Gloria Estefan

Gloria María Milagrosa Estefan (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈɡloɾja esˈtefan]; née Fajardo García; born September 1, 1957) is a Cuban-American singer, songwriter, actress, and businesswoman. Estefan is a five-time Grammy Award winner and a Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient, and has been named one of the Top 100 greatest artists of all time by both VH1 and Billboard. Estefan's record sales exceed 120 million worldwide, making her one of the best-selling music artists of all time. A contralto, Estefan started her career as lead singer of Miami Latin Boys, which was later renamed Miami Sound Machine. She and Miami Sound Machine earned worldwide success with their 1985 single "Conga", which became Estefan's signature song. The group followed this with a number of hit singles throughout the decade, including "Anything for You", "1-2-3", "Bad Boy", and "Rhythm Is Gonna Get You". The group was redubbed as Gloria Estefan and Miami Sound Machine with the release of their 1987 album Let It Loose, and in 1989, Estefan rose to solo stardom with her debut solo album, Cuts Both Ways. In March 1990, Estefan sustained a life-threatening cervical fracture of her spine when her tour bus was involved in a crash near Scranton, Pennsylvania. She underwent an emergency surgery and made a full recovery. The following year, Estefan launched her comeback with a worldwide tour and album, Into the Light. Estefan's 1993 Spanish-language album, Mi Tierra, won the first of her three Grammy Awards for Best Tropical Latin Album. The album was also the first Diamond album in Spain. Estefan's catalog of international solo hits includes "Don't Wanna Lose You", "Get On Your Feet", "Coming Out of the Dark", "Turn the Beat Around", "You'll Be Mine (Party Time)", and "Heaven's What I Feel". Estefan has been awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and Las Vegas Walk of Fame and was a Kennedy Center Honors recipient in 2017 for her contributions to American cultural life. Estefan won an MTV Video Music Award, was honored with the American Music Award for Lifetime Achievement and has been named BMI Songwriter of the Year. She was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and has received multiple Billboard Music Awards. She is also a recipient of the 2015 Presidential Medal of Freedom, which was conferred by the then-President of the United States, Barack Obama. Estefan's acting career has included starring roles in films Music of The Heart (1999), Father of The Bride (2022) and Gaby's Dollshouse: The Movie (2025). Billboard has listed Estefan as the second-most successful Latina and 23rd-greatest Latin artist of all time in the U ., based on both Latin albums and Latin songs chart. Hailed as the "Queen of Latin Pop" and "Mother of Latin Pop" by the media, she has amassed 38 number-one hits across Billboard charts, including 15 chart-topping songs on the Hot Latin Songs chart.