June 2, 2025 • 31 mins
A body of work that spans fifty years of music, memories, y magia! Gloria Estefan has more to say and new songs to sing. The industry icon joins Ros and Eric to reflect on her full circle moment with her new album 'Raices.'
Hear how the return to her roots almost didn't happen, and what made her decide to voice what's sure to be one of her biggest records to date. Plus, the nostalgic and organic turn of events that led her back to the recording studio through a Latin legend she calls her 'north star.'
Gloria's new album 'Raices' is out NOW!
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
This is, he said, ayad ho with Eric Winter and
Rodlin Fantas.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
Hello, Hello, everybody, Welcome to another episode of he said, jib,
how are you.
Speaker 1 (00:13):
I'm doing good.
Speaker 3 (00:14):
I'm doing good. We have an exciting guest today. I'm
very pumped. A friend of yours, actually a legend.
Speaker 4 (00:19):
It's amazing. I am so happy.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Guys, we have the one and only Gloria is Stephan
I've been a fan, I'm a colleague, I'm a friend,
a lover. I think she is such a solid human being,
as well as her husband Emilio.
Speaker 4 (00:38):
I adore.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
The whole family is just next level and incredibly talented
and what a what a testament of success and discipline
and working hard to accomplish dreams.
Speaker 4 (00:51):
They own Miami, the music industries.
Speaker 3 (00:55):
People who have revolutionized in industry. Yes, I'm so excited.
She They're lovely people and good people, good people, Gloria.
I'm with us, So let's bring her in.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
So Gloria, oh my goodness, let me tell you something.
You are And I'm not kidding, You're going to tell
you this. You're one of my idols, one of the
people that I study your career, your personal life, and
I just go Oh my god.
Speaker 3 (01:19):
She's not a stocker.
Speaker 2 (01:20):
It's not a stock a stalker. You know, I love
you and you know it serve. You serve as an
inspiration for.
Speaker 4 (01:26):
People like us.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
You know, we've been doing this for a long time
as well. We've been together for a long time. It's
going to be twenty years now, and you just seeing
you thrive and still doing it hard and with passion
and doing so well while maintaining a fabulous, beautiful personal life.
Speaker 4 (01:44):
It's thank you, Thank you for that.
Speaker 1 (01:46):
Thank you.
Speaker 5 (01:47):
And Dido, by the way, I'm a huge fan, as
I've told you, and twenty years there is nothing to
sneeze at.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
That's phenomenal.
Speaker 3 (01:54):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (01:55):
So we feel blessed. I mean, you know, I don't.
I'm not out there all the time.
Speaker 5 (02:00):
I really have the luxury of picking my projects. Sometimes
it all converges, just like when it rains, it pours.
But unless I'm really excited about a project, I'm not
going to go into the studio unless I have something
to say or want to share something in the last
original song I did was during COVID that I did
Kwandoy a Moore that was on the Brazil three five
(02:23):
album All the other ones were like Brazilian versions of
my hits, but that was an original tune. I thought
that it was an important message to get out there.
Speaker 1 (02:33):
And likewise, now with it, I he says. I wasn't
planning it.
Speaker 5 (02:38):
I was working for the last three years with my
daughter on the musical that's an original musical that I'm
super excited about. And Emilio comes to me with a
song like a couple of years ago, and he goes,
babe ata consiln you know, I really I wrote it
supposedly for this artist that I'm doing this album, but
(03:00):
this song has to be for you, and I go, way,
but I'm not doing an album.
Speaker 1 (03:04):
Let me hear it.
Speaker 5 (03:05):
I go, oh my god, this song is like off
the charts. And I said, well, look, I can't divert
because I have to focus on one thing. He does
fifty things at once. He's got add and he's.
Speaker 1 (03:17):
Good at all.
Speaker 5 (03:19):
But I said, if if you wait, he goes, do
you trust me? I go, of course, I trust you. He goes,
would you let me write this album for you? I
go go to it.
Speaker 3 (03:28):
Wow, that's what I was kind of going to ask you.
I was going to ask you about that because to me,
you're you and Amelia. It's like you set the bar
for working couples that work together, build together, make magic together.
And I was curious in a situation like that, And
it sounds like in this he came to you with
this idea and said, hey, what do you think? Throughout
the years, has it always been sort of a back
(03:50):
and forth? Sometimes you're the one that going to him saying, hey,
I have an idea, I want to do this. Or
is he more on you or you more on him?
Or is it just it comes together, you know, harmoniously
where it's just I don't know. Every time it just
happens organically, you know, in this sense.
Speaker 1 (04:03):
It does, it doesn't. It's a mutual thing.
