Speaker 1: Picture this. It's the eighties. The music is bumping from
Speaker 1: the beaches of La to South Beach. The kids are
Speaker 1: blasting music on their boomboxes.
Speaker 2: I see the mihita wearing bandana's short shorts, no shirt,
Speaker 2: all those sweaty bansitas.
Speaker 1: Oh yo, exactly beautiful sun kissed people roller skating with
Speaker 1: walkman's in their hands, moving their bodies to songs like
Speaker 1: let It Loose, Give It Up, and.
Speaker 2: The ragm is gonna get you, The rhythm is gonna
Speaker 2: get you, the rythm is gonna get you.
Speaker 3: To night Dun Dun.
Speaker 1: I feel like we sound just like them.
Speaker 3: I mean seriously.
Speaker 1: I'm your host, Lilianavoscaz.
Speaker 3: And I'm Joseph Carrio And this is Becoming an Icon.
Speaker 1: A weekly podcast where we give you the rundown on
Speaker 1: how today's most famous latinx have shaped pop culture.
Speaker 3: And given the world some extra level.
Speaker 1: Sit back and get comfortable.
Speaker 2: Because we are going in the only way we know how,
Speaker 2: with buenos buenas, visas.
Speaker 1: And a lot of opinions, as we relive their greatest
Speaker 1: achievements on our journey to find out what makes them
Speaker 1: so iconic. The Miami Sound Machine returned to the studio
Speaker 1: in early nineteen eighty seven with Jorge George Gasas on bass,
Speaker 1: keyboardist Clay Oswald, and guitarist John Defadia. Kika Garcia was
Speaker 1: the only remaining core member. Now that Gloria Stefan was
Speaker 1: given top billing.
Speaker 2: Henny, she hypnotized the fans I mean, the band's name
Speaker 2: was changed to Gloria Es Stefan and the Miami Sound Machine.
Speaker 3: To capitalize on that ass.
Speaker 1: The album Let It Loose went multi platinum, with three
Speaker 1: million copies sold in the US alone. The songs Can't
Speaker 1: Stay Away from You, Anything for You, and one two
Speaker 1: three were all top charting singles on the Adult Contemporary.
Speaker 2: Hits Adult Contemporary That's Giving leg Warmers, shoulder Pads, and
Speaker 2: perm Vibesa.
Speaker 1: Don't Forget Success vibes Joseph because it also featured the
Speaker 1: song anything for You, that did reach number one on
Speaker 1: the Billboard Hot one hundred. This song was their very
Speaker 1: first number one hit.
Speaker 3: Gloria and you know what, My Blue The rhythm did get.
Speaker 1: To them, well, not all of them. Gloria had always
Speaker 1: spoken out against the Castro regime, and all that success
Speaker 1: gave her a big platform where people really listened to
Speaker 1: what she had to say about it, and the Cuban government, well,
Speaker 1: they weren't very happy about it. She was declared persona
Speaker 1: non grata out, but that did not stop her or
Speaker 1: her massive fame. In nineteen eighty nine, the group's name
Speaker 1: was changed one last time. Glodia Stefan was now on
Speaker 1: her own as a solo artist.
Speaker 2: Hey listen, it happened to Selena justin Timberlake, Beyonce.
Speaker 1: After the worldwide chart success of the single Anything for You,
Speaker 1: her Let It Loose album was repackaged as Anything for You,
Speaker 1: with only her name on it. The album included the
Speaker 1: hit singles Don't Want to Lose You, Oyamikanto, Here we Are,
Speaker 1: Cuts both Ways, and get on Your Feet. It was
Speaker 1: her best selling album to date, and with so many
Speaker 1: successful singles, she made writing look easy.
Speaker 2: In both English and in Spanish. It was like she
Speaker 2: knew no boundaries and those curls on the cover of
Speaker 2: the album were to die for. They were hydrated and bouncy.
Speaker 2: It was like the Vo five commercials.
