Photo: U.S. State Department / Public domain (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Gloria Estefan is, to my mind, the definitive crossover artist — not because she softened Latin music for Anglo ears, but because she made the mainstream come to her rhythm. Born in Havana and raised in Miami, she carried Cuban percussion into global pop with a confidence that opened doors for an entire generation of Latin stars. Five Grammys and a Presidential Medal of Freedom tell part of the story; the rest is resilience, reinvention, and a businesswoman's discipline behind the stage smile. Whenever I revisit her catalogue, I hear joy that was earned the hard way, and that is why she endures.
Overview
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.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Gloria Estefan
- Name (Japanese)
- グロリア・エステファン
- Reading
- ぐろりあ・えすてふぁん
- Born
- September 1, 1957 (age 68)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Virgo / Rooster
- Origin
- Havana, Havana Province, Cuba
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- singer-songwriter / television actor / film actor / recording artist / film director
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Private
- University
- University of Miami
Awards & achievements
- 1994 MusiCares Person of the Year
- 2000 Latin Grammy Award for Best Short Form Music Video
- 2008 Latin Grammy Award for Best Traditional Tropical Album
- 2000 Grammy Award for Best Tropical Latin Album
- 2008 Latin Grammy Award for Best Tropical Song
- 2008 Latin Recording Academy Person of the Year
- 1996 Grammy Award for Best Tropical Latin Album
- 1999 Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Song
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Singer-songwriter — see all → · Television actor — see all → · More people from Cuba →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-11
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.