Speaker 5 (04:05):
Like Yeah, for example, when we did, he came started
feeding me all these songs and they were phenomenal. It's
like a really autobiographical our love story. I did write
one song for my grandson, but I didn't I hadn't
written it for this album. I had written it in
English a while back because I missed him and he
had just been with me and he left and it
all poured out, and then I told him I want
(04:26):
to write it in Spanish to include on this album
and do this really.
Speaker 1 (04:29):
Old Cuban rhythm with it.
Speaker 5 (04:32):
And then when when we were going to do the videos,
I directed both videos and I told him I have
this idea that I want to do. What do you
think of this? And he goes, good luck of you
can get that done. I wanted to shoot it at
the place where my mother and I lived when we
first got to Miami.
Speaker 4 (04:48):
Wow, And it looked.
Speaker 1 (04:50):
Exactly the same. And he said, are you sure you're
going to be I go, I'm going to get it done.
You watch.
Speaker 5 (04:56):
So he was very supportive of that, but at the
beginning it was going, I don't think you're going to
be able to pull it off.
Speaker 1 (05:01):
A go just watch me, just watch.
Speaker 4 (05:03):
Me, watch me.
Speaker 1 (05:06):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (05:07):
So this is the celebration of fifty years in the industry,
which is unbelievable, and other accolades that you have gotten
throughout the year. Would you say that rasis because it
came like that. You know, it was spontaneous, it was organic.
You were at a place that you were not even
thinking about an album, and then it clicked and it
all made sense. Do you think this one would be?
(05:27):
And I know they're all special, they're all like delivering babies.
You know, every time you do a project, especially an album,
is that you're delivering your next child. But do you
think this one is going to be the one that,
whether you continue doing more or not, this one would
be full circle for you guys.
Speaker 1 (05:42):
It's absolutely full circle.
Speaker 5 (05:43):
And by the way, Emilia didn't even realize that it
was my fiftieth year. When it comes to me with
this idea and we're finally doing the album, and I go, babe,
do you realize I joined your band in nineteen seventy five.
This is my fiftieth year doing this. He goes, no,
it can't be. I go do the math Wow with
(06:05):
her fiftieth year. And then that's when you start thinking
about it. It wasn't like I thought, oh, let's do
this extravaganza for my fiftieth year. No, it just turned
out that everything kind of clicked. I have the musical,
I have the movie coming out in September, Gabby's Dollhouse,
and it just all in this one year happened and it.
Speaker 1 (06:26):
Will be It's full circle.
Speaker 5 (06:27):
I told him when he brought the song, I go,
you know what, if I do another album, I want
it all to be tropical and I wanted.
Speaker 1 (06:34):
To be in Spanish and this is the world.
Speaker 5 (06:37):
I got a taste of it Doingclorail, which we won
a Grammy for, and she won her first Grammy. O
Wo a song by Celia Cruz, who I loved and
adored and was my idol and my like just like
that North Star in so many ways.
Speaker 1 (06:54):
Her relationship with Pedro. You know, she was on stage
and she was aged list up there.
Speaker 5 (07:01):
She was the most humble and professional and warm human being.
I'd get notes from her on every special occasion it was,
and I saw it as a sign when Sheila text
me in the middle of the night, Sister, I want
you to join me. I'm doing a Sunsa jazz album
(07:22):
and I want to do Bemba Golora and Mimi Suka
and you and me and I go, Bemba Golora, I go.
Speaker 1 (07:28):
I'm there. You know, she's been there for me so much.
Speaker 4 (07:31):
She's beautiful.
Speaker 1 (07:32):
You know.
Speaker 2 (07:33):
I was listening to Raise as the single and it's
such a positive, uplifting the message. You know, the lyrics
are just just beautiful, and I was I've been listening
to it over and over. I love the musicality. I
think the arrangement is incredible, the production, the lyrics, your performance.
Speaker 4 (07:48):
I love it.
Speaker 2 (07:49):
And it's interesting because it mixes like two worlds. It's
like musically it has like this, all these different components
and I'm listening to it and I'm thinking this song
will become like an Them marc Antonia. Besides musically, it's
it's incredible. It's a it's a very specific positive message.
(08:11):
And this one you know, but not what I say.
I guess, I guess, Brad, which is so true. And
sometimely nowadays you know that I think the whole world
is in this massive spiritual, spiritual search of what makes.
Speaker 4 (08:25):
Sense to them and you.
Speaker 2 (08:27):
I will have to translate it to you because you
you would understand that. But it is beautifully written, Eric,
and it's just the one thing that you if you,
if you would listen to every single morning, it will
reset your mind and your day.