Speaker 1: I love her with the curly hair. I think she
Speaker 1: looks so beautiful, it's so youthful, and I love that
Speaker 1: she wore her hair curly on the cover. Remember when
Speaker 1: Mariah did that. It was such a big deal, too,
Speaker 1: so good. Why was it such a big deal to
Speaker 1: wear curly hair back then? Like, who cares?
Speaker 3: It just meant you were different and you can't be different.
Speaker 1: I guess everybody wanted straight hair, and I'm like, no,
Speaker 1: let these curly divas shine. With the success of the
Speaker 1: album came a tour, and Glodia was on tour in
Speaker 1: Pennsylvania when on March twentieth, nineteen ninety, a near fatal
Speaker 1: accident almost stripped us and the rest of the world
Speaker 1: of her amazing voice. There was a snowstorm and as
Speaker 1: her bus hit the road that day, a semi truck
Speaker 1: crashed into them.
Speaker 3: Stop it, it was Emilio there, No, he was not.
Speaker 1: Emilio was returning from a meeting with President George Bush
Speaker 1: to discuss participation in an anti drugs campaign when he
Speaker 1: found out that his wife's tour bus had been in
Speaker 1: a major accident. She was critically injured with a fractured spine.
Speaker 1: She was flown by helicopter the following day York City,
Speaker 1: where she underwent surgery that included implanting two titanium rods.
Speaker 1: To stabilize her vertebral column. Her rehab included almost a
Speaker 1: year of intensive physical therapy, and she said there were
Speaker 1: times when the pain was so bad I prayed I'd
Speaker 1: pass out.
Speaker 3: My God, my body just aches imagining this. I know.
Speaker 1: Thankfully she did make a complete recovery.
Speaker 2: Okay, so hold on, what was happening to the Miami
Speaker 2: Sound Machine all this time? Were they like still a
Speaker 2: thing without Gladia?
Speaker 1: Not quite. Emilil tried to create an offshoot Miami Sound
Speaker 1: Machine with a completely different lineup, but without Gloria's signature
Speaker 1: of vocals or any real connection to the original Miami
Speaker 1: Sound Machine musicians. The new project failed to chart in
Speaker 1: the United States.
Speaker 3: I mean, what did he expect.
Speaker 2: The lead singer is a lead singer period, Like Honey
Speaker 2: to the Bees, It's like this show.
Speaker 3: I'm the Gloria, You're the sound machine.
Speaker 1: But I love you though I know you do, and yes,
Speaker 1: my love, you are the Gloria. But now back to
Speaker 1: the real Gloria. It was the early nineties when a
Speaker 1: Stefan officially returned to the stage and to the charts.
Speaker 1: Ten months after her accident. She performed Coming Out of
Speaker 1: the Dark at the American Music Awards to a standing Oh.
Speaker 2: Coming out of the Dark. Did she be coming out
Speaker 2: like the speed of light? Honey, that recovery?
Speaker 1: You said it earlier.
Speaker 3: She's Wolverine serious.
Speaker 1: The fans were thrilled to have her back. Coming Out
Speaker 1: of the Dark reached number one in the US as
Speaker 1: a single, and the album went double platinum in the
Speaker 1: US one year after her recovery, as Stefan proved she
Speaker 1: was back by performing in the Super Bowl twenty six halftime.
Speaker 3: Show like an icon.
Speaker 1: Baby, It's the early nineties, nineteen ninety two to be precise.
Speaker 1: Gloria has just released Glodia Stefan's Greatest Hits, and the
Speaker 1: album includes the US hit ballads Always Tomorrow and I
Speaker 1: See You Smile, along with the international hit dance track
Speaker 1: go Away.
Speaker 2: Nineteen ninety two, So big Hair, Bigger Hoops. The Cold
Speaker 2: War was officially over and Clinton is president. Like, what
Speaker 2: a time to be alive.
Speaker 1: I was little in nineteen ninety two. I mean not
Speaker 1: just physically little. I was true physically little. I probably
Speaker 1: in the same size today that I was in nineteen
Speaker 1: ninety two.
