over the top, it makes no sense, and it is glorious in how crazy it is.

But Doctor Beat kept them busy touring and.

Performing, which kept Gloria away from her son. Soon the stepbands would have to make a very tough decision their careers or their home life. Glodia was getting more and more attention. Doctor Beat was charting and they were touring as a band.

A Miami Sound Machine show was a hot ticket.

This also meant that Glordia's availability was very limited.

So we've talked about this before, and you feel very strongly about this topic Loves, which is Latina Mommy's setting aside their career to be a mother. In this case, the table's returned because with everything going on in Glodia's life, Emilio was the one to step.

Down, which, by the way, is so incredibly progressive, not just for the time, but culturally progressive, right. I mean, this is revolutionary because this is in the eighties, right. So here's what happened. Emilio acknowledged that he wasn't a singer. He was keeping the band together behind the scenes, and he could do that from anywhere. Think of it as like remote work back in the eighties, right now, you could do your jobs from anywhere. We didn't have that

So Emilio had to step up exactly, or Emilio decided to step up.

Well, I think that change in verb is really important, like had to Versus decided to Like he saw this, he was like, listen, my wife has an incredible career ahead of her. It's what's good for her is good for us as a family. And I think that shift in perspective is something that still doesn't happen a lot with a lot of working moms. Like I have friends that are the primary breadwinners and their family right their moms. But they're also working moms, and they also make more

Was gonna say, in the eighties, machiesmo, Like it's the peak of Like it's the fucking eighties, Like that is the peak of ego.

Yeah, but it's what it's honestly. It's like I feel like, especially in Latino culture, men at the time and men still now because I see it prevalent in my cousin's marriages, they still don't get it, like what's good for her is good for us. It's always like what's good for me is good for the family. But then when you flip the tables and it's the wife who has more

This really fucking makes them even more iconic because they didn't follow anything socially normal.

Yeah, And I think it goes back to we talked about what makes somebody an icon, and we talk about how with Bad Bunny, he's breaking down all these gender norms, right, all of these boundaries, especially for Latinos, around what a man looks like, how he dresses, does he do his nails, does he wear makeup? And he's dismantling all of those norms around gender. For us, well, hello, here were Emilio and Gloria doing that back in the eighties and we.

Didn't even know it. Icon the I cons.

It's incredible that Emilia was able to make that decision for his family. Because the Miami Sound Machine followed up Doctor Beat with their album Primitive Love.

It was the band's ninth studio album and their second English language record. If you're doing the math, it means it took nine albums for the world to get Gona.

That fact right there. Joseph really burst the bubble of overnight success. As we've mentioned countless times on this podcast. Yes, they were always great, but they were getting better. The world was ready for them. But this is when the American audience seemed to fully wake up.

It was mainstream exactly.

It's nineteen eighty five and they finally have an album that broke into the American charts. It ended up having three top ten hits on the Billboard Hot One hundred words, get in the way, bad boy, and of course gong Ga. I know that you're not like an expert in Miami sound machine discography, but when you hear the name Gloria Estefan, what is the song that comes to mind?

Gong Got Bitch, gong Go, Like it's just that, Like I know she has so many other songs, but like Gonga and her kind of dancing. I don't even know where I get that image from, but like Gonga and her dancing to it.

It's such an amazing song. And I think you said it earlier. You said, if you're having a bad day, put on this song, you know, because.

The beat to it, it's that it makes you stand up and just move your body, like it makes you want to do something. And I don't know why.

For me, it's like, okay, makes me want to get up and dance, but it might just make you want to get up, like just stand up.

Like get up, yeah, just move your feet. It's so true.

It's it's such a great song. I mean, the video is iconic, the lyrics are iconic, and I love how fast she can sing. You and I have tried to do this before.

You're ready here we go.

No, wait, we're gonna okay, here you do it? Okay, ready, okay, I'm gonna sent her. Are you ready?

Come on?

Check your body, baby, do that Gonga? No, you can't control yourself any lung.

I was shaking my teeth. Is it getting strong? Good?

Don't you fight it till you've tried to do that? Kunga be dun dun dunna. I feel like I nailed.

It, You nailed it one hundred percent. But for her drummer to be this writer and take care Kiki to like write this song like he wrote this song, and she's like, what a duo.

The whole band is instance much?

And how they all found each other? I know.

I mean it's like cousins, primos friends, like get everyone together in the backyard. I mean, it's like Selena and Losino's, but like thirty years before that. Obviously, Joseph and I love the song. But this song reached the top ten in so many different countries, not just the US. We're talking international top ten list. This song was the song and even Gloria recognizes that. When it comes to the Miami Sound Machine, Gonga is their signature song.

They would also go on to release the song Hot Summer Nights, which would be featured in the nineteen eighty six film Top Gun. It doesn't get more Merca than.

That, exactly. Give the gringos what they want, something that feels exotic but familiar, and in that the Astephans created the blueprint for the crossover, which they would later share with other Latino like Shakida and Ricky Martin.

Preach Honey Primitive Love also elevated it all. Gloria's vocals were insane, the music, the style, it was all really daring and I feel like unapologetically flamboyant in the rhythm.

Would you say the rhythm was going to get you bite?

The rhythm got me and it took me. Their next album was nineteen eighty seven's Let It Loose. It became Miami Sound Machine's most commercially successful album.

By then, Gloria Stephan took Top Billain. The band's name was changed to Gloria Stepan and the Miami Sound Machine.

Soon, The Miami Sound Machine would perform with Gloria as its main lead singer and official headline.

On the next becoming an Icon Gloria Ghost Solo and The Accident That almost changed everything for THEA Stephans. Becoming an Icon is presented by Sonoo and Iheart's Michael Duda podcast network. Listen to Becoming an Icon on the iHeartRadio app, Apple podcast, or wherever you get your podcast