Speaker 5 (08:40):
We wanted to remind people because you know, we forget
about the simple things that are just so beautiful. You know,
sometimes there's so much anxiety and depression going on. That's
why the one line where it says, look to the sky,
open up your heart, you know, because the stars are
always gonna shine every night. They're gonna be there, you know,
and let the light light your path. It's like they're
(09:03):
simple truths, and you know what simple truths done in
a beautiful way Like Emilio's got this special thing because
he's very succinct in his thoughts. And that's not that
it's not something that hasn't been heard before. You know,
you reap what you saw, but in the way that
he made it. Musically, my fan they go, I wanted
(09:25):
to cry, but I wanted to dance. Y brying and
dancing at the same time.
Speaker 4 (09:30):
But his joy isn't magical, it's joyful.
Speaker 3 (09:33):
How was it doing the video with the whole family?
I understand was the first time, right the entire family
had been together on screen doing something so meaningful like that.
Was that just to me? I can't imagine. It means
everything when you see your whole life and career come together.
Speaker 1 (09:49):
In one well.
Speaker 5 (09:50):
My family is actually in both videos in a certain way.
In first video of Races, I wanted to go to
some place that's like the most deeply rooted place in
Miami Fairchalk Garden. It's been there for over one hundred years.
It's got trees from both Cuba from here. I'm a virgo.
I need nature. I'm happiest there. So I was kind
(10:11):
of mirroring life as a journey. I'm barefoot in the video.
The fashion was just about being a part. The green
dress and the brown dress. It's just supposed to mirror
like we are a part of everything, of the all,
and we're all connected.
Speaker 1 (10:27):
And then I have my family through the years, all.
Speaker 5 (10:29):
These old videos, some pictures that I brought to life
because I wanted also to touch the fact that we're
in twenty twenty five. So I used AI to bring
to life a picture of my mom and dad in
Cuba where they literally waved me on to my journey.
And when that came to life, it was like I
(10:50):
was reclemped. I was going, oh my god. It really
affected me. And there's little things like that. I brought
to life. A picture of my grandmother holding my son.
Speaker 1 (11:00):
She smiles.
Speaker 5 (11:02):
A picture of Emilio and me both just like a
cowboy and a cowgirl, him in Cuba, me here, and
they hug in the they cross the frames and hug.
So we were trying to do it in a very
slight way, because you know, you gotta be careful with
that kind of thing, but it's about.
Speaker 1 (11:18):
That journey, so they're all in there.
Speaker 5 (11:20):
And then at the end it's a photo album where
all the pictures are falling on it from everybody from
our great grandparents down to the last one, which is
my grandson Sasha. In Lavesina video, where we shot at
the place where I first lived with my mom, I
played three characters. There's Lavesina sitting in the launchair. I
have a picture of my mother sitting in a launchair
(11:42):
in front of that apartment with me in her lap,
so I do one scene from there. Then there's another
one where I recreate a picture of my mother that
she shot for my dad when he was in jail
in Cuba, a bay of pigs, political prisoner in one
of those apartments.
Speaker 1 (11:57):
So that's the church lady. I call her more my mom.
Speaker 5 (12:00):
And then at the end, we literally built a stage
in the middle of the two apartments and it's my
image now. So it's a place where I started, it's
where I am now, and then my whole but now
with my entire family revisiting this place where we started
our lives. Here these little apartments that were like the
(12:23):
size of a closet.
Speaker 1 (12:25):
And it was very emotional.
Speaker 5 (12:27):
I was very I had all kinds of memories all day,
good ones, bad ones. But it was important because looking
back on fifty years and that was sixty five years
ago when I was living in that place, to have
it be exactly the same and soon they're going to
tear it down, so we kind of saved it for posterity.
(12:47):
And it was really special to have my family there,
to have my son say yes, because he never does anything.
Speaker 1 (12:54):
It's like a hermit.
Speaker 5 (12:56):
And when I told him the concept, he really dug
it because he's in film and all that.
Speaker 1 (13:01):
So he said, okay, Mom, I'll do it. I'll be
there for you. So how beautiful Vin our grandson.
Speaker 2 (13:06):
Yeah, when the kids of your kids and the grand
kids of your kids, you know this generational treasure that
they're going to have, you know, so they can look
back and said, this is the video that grandma did.
Speaker 4 (13:17):
Ah amazing.
Speaker 5 (13:18):
And to have them there all day it was beautiful.
I think that's the longest they've ever sat in one
place because since they were at the end of the
shot and then we had close ups, but they had
to be there for a few hours and the stories
from you know, them talking about their dad in shooting
this thing, like you would tell them, okay, nobody, nobody
look into the camera and the minute the camera would pass, why.
Speaker 1 (13:40):
You wouldn't look. They have made so much fun of him.
Speaker 4 (13:44):
Oh my god, Oh my god. I love it.
Speaker 2 (13:54):
Let's now transition Gloria to the acting because I know
you have this movie coming out. You voiced one of
the characters in September.
Speaker 1 (14:03):
Now it's live action as well.