Speaker 3: No joke, you guys, lid to really, but I was little.
Speaker 1: I was twelve and I was in middle school, and
Speaker 1: I definitely remember Gloria being the queen of pop in
Speaker 1: my house. Oh have that playing? Was that the soundtrack
Speaker 1: to your early nineties years?
Speaker 3: You know?
Speaker 2: I'll say this, my parents didn't really like They grew
Speaker 2: up with very different music, obviously, but I think at
Speaker 2: this time my brother was older, so he was listening
Speaker 2: to like Lisa Lobe and a little bit more like
Speaker 2: alternative stuff like Guns N' Roses, Metallica, Lisa Lobe. Something
Speaker 2: was happening there because I wasn't listening to Gloria.
Speaker 1: Then well, I think for me, I don't know that
Speaker 1: I would have chosen Glodia. It's just that I never
Speaker 1: had a choice. In the car, it was my mom.
Speaker 1: My mom was like, what's the adult contemporary channel? One
Speaker 1: oh two point one line? And so every time we
Speaker 1: got in the car, if we were listening to that
Speaker 1: type of music, it was that. And I will say
Speaker 1: I think it was also a little bit interesting to
Speaker 1: watch my mom loved Gloria in all of her Spanish
Speaker 1: glory and then to also hoop on in English because
Speaker 1: my mom didn't listen to a ton of English music.
Speaker 1: I don't remember it at least Gloria was probably one
Speaker 1: of the first times I remember my mom specifically listening
Speaker 1: to call it pop adult contemporary music in ingles. Normally
Speaker 1: she only listened to Spanish music. But my mom really
Speaker 1: only listened to Spanish music until Gloria did her official crossover.
Speaker 1: Isn't that crazy?
Speaker 3: She's the one person that gave like English Latin.
Speaker 2: I don't know if that's true, right, I'm just saying
Speaker 2: that for me, Like, she's the one person that it
Speaker 2: sounded like Spanish but it.
Speaker 3: Was English, So whatever that means.
Speaker 2: It's just like, you know, I can see that your
Speaker 2: mom would would go like that. I think even the
Speaker 2: music of the nineties she had such a big influence
Speaker 2: because like they sang music in English that sounded like Spanish.
Speaker 3: How could you do that? Is what I'm saying, Like.
Speaker 1: I think what you're getting at is that the soul
Speaker 1: of the song feels connected to you in your native language.
Speaker 1: Thank you, let me transfer.
Speaker 2: All of my Yeah, those were all of my words
Speaker 2: for you, guys. That's what I meant to say.
Speaker 1: What he meant is this, the soul of the song
Speaker 1: feels connected to him in his native language of Spanish.
Speaker 1: And I think that same thing applied to other first
Speaker 1: generation or immigrants that were enjoying Spanish music and all
Speaker 1: of a sudden found themselves in cars with their children
Speaker 1: listening to English music.
Speaker 3: I love it because I wonder if they were, like,
Speaker 3: bet do I know Inglass?
Speaker 2: Yeah?
Speaker 3: They were probably know what I mean?
Speaker 1: Well, I think a lot of people, if you think
Speaker 1: about singers, learn a new language by singing the songs, right,
Speaker 1: you can learn a new language by singing songs. My
Speaker 1: mom learned English by watching TV. So it was just
Speaker 1: an extension of that. And you brought up a really
Speaker 1: important part of the nineties that people have probably forgotten about.
Speaker 1: Because I'm gonna call it. He was a one hit wonder,
Speaker 1: John Sicata Sicata, So yes, the year is nineteen ninety two,
Speaker 1: and Laura, with all of her success, her global thing,
Speaker 1: all of the number one hits, saying back up for
Speaker 1: fellow Cuban American John Sicata on just another day.
Speaker 3: Just another day.
Speaker 2: I feel so bad that he last or wherever he is, John,
Speaker 2: we miss you. Do a revival song, do another day song.
