SINGER/SONGWRITER GLORIA ESTEFAN IS A WOMAN IN LOVE WITH HER CAREER, AND IT SEEMS THE FEELING’S MUTUAL.

IT WAS THE SUCCESS OF HER BREAKTHROUGH ALBUM WITH MIAMI SOUND MACHINE, LET IT LOOSE, THAT PUT GLORIA ON THE MAP. THE 1987 ALBUM SOLD MORE THAN A MILLION COPIES IN ENGLAND ALONE, AND LED TO A SOLD-OUT WORLD TOUR. SUDDENLY GLORIA, ALREADY A SUPERSTAR IN LATIN AMERICA, HAD CAPTURE THE AIR WAVES IN THE U.S., CANADA, JAPAN, THE UNITED KINGDOM, HOLLAND, BELGIUM – LET IT LOOSE SPUN OFF FOUR TOP 10 HITS, INCLUDING "ANYTHING FOR YOU," AND LED TO MUSIC-INDUSTRY KUDOS. IN 1983 GLORIA WON THE PRESTIGIOUS BMI AWARD FOR S
ONGWRITER OF THE YEAR, AND SHE AND MSM PICKED UP THE AMERICAN MUSIC AWARD FOR FAVORITE DUO/GROUP IN POP/ROCK ‘N ROLL.

LAST YEAR, THE GROUP WAS ABLE TO DROPKICK ITS CURRENT ALBUM, CUTS BOTH WAYS, INTO THE PLATINUM SPHERE WITHIN A MONTH OF ITS
RELEASE. THE ALBUM IS A MIX OF ROMANTIC BALLADS AND HIGH-ENERGY SONGS WITH AN URBAN, LATIN INFLUENCE, LIKE "OYE MI CANTO" AND "GET ON YOUR FEET." GLORIA HERSELF WROTE SEVEN OF THE ALBUM’S 10 TRACKS, INCLUDING "DON’T WANNA LOSE YOU," WHICH QUICKLY GRABBED THE NUMBER-ONE SPOT ON RECORD CHARTS.

WHEN WE TALKED WITH GLORIA, SHE WAS AT HOME IN MIAMI, GETTING READY TO PRODUCE VIDEOS OF VARIOUS SINGLES FROM CUTS BOTH WAYS AND PREPARING FOR HER NEXT TOUR, WHICH BEGINS IN THE U.S. THIS MONTH. THE TOUR GOES TO JAPAN AND SOUTHEAST ASIA IN APRIL AND MAY, THEN RETURNS TO THE STATES IN JULY.

AS SHE TALKED WITH US ABOUT BALANCING THE DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF HER LIFE – WORK, FAMILY LIFE, STAYING IN SHAPE – GLORIA ESTEFAN SOUNDED LIKE ALMOST ANY OTHER HAPPY, ACTIVE YOUNG WOMAN. (ASKED HOW SHE’D LIKE TO BE PERCEIVED BY SHAPE’S READERS, SHE SAID, "SIMPLY AS SOMEONE WHO LOVES WHAT THEY DO, AND WOULD LIKE TO SHARE IT WITH AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE.")

SHE ADMITS SHE HAS TO WORK TO STAY FIT, AND FOLLOWS A FITNESS REGIMEN EVEN WHILE ON THE ROAD (SHE TRAVELS WITH HER LIFECYCLE AND MAKES SURE EACH HOTEL IS EQUIPPED WITH A GYM). SHE EXERCISESES HER SOCIAL CONSCIENCE BY ACTIVELY SUPPORTING SEVERAL CHARITIES: AND ALTHOUGH SHE’S CAREFUL ABOUT WHAT SHE EATS, "DIET" IS NOT ONE OF HER FAVORITE WORDS, AND SHE OCCASIONALLY FORTIFIES HER CUBAN BLOOD WITH A HELPING OF BLACK BEANS.

A: Dancing helps me to stay in shape, but in order to feel energetic and limber for
performing, I have a regular exercise schedule that I keep. When I’m home, my personal trainer, Ana Maria Del Mastro, works out with me three times a week. She was an Olympic athlete and uses a combination of aerobics, weights, running and gymnastics. She’s also an excellent masseuse and combiness massage therapy with the exercise. On the road I travel with my LifeCycle and book hotels that have gyms so I can work out. I need to exercise in order to maintain my stamina on tour.

A: I’ve always enjoyed sports and exercising, but I’ve had to work very hard to get to the physical condition I’m in right now. I had to rethink and rework my eating habits, and during a long period of time increased my exercise routine gradually.

A: I hate to think of the word "diet" because I’ve always enjoyed food immensely. I did, however, have to learn what to eat. Coming from a Cuban background it’s difficult to
overcome cultural eating habits, but I did so that I could still have my black beans and rice and not feel guilty!

Right now my diet consists of chicken, turkey, vegetables, lots of pasta with natural
tomatoes and basil, steamed rice, different kinds of beans, salads, etc. In other words, just a balanced diet with as little fat as possible. I rarely eat red meat, but chocolate is still
irresistible to me, so I look for nonfat chocolate ice cream and low-cal desserts. I do slip up often and have to work out a little extra, but it’s worth it.

A: I got started in show business right out of high school. I joined a band called Miami Latin Boys in 1975, which in 1976 changed its name to Miami Sound Machine. I joined as a hobby, because I was going to be a psychologist, but music had been my first love since I was a little girl.

When I began to make a good living at music, I pursued it, because I loved working at something that was so special to me. I believe success comes from many different factors. We had a great business manager, my husband Emilio, who started the band because of his own love of music. We worked very hard for a long time and always made decisions based on what we wanted in the long run. We were also lucky that people liked what we did, but mainly I believe it’s perseverance and dedication to what you believe in.

A: In this particular career I believe it’s important to have a relationship with someone who understands and respects what you do. We have always worked together, and that has
cemented our relationship. You do have to balance between the work and the personal
feelings, but this is not just a career, it’s a life-style, and being together has been instrumental in our success. Also, it helps that we have the same values and want the same things out of life. We also have similar interests outside of our work.

A: Emilio is very absent-minded. He doesn’t forget anything related to business, but regular everyday things slip his mind. One night after a concert he was trying to be a gentleman, because it had been raining, and he didn’t want me to get wet. So he insisted on going to get the car himself and have me wait for him at the stage door. Half an hour had gone by, and I was very worried that something had happened to him. Finally, frantic, after an hour, I called home to see if by any chance my mother-in-law knew anything. It turns out he got in the car, forgot I was with him, and went home. When his mother asked him where I was he ran out of the door yelling, "Oh my God, I forgot Gloria."

A: Emilio and I have one son, Nayib, who is nine years old. We would like to have another baby, but probably in two or three years.

A: My family was very musical. My father’s side has a classical violinist and a salsa
pianist, and two of my uncles sang and wrote their own songs. My mother, as a child, won an international song and dance contest, and was to be Shirley Temple’s double and dub her movies, both spoken words and songs, in Spanish. Her father, however, was a very strict Spaniard, who didn’t like the idea of his daughter going to Hollywood. So he told her she couldn’t do it and nipped her career in the bud.

A: I’m very happy to have my career because I’m doing what I truly love to do. Music and singing were always very much a part of me, and being able to do it all the time is more than I ever hoped for. I just hope that I can grow in my career, continue writing and hopefully still be around for a while.

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Many, many thanks to Amanda Warnock for this magazine!!! :-)

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