Speaker 4 (14:05):
It's like, okay, I didn't know that.
Speaker 2 (14:08):
Okay, beautiful, And I know you've been acting for a while.
You know, you've been doing it for many, many, many years,
but you're coming and out. You know, like you said,
you have the luxury to pick what resonates with you,
and that's what you do.
Speaker 4 (14:19):
But how important is acting to you? Is it as
important as singing?
Speaker 2 (14:24):
Or was just a byproduct of because you became Glory
staff and now people call you like how important.
Speaker 4 (14:30):
It is to you?
Speaker 5 (14:31):
Well, first of all, I have nothing but respect for actors,
and early on in my career, I'm a musician.
Speaker 1 (14:38):
I'm a singer.
Speaker 5 (14:39):
That is my soul, right, But when we started having
to do videos, because at the beginning, we could record.
You know, we did our albums. There was no videos.
The worst the biggest thing you did was going on
a TV show and performing. But now, all of a sudden,
here comes the eighties, eighties.
Speaker 1 (14:57):
And now, oh no, you're not done.
Speaker 5 (14:59):
When you do the album, you have to do a
frigging mini movie. So I really enjoyed that part of it,
but I knew I was in no way ready. And
when we were really climbing, they approached me to do
the role that Julia Roberts ended up doing.
Speaker 1 (15:17):
A Mystic Pizza. Okay, so they wanted me.
Speaker 5 (15:21):
I didn't have to audition, but I knew I wasn't ready.
I knew I wasn't ready.
Speaker 1 (15:25):
I knew that the acting, I knew what it takes,
and I wanted time to prepare.
Speaker 5 (15:29):
I didn't want to divert from the music because I go,
if I fail at the movies, it's going to screw up.
Speaker 1 (15:36):
You know, everything kind of washes over your career. So
I thought there'll be.
Speaker 5 (15:41):
Other opportunities if it's meant to be. So I didn't
do it, and I started whenever I could. I started,
you know, I got an acting coach, I started actually
working on it before I ever did anything, because I
have nothing but respect for acting.
Speaker 1 (15:59):
You know, it's you have to.
Speaker 5 (16:01):
Let go of your ego, and then for somebody like me,
it's a double whemming because you have to make them
forget it's you. Of course, early you know you're not
coming as a blank slate. But I love it. But
I got a lot of things offered through the years
that I turned down because it wasn't going to advance
me as an actor. He was going to portray my
culture in the typical, stereotypical way that we tend to
(16:23):
get treated, and I thought, no, I don't want to
contribute to that. So when Andy called me for Father
of the Bride, well, he texted me and is inimitable way,
Oh yeah, the way I'm on that on script And
I go, okay, what.
Speaker 1 (16:40):
Is it?
Speaker 5 (16:40):
He goes, you'll see and he goes the director wants
to zoom with you. Because this was during COVID, he
wants to zoom with you on Tuesday. Go he wants
me to audition. He goes, no, no, he wants you
for the role. I want you for the role. It's
you or nobody.
Speaker 1 (16:56):
I go, oh. And then when I get it and
It's Father the Bride. I go, oh, so good, are
you going to such a classic? How are you gonna?
Speaker 5 (17:05):
But the script was fun, it was good, yes, and
I thought, oh wow, I get a chance to play
with my friends. And it was during COVID, so we
were in a hard bubble wow doing that thing.
Speaker 4 (17:18):
I enjoyed it so much. I loved it. I loved
you guys. I really enjoyed it.
Speaker 1 (17:22):
Thank you. I enjoyed doing it, you know.
Speaker 2 (17:24):
And that's the best part when you get to a job,
you know, there is basically you you have like a
second family for a couple of months, you know, and
you have to make the most out of it. And
when you love the people that you work with, is
it makes a huge difference, a huge different.
Speaker 5 (17:36):
Fun because it's fun for you, It's not gonna be
fun for the people watching you.
Speaker 3 (17:43):
It's all about heart.
Speaker 2 (17:43):
And talk to us a little bit about this one
you have coming, Gabby's Dollhouse.
Speaker 5 (17:47):
It's I wasn't as aware because my kids were already grown.
But there's been a very, very successful children's series called
Gabby's Dollhouse. They've had like nine seasons and little kids
little they go crazy with It's this young girl that
she talks.
Speaker 1 (18:05):
She breaks the fourth wall.
Speaker 5 (18:06):
She talks to her audience, and she has this magical
dollhouse and these cat eers that when she presses it
and does this little song, she becomes an animated character
and is in the dollhouse playing with these little cats.
They have one it's kind of like a Sinatra cat.
They have Kki, like they each have their own little personality.
(18:27):
So they were bringing this to the big screen and
it's the original Gabby. I play her grandma who built
her this dollhouse. So my house in the movie is insane.