Speaker 1: And he, by the way, was just the first a
Speaker 1: long line of musicians that the Stephans would go on
Speaker 1: to help We've talked about that before with Shakira sitting
Speaker 1: down for writing sessions with her for Ricky Martin. So
Speaker 1: clearly this was something that was nay like, helping other
Speaker 1: Latino succeed in the US was something that was innate
Speaker 1: to them. It was natural. It's what they wanted to do.
Speaker 1: They wanted to use their fame, not just to continue
Speaker 1: to rack up number one hits and awards and of
Speaker 1: course all the monies that comes with it, but to
Speaker 1: help their fellow Cubans and their fellow Latinos. It's a
Speaker 1: beautiful thing.
Speaker 3: There are good people out there. Yeah. Sicata had that
Speaker 3: smooth voice.
Speaker 2: I remember giving me a reason, give me a reason
Speaker 2: because I I don't want.
Speaker 3: To say or stay I don't really remember.
Speaker 1: Whatever that was was beautiful. I'm sorry, where's Joseph is?
Speaker 1: Just the day?
Speaker 3: Whatever? John sis Johnson?
Speaker 1: That was amazing And I don't want you to come
Speaker 1: back to me. Stay exactly where you were and stay there.
Speaker 1: Because after helping John Sicata reach US fame, Gloria released
Speaker 1: her first Spanish language album, Meet Thiira as a solo artist.
Speaker 1: It was an instant hit. It peaked at number twenty
Speaker 1: seven on the Billboard Album Chart and number one on
Speaker 1: the Top Latin Albums chart in the US. The singles Mitthieira,
Speaker 1: the romantic tropical ballad Go and Me buen More all
Speaker 1: climbed to number one on the Hot Latin.
Speaker 2: Tracks Chartgallon is one of the most romantic songs ever.
Speaker 1: Don't you think it's beautiful?
Speaker 3: Will you sing that? No? I will not.
Speaker 1: I will spare our listeners the pain and I will
Speaker 1: not can be. And I also won't disrespect Clodia like that.
Speaker 1: Nobody wants to hear me saying except my son, and
Speaker 1: even then.
Speaker 2: Take down, make look at you. I'm not going to
Speaker 2: go more because I can't sing like her. I'm just
Speaker 2: gonna say that one part. I mean, if someone dedicates
Speaker 2: this song to you, it's like your lovers from other
Speaker 2: lifetimes who.
Speaker 3: Get to meet again. Don't you think it's like love
Speaker 3: love love.
Speaker 1: It's like another type of love. It's like in another life,
Speaker 1: love bringing itself into the present. Like it's what her
Speaker 1: and Emelia have, It's what we all wish we had.
Speaker 3: I want that.
Speaker 1: The album went on to sell over eight million copies worldwide,
Speaker 1: and it went on to become multi platinum in Spain.
Speaker 1: And in the US, and it earned the Grammy Award
Speaker 1: for Best Tropical Latin Album.
Speaker 2: And you forgot because she looks absolutely gorgeous with that
Speaker 2: twenties haired you.
Speaker 3: It's vintage, it's classy, very Hollywood.
Speaker 2: It's giving Maria Felix or the Lords Delrio such.
Speaker 1: A good reference as Joseph Una Diva in the true
Speaker 1: sense of the word.
Speaker 3: That's right.
Speaker 1: You think Glodia would take a break given all her success,
Speaker 1: but she didn't stop working for a second. After Midiira,
Speaker 1: she released her first Christmas album.
Speaker 2: This was the first album Emilio didn't produce, and you
Speaker 2: can tell. I mean it was good, but it's definitely
Speaker 2: not Latino at all, like zero, no Satasa, no spice,
Speaker 2: no cozy Latin vibes, and na this sena and it's.
Speaker 1: What are cozy Latin vibes? How do I get that
Speaker 1: in my house?
Speaker 3: You know? They just exist?
