On June 15, Gloria Estefan will make history as the only Latina joining the Songwriters Hall of Fame class 2023. The “Conga” singer, alongside Snoop Dogg, Sade, Jeff Lynne, Glen Ballard, Teddy Riley, and Liz Rose, will be honored for their achievements in music.
Days before the big event, Gloria joined Shania Twain in the most recent installment of Home Now Radio on Apple Music Hits. The renowned Cuban-American vocalist shared how Miami has influenced her music, her feelings about being inducted into the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame, and her selective approach toward the projects she chooses to undertake.
© GettyImages“We all get nominated a bunch of years. It’s hard to pick because there’s so many people, and there’s only a certain number that you can choose,” Gloria said about the induction. “So I’m just very thankful to be in this amazing company. I’m a big fan of everybody that’s going to get an award. And it’s a special thing for me because songwriting to me is a way to communicate with people that you may never meet, and we become a part of their story, and we give them ideas, and we express their feelings for them many a time, and they develop a connection that’s beautiful.”
According to Gloria, other people’s music has been her catharsis. “So it’s a joy and a privilege to live in it, and I think that we’re very fortunate. However, every time I write a song, I think, ‘Yeah, I’ll never do this again.’ I don’t know if it happens to you,” she told Shania. “I write a song, and I think, ‘How can I do this again?’“
Additionally, Shania expresses her admiration for Latin music, playing her preferred international crossover tracks and artists, and expresses her admiration for Selena Gomez and Jennifer Lopez. “I love Selena Gomez. She’s such a champion. She’s a great actress, great singer. I did meet her in person. She came to see me perform in Las Vegas at my residency in the Coliseum. She was so sweet and charming,” Twain said. “She brought her dad. Her dad wanted to meet me, so we were all backstage chatting. We took photos. She was just very humble and kind. So I just wanted to say that about Selena. I love her records.”
© GettyImagesShania also said Jennifer Lopez “got to be one of the hardest working women in the music industry.”
“She’s stunning, both as a performing artist and as an actress. I love watching her in movies. I want to see every movie that Jennifer’s in,” she assured. “I didn’t even mention her dancing. I mean, she’s such an incredible dancer. I think Jennifer is a super role model because she just does it all.”
According to Gloria, Miami is the epicenter of Latin Music and diverse influences. “I don’t think that our music would’ve been the same had we been raised somewhere else where you don’t have the ability to express yourself musically,” the star said. “So Miami is a big part of our sound. Things like “Conga,” for example. That three-part I purposely made it very much Andrews Sisters. I loved that harmony, and I wanted that mix because when I was a kid, I loved the Andrew’s sisters.”
“We moved into this house here in Miami that had 78s, and it had Dinah Shore, Andrew Sisters, Dean Martin, whatever. And I would sit in front of this stereo with 78 records and play them, and I was fascinated by that sound, and I wanted to incorporate that into the vocal that way,” Gloria revealed. “So that’s a very different sound.”
As part of the class of 2023, Gloria Estefan will be inducted on June 15 during a gala at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City.