It looks like a copy of the dollhouse. And I
got to drive a a seventies VW van that's decked
out also like a cat because I'm like a super
(18:50):
fun bohemian grandma that built her this thing and now
wants to do something else with her. And then we
end up I end up having to go into the
dollhouse to help save her get out from the thing,
and it's really fun.
Speaker 1 (19:06):
It was. It was a blast. I love shooting A two.
Speaker 5 (19:08):
Day Leila was amazing and Christen Wigg is in it,
one of one of my favorites.
Speaker 2 (19:17):
She's amazing well, that's gonna be fun. I can't wait
to take the kids to see that. They're gonna love it.
Dealing is gonna go gaga. He's gonna love it.
Speaker 1 (19:23):
It's gonna be fun.
Speaker 4 (19:30):
Basura.
Speaker 2 (19:30):
I know this is probably an incredible because you're collaborating
with Emily and doing music together.
Speaker 1 (19:36):
Controversial name, but that's what we wanted. Okay. These literally
in a nutshell.
Speaker 5 (19:43):
These kids live and work from their families one of
the largest landfills in Asuncion, Paraguay, Okay.
Speaker 1 (19:52):
Years ago.
Speaker 5 (19:54):
They're the number four soy producers in the world, and
a lot of people got pushed out of their family
farms for sord production.
Speaker 1 (20:02):
The people they could found homes in the city.
Speaker 5 (20:05):
The people they couldn't had to find a place to live,
and they created these bangneros which are around the city.
This vannetros called Katua, and what used to be a
beautiful lake years and years ago has now become one
of the largest mountains of trash in the Southern Hemisphere.
Speaker 1 (20:25):
They live from the trash because.
Speaker 5 (20:27):
They salvage things and they fix them and resell them.
But this engineer, an environmental engineer, went into the area
to try to help that part of it. He couldn't,
so he was a musician and he brought his violin
and he started giving violin lessons to the kids in
like a school. Eventually they made built the school out
(20:51):
of trash. They have three hundred students now. They've played
for the Queen. But they made the instruments out of
the trash because they had floods, ash storms, all these
crazy things that would destroy instruments. And it's the story
of how they came together and how they started the
idea of making the instruments out of trash. And that's
(21:11):
what we've done, and we've written like Emily and I.
Alex Lackimore is the music supervisor. He's been amazing to
work with. Michael Greif directing. He's a star on Broadway.
Karen Zakadias amazing playwright, and and Ken Sernilia, who did
Hadestown is the drama turg and we've been working together
(21:33):
for these last three years. The story and the music
came together, so it wasn't like they gave me.
Speaker 1 (21:39):
A book right for this, no splashing it out from
day one.
Speaker 5 (21:44):
The creative team and we're so excited, but you know,
there was some reticence to allow us to call it basuda.
Speaker 1 (21:52):
Because of what it is.
Speaker 5 (21:54):
But it's the truth about finding hope and beauty in
one of the most dire situations. And it makes you
think about what we consider trash, how we make so
much trash, you know, things we throw away.
Speaker 1 (22:12):
That continue to be attached to us.
Speaker 5 (22:14):
And and how they turned this situation into something beautiful
and creative through music, through the arts, and that that's
that story to me is like so important.
Speaker 2 (22:25):
To that incredible Musically, you think, it's like a lot
of infusion of many many things.
Speaker 5 (22:30):
I did a deep dive into Paraguayan rhythms, so we
have I want to be very culturally like thoughtful when
we present them because but Paraguay music is not salsa.
Speaker 4 (22:46):
What is it.
Speaker 1 (22:47):
Paraguay and music is uh.
Speaker 5 (22:50):
They have a lot of German ancestry in Paraguay, so
they have these rhythms, the polkaya which comes from the
Polkas that came from Europe and were in the area,
you know, decades ago. They love classical music. They every
New Year's they listened to the symphony at midnight, so
(23:14):
they loved classical music. The Paraguayan music, you have guaranya,
you have the polka Paraguaya and it's it's usually in
three I mean, kind of like a waltz, very uptempo,
so it was really exciting for us to create around it.
Now we're gonna use that, but we also have fusion.
(23:37):
Emily brings in all these other brazil We use Brazilian
rhythms because the trash comes from Brazil. We use a
little bit of rock element because the stuff that they
would find in the trash was old cassettes and things,
so they were Metallica fans. They played with Metallica at
one point. So we want to really express with the
(24:00):
orchestra is about and place, but in original songs that
also exalt their Paraguayan traditions.
Speaker 1 (24:08):
But it's been such a joy, it's.
Speaker 4 (24:12):
Going to be epic. What do you think is going
to be?
Speaker 2 (24:13):
Like it's in development right now, like like Broadway shows
like this that you start from zero is a full
full package. How many years and what do you think
is going to open?