Speaker 1: Oh my god, you're so funny. I love you, and yes,
Speaker 1: I agree with you. But This Christmas and Silent Night
Speaker 1: did go platinum in the US, So while it might
Speaker 1: not be your favorite Christmas album, but the singles This
Speaker 1: Christmas and Silent Night went platinum in the US, so
Speaker 1: it was liked by many. Did you know that almost
Speaker 1: every year in the nineties she released an.
Speaker 3: Album Wait for Real? That's like five hundred and eighty
Speaker 3: six years.
Speaker 1: She remade disco hits from her past. She did another
Speaker 1: Spanish album, I Mean this Woman didn't stop.
Speaker 2: She made the official theme of the nineteen ninety six
Speaker 2: Atlanta Summer Olympics, Reach, which she would perform at the
Speaker 2: Summer Olympics closing ceremony. I mean, can we all agree
Speaker 2: you should become officially a Latin institution? Uh?
Speaker 1: Yes, we are all in agreement for sure. And after
Speaker 1: the accident, it did take her five years to go
Speaker 1: back on the road, but her comeback was for the
Speaker 1: entire world to see. The Evolution World Tour covered the US, Canada, Europe,
Speaker 1: Latin America, Australia and Asia. Wow.
Speaker 3: Before the decade ended, she had released twenty one records
Speaker 3: if we include the Miami Saw Machine ones.
Speaker 2: This woman was all whack whack, whack, whack whack Why.
Speaker 1: And just before the year two k she said goodbye
Speaker 1: to the century by performing at the Super Bowl thirty
Speaker 1: three halftime show. And yes, if you're keeping track, that
Speaker 1: was her second appearance.
Speaker 3: This was a big deal. I mean she was on
Speaker 3: the world's biggest stage twice. Not one Latino can say that.
Speaker 1: And just to give it some context for you guys.
Speaker 1: Before her, the Latinos who had made it to the
Speaker 1: halftime show were some performers from Up with the People
Speaker 1: in the seventies and eighties, and Jordan Knight who is
Speaker 1: Puerto Rican and of course a member of NKOTB. New
Speaker 1: Kids on the Block for all of you youngins.
Speaker 3: Yes, exactly, new Kids on the Block. You still have
Speaker 3: the post strap, don't you. I do.
Speaker 1: And before this there was no big Latino star that
Speaker 1: could have performed in the Super Bowl. Glordia paved the
Speaker 1: way for I don't want to say it, so I'm
Speaker 1: going to let you say.
Speaker 3: It, the Latin Explosion.
Speaker 1: Glodia Stephan was the first Latina to be at the
Speaker 1: center stage of the Super Bowl halftime show. Her reach
Speaker 1: to stardom paved the way for so many Latino musicians.
Speaker 2: Henny, she brought up spice and made that road slay in.
Speaker 2: I mean to sing with the coolest boy band baby.
Speaker 3: Bye Bye Bye.
Speaker 1: That's right, I forgot. Glodia performed with in sync on
Speaker 1: the single Music of My Heart which is a song
Speaker 1: featured in the film Music of the Heart, in which
Speaker 1: she also appeared. This song peaked at number two on
Speaker 1: the Billboard chart and was nominated for an Academy Award.
Speaker 3: Did you watch Music of the Heart, because I have
Speaker 3: to tell you I did not.
Speaker 1: It's, first of all, it's Meryl Streep, so yes I have.
Speaker 3: Oh that would change my mind.
Speaker 1: Though, yes, well it's a big deal. I mean, if
Speaker 1: you're acting next to Meryl Streep, I don't know that
Speaker 1: it matters what I think of your acting skills because
Speaker 1: Meryll co signed you being in this film, so it's
Speaker 1: her debut film as an actress, which is a big deal. Again, like,
Speaker 1: if you're sharing the screen with Meryl Streep, I'm having
Speaker 1: so much imposter syndrome. But Gloria actually is really good
Speaker 1: in it. I mean, Meryl got an Oscar nomination for it,
Speaker 1: and Glodia got a nomination for a song in it.
Speaker 1: So it's good. It's not great, not my favorite.