Speaker 1 (24:22):
We're on May thirtieth of twenty six.
Speaker 5 (24:24):
We open in the Alliance Theater and then lex.
Speaker 1 (24:28):
Yo exactly a year from now. Okay, you're already selling tickets.
Speaker 5 (24:31):
My fans have already bought tickets to the show, so
we start there and then hopefully by twenty seven we
will be on Broadway.
Speaker 4 (24:42):
Wow beautiful.
Speaker 1 (24:45):
We're thrilled.
Speaker 4 (24:55):
And then Eric wants to mention something very important.
Speaker 3 (24:57):
Yeah, yeah, let's talk about your trip to La.
Speaker 1 (25:01):
Oh the which one the one coming in for conga?
Speaker 3 (25:06):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (25:07):
Yeah, what an honor.
Speaker 5 (25:08):
I mean, this song is still giving. I see it everywhere,
heard everywhere. I've seen it from anywhere from South Park
to the Chipmunks movies that my grandson thought he was
surprising me. He made me sit down when he was little,
goes to to watch this and he plays me the
chip hats doing conga.
Speaker 3 (25:25):
Oh my god.
Speaker 5 (25:27):
You know it's it's really a joy and a privilege
to be in any kind of hall of fame. So
for the Grammy Hall of Fame, that song, it's it's
the gift that keeps on giving. And it's still I
hear it everywhere. It still sounds like its own thing.
Speaker 2 (25:42):
And he's like forty years years Wow, you.
Speaker 4 (25:46):
Know, I'm gonna tell you a story. Grewer. You didn't.
Speaker 2 (25:48):
You don't know this, No nobody knows this. When I
left for the RICO, I moved to New York. I
was there for three years. I was in a soap
as a world turns right. But of course a dream
is I want to move to Hollywood. I want to
go to LA and I want to do movies and
all that. Anyways, I'm under contract with the soap. I'm
come to LA to do a national commercial for Always.
They I booked this national commercial and while I'm here
(26:10):
in LA for the first time, they didn't know anything
about Los Angeles. There was there were casting Fame La,
the remake of Fame. I ended up getting it, but
everybody had to be a triple threat. Every cast member,
it was seven of us, had to dance, sing, and act.
Speaker 4 (26:26):
I auditioned.
Speaker 2 (26:26):
I remember they flew me three times, acting portion of
the audition, then singing portion, then dancing portion. I ended
up getting it, left left New York, came to LA,
and then never left LA. Anyways, I'm telling you this
because I remember when my my singing audition that they
flew me with all the producers at Sony, at this
recording studio. This song assigned was Conga. I was like,
(26:51):
but you don't they because I've been such a fan forever.
I remember going, oh, how the heck, I'm gonna pull
this off. Oh my god, this is Gloria Conga Okay.
But then I was like, no, ros this is a sign.
She's going to carry you through me is Cloria. You're
going to get This is Gloria.
Speaker 4 (27:07):
This is a gift for you. It is not crazy.
Speaker 2 (27:08):
And I ended up getting it, and that's how my
prime time acting career started.
Speaker 5 (27:14):
That means so much to me because they have been
a small part of your process.
Speaker 1 (27:20):
Song's not easy to sing.
Speaker 5 (27:22):
I mean when I approached it, I'm a band girl.
You know, I'm the girl in the band. So I
feel very much about that. I'm part of everything, and
I love percussion, so when I sang it, I sang
it as if I was a percussive instrument. And when
I did the three part harmony, it was my homage
(27:42):
to the Andrew Sisters, which I loved and as a
little kid, had the records because we moved into this
house that was furnished and had collection of seventy eight's.
Imagine how old this was, and there was the Andrew Sisters,
and then we threw in James Brown. That's great, all
the elements of my musical life fusing together, and you
(28:06):
know it's not easy to sing.
Speaker 2 (28:07):
It's not it's not I was, I was petrified, but
I was like, no, it's glory.
Speaker 4 (28:11):
You're gonna carry me through. She's gonna carry me through.
And you did so I appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (28:17):
Yeah, thank you Dream, Yeah, incredible Dream.
Speaker 3 (28:21):
Yes, you're thank you for you know, being hanging with us,
talking to us about so much of your past, your present,
everything going on. And your album will be is out,
you know it'll be out. When this out, you'll be
going and we wish you all the best and we'll
look forward to seeing you hopefully soon in person.
Speaker 1 (28:40):
Amazing doing all the best, continued success.
Speaker 5 (28:44):
I love to see you know, married couple doing things
together and having it work great and you know that's
not always easy.
Speaker 1 (28:51):
I'm sure you.
Speaker 4 (28:51):
Know, of course.
Speaker 3 (28:52):
Well you you two are an inspiration. So we appreciate you.
Lots of love to the whole family.
Speaker 4 (28:57):
Thank you. My mom be out there, leave.
Speaker 1 (28:59):
The egos in at the door.
Speaker 3 (29:01):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (29:02):
Absolutely, we love you and I'm tell you back, Mama,
thank you.
Speaker 4 (29:05):
Thank you.
Speaker 3 (29:06):
Bye bye.
Speaker 4 (29:09):
H She's so she's incredible.
Speaker 3 (29:11):
It's so incredible. They both thought. The whole family. It's
just uh, I mean you've I didn't know them until you,
until I, you know, met you, but you know, since
we've been together, I know I was always a fan,
uh and since we've been together, you just switched. It
speaks so highly of them, and to finally meet them,
it was like, oh my god, this is exactly how
you described.
Speaker 2 (29:28):
I've known them for so long, you know, through thick
and thin, and they've always been so supportive and loving
and just like like your parents. You know, every time
I see them, we hug, and it's I feel there's
a comfort level because they're just amazing.
Speaker 3 (29:41):
It's so unique though that people I don't know, people
fully understand like to to meet or know stars, talents
at that height, at that level, who have revolutionized industries,
changed the game, and they're so humble and down to
earth and just incredible humans. So it's it's a breath
of fresh air. And like I said, inspiration. You know,
(30:04):
any married couple working together I find success. I know.
Speaker 4 (30:09):
So now you know it's possible.
Speaker 2 (30:10):
You know you have you have, like she said, the
North Star, you know you have them, knowing that you
know they they worked it out in very very extremely circumstances.
They come from Cuba and the oppression and they left
the country and they started this band when they were kids.
And there's a lot of baggage, you know, and a
lot of generational trauma because of where they come from
(30:31):
and to be able to succeed and do it together
hand by hand.
Speaker 4 (30:34):
And you have never ever heard.
Speaker 2 (30:36):
Anything anything negative, no scand out, nothing about the Steffan,
which is incredible. You know that she's like a billboard
history maker, guys, and we're going to leave you with this.
She's among Latin female artists, Gloria stands alone as the
only one to charge Billboard hits across five consecutive decades,
spanning multiple formats including the Hot one hundred, Latin Song's,
(30:59):
tropical sands, adult contemporary.
Speaker 4 (31:01):
I mean, she is a powerhouse. Absolutely very privileged to
have her.
Speaker 3 (31:06):
Absolutely, thank you so much, Gloria. We love you and
love you next time. I love you. Thanks for listening.
Don't forget to write us a review and tell us
what you think.
Speaker 2 (31:14):
If you want to follow us on Instagram, check us
out at he said.
Speaker 4 (31:17):
Ajab or sens An email.
Speaker 2 (31:19):
Eric and Ross at iHeartRadio dot com.
Speaker 4 (31:22):
He said.
Speaker 2 (31:22):
Ajab is part of iHeartRadio's Mike would do that podcast network.
Speaker 3 (31:26):
See you next time.
Speaker 2 (31:27):
Bye,
This is, he said, ayad ho with Eric Winter and
Rodlin Fantas.
Speaker 2 (00:07):
Hello, Hello, everybody, Welcome to another episode of he said, jib,
how are you.
Speaker 1 (00:13):
I'm doing good.
Speaker 3 (00:14):
I'm doing good. We have an exciting guest today. I'm
very pumped. A friend of yours, actually a legend.
Speaker 4 (00:19):
It's amazing. I am so happy.
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Guys, we have the one and only Gloria is Stephan
I've been a fan, I'm a colleague, I'm a friend,
a lover. I think she is such a solid human being,
as well as her husband Emilio.
Speaker 4 (00:38):
I adore.
Speaker 2 (00:38):
The whole family is just next level and incredibly talented
and what a what a testament of success and discipline
and working hard to accomplish dreams.
Speaker 4 (00:51):
They own Miami, the music industries.
Speaker 3 (00:55):
People who have revolutionized in industry. Yes, I'm so excited.
She They're lovely people and good people, good people, Gloria.
I'm with us, So let's bring her in.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
So Gloria, oh my goodness, let me tell you something.
You are And I'm not kidding, You're going to tell
you this. You're one of my idols, one of the
people that I study your career, your personal life, and
I just go Oh my god.
Speaker 3 (01:19):
She's not a stocker.
Speaker 2 (01:20):
It's not a stock a stalker. You know, I love
you and you know it serve. You serve as an
inspiration for.
Speaker 4 (01:26):
People like us.
Speaker 2 (01:27):
You know, we've been doing this for a long time
as well. We've been together for a long time. It's
going to be twenty years now, and you just seeing
you thrive and still doing it hard and with passion
and doing so well while maintaining a fabulous, beautiful personal life.
Speaker 4 (01:44):
It's thank you, Thank you for that.