Speaker 2: When it's also Gloria. I'll say this, she has been performing,
Speaker 2: like not that you're an actor in a singer, but
Speaker 2: she's been performing for a very long time that I
Speaker 2: imagine she's able to go into a character, is what
Speaker 2: I'll say that, not that this came easy, but for
Speaker 2: her to be next to Meryl Streep, did it feel
Speaker 2: to you? Did it look like she was acting or
Speaker 2: were you like WHOA? I kind of believe this.
Speaker 1: I felt like she was acting. But I think it's
Speaker 1: hard to be on screen next to Meryl. And by
Speaker 1: the way, it's also like Angela Bassett. I mean, it's
Speaker 1: there's a lot of really good people in this film.
Speaker 1: But I will say good for her, and by the way,
Speaker 1: I love her and Father of the Bride.
Speaker 3: Too, So I did see that one.
Speaker 1: It's very good. It's so I love her as an actress.
Speaker 1: I say, go for it, Glodia, do all of those things.
Speaker 1: I don't want to put people in a box. I'm
Speaker 1: not putting her in a box. You go out and
Speaker 1: do whatever makes your heart happy, and her success would continue.
Speaker 1: In twenty eleven, she released a song produced by Pharrell Williams.
Speaker 2: Can talk about being musically pluri potential, pop checked, belcanto, done,
Speaker 2: jazz a.
Speaker 1: You got it, Oh, and of course don't forget acting, Joseph.
Speaker 1: She also gave her voice to a song in the
Speaker 1: Lynn Manuel Miranda movie Vivo and made cameos on Fraser
Speaker 1: Niptuck Lee. And lastly, let's talk about our favorite Glodia movie,
Speaker 1: Father of the Bride with Andy Garcia.
Speaker 3: Really and like, is that all?
Speaker 1: It's Gloria. We're not done yet. Funds have made themselves
Speaker 1: a household name, not only in music but everywhere. Glodia
Speaker 1: and Emilio aren't just about the music. They own restaurants, hotels.
Speaker 3: I heard she even wrote children's books.
Speaker 1: Oh yeah, that's right. She authored two children's books, The
Speaker 1: Magically Mysterious Adventures of Noel the Bulldog and Noel's Treasure Tale. FYI,
Speaker 1: that last one is a New York Times bestseller.
Speaker 2: She is a She also wrote a cookbook called Estefan Kitchen.
Speaker 2: Tell me how does she find time to do all
Speaker 2: of this? Is she everything everywhere all at once?
Speaker 1: I love that movie. And she's an icon. Joseph, you
Speaker 1: know that sign or that meme that always says, like,
Speaker 1: even Beyonce has twenty four hours in a day, it
Speaker 1: doesn't matter. Those twenty four hours are exponentially better when
Speaker 1: you're Beyonce or when you're someone like Gloria. They just
Speaker 1: never stop. Simply put, she's an icon. Joseph of I
Speaker 1: know it. You know it, our listeners know it. Even
Speaker 1: Barack Obama knows it. He awarded the Stephans with the
Speaker 1: Presidential Medal of Freedom in twenty fifteen and said this,
Speaker 1: some worried they were two American for Latins and two
Speaker 1: Latin for Americans. Turns out everybody just wanted to dance
Speaker 1: and do the gunga.
Speaker 3: Basically, she is topped everything like what's missing?
Speaker 1: Not a lot. But this year I will say she
Speaker 1: also took another top honor and became the first Latina
Speaker 1: inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. So as for
Speaker 1: what's next for Santa Glodia, well that's a whole other episode.
Speaker 3: On the next Becoming an Icon.
Speaker 1: Join us along with our very special guest to chat
Speaker 1: more about the legacy of Gloria and Emilio Stefan, not
Speaker 1: just in music, but also in our kamuni that Becoming
Speaker 1: an Icon is presented by Sonoo and Iheart's Michael Duda
Speaker 1: podcast network. Listen to Becoming an Icon on the iHeartRadio app,
Speaker 1: Apple podcast, or wherever you get your podcast