Speaker 1 (01:46):
Thank you.
Speaker 5 (01:47):
And Dido, by the way, I'm a huge fan, as
I've told you, and twenty years there is nothing to
sneeze at.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
That's phenomenal.
Speaker 3 (01:54):
Thank you.
Speaker 1 (01:55):
So we feel blessed. I mean, you know, I don't.
I'm not out there all the time.
Speaker 5 (02:00):
I really have the luxury of picking my projects. Sometimes
it all converges, just like when it rains, it pours.
But unless I'm really excited about a project, I'm not
going to go into the studio unless I have something
to say or want to share something in the last
original song I did was during COVID that I did
Kwandoy a Moore that was on the Brazil three five
(02:23):
album All the other ones were like Brazilian versions of
my hits, but that was an original tune. I thought
that it was an important message to get out there.
Speaker 1 (02:33):
And likewise, now with it, I he says. I wasn't
planning it.
Speaker 5 (02:38):
I was working for the last three years with my
daughter on the musical that's an original musical that I'm
super excited about. And Emilio comes to me with a
song like a couple of years ago, and he goes,
babe ata consiln you know, I really I wrote it
supposedly for this artist that I'm doing this album, but
(03:00):
this song has to be for you, and I go, way,
but I'm not doing an album.
Speaker 1 (03:04):
Let me hear it.
Speaker 5 (03:05):
I go, oh my god, this song is like off
the charts. And I said, well, look, I can't divert
because I have to focus on one thing. He does
fifty things at once. He's got add and he's.
Speaker 1 (03:17):
Good at all.
Speaker 5 (03:19):
But I said, if if you wait, he goes, do
you trust me? I go, of course, I trust you. He goes,
would you let me write this album for you? I
go go to it.
Speaker 3 (03:28):
Wow, that's what I was kind of going to ask you.
I was going to ask you about that because to me,
you're you and Amelia. It's like you set the bar
for working couples that work together, build together, make magic together.
And I was curious in a situation like that, And
it sounds like in this he came to you with
this idea and said, hey, what do you think? Throughout
the years, has it always been sort of a back
(03:50):
and forth? Sometimes you're the one that going to him saying, hey,
I have an idea, I want to do this. Or
is he more on you or you more on him?
Or is it just it comes together, you know, harmoniously
where it's just I don't know. Every time it just
happens organically, you know, in this sense.
Speaker 1 (04:03):
It does, it doesn't. It's a mutual thing.
Speaker 5 (04:05):
Like Yeah, for example, when we did, he came started
feeding me all these songs and they were phenomenal. It's
like a really autobiographical our love story. I did write
one song for my grandson, but I didn't I hadn't
written it for this album. I had written it in
English a while back because I missed him and he
had just been with me and he left and it
all poured out, and then I told him I want
(04:26):
to write it in Spanish to include on this album
and do this really.
Speaker 1 (04:29):
Old Cuban rhythm with it.
Speaker 5 (04:32):
And then when when we were going to do the videos,
I directed both videos and I told him I have
this idea that I want to do. What do you
think of this? And he goes, good luck of you
can get that done. I wanted to shoot it at
the place where my mother and I lived when we
first got to Miami.
Speaker 4 (04:48):
Wow, And it looked.
Speaker 1 (04:50):
Exactly the same. And he said, are you sure you're
going to be I go, I'm going to get it done.
You watch.
Speaker 5 (04:56):
So he was very supportive of that, but at the
beginning it was going, I don't think you're going to
be able to pull it off.
Speaker 1 (05:01):
A go just watch me, just watch.
Speaker 4 (05:03):
Me, watch me.
Speaker 1 (05:06):
Wow.
Speaker 2 (05:07):
So this is the celebration of fifty years in the industry,
which is unbelievable, and other accolades that you have gotten
throughout the year. Would you say that rasis because it
came like that. You know, it was spontaneous, it was organic.
You were at a place that you were not even
thinking about an album, and then it clicked and it
all made sense. Do you think this one would be?
(05:27):
And I know they're all special, they're all like delivering babies.
You know, every time you do a project, especially an album,
is that you're delivering your next child. But do you
think this one is going to be the one that,
whether you continue doing more or not, this one would
be full circle for you guys.
Speaker 1 (05:42):
It's absolutely full circle.
Speaker 5 (05:43):
And by the way, Emilia didn't even realize that it
was my fiftieth year. When it comes to me with
this idea and we're finally doing the album, and I go, babe,
do you realize I joined your band in nineteen seventy five.
This is my fiftieth year doing this. He goes, no,
it can't be. I go do the math Wow with
(06:05):
her fiftieth year. And then that's when you start thinking
about it. It wasn't like I thought, oh, let's do
this extravaganza for my fiftieth year. No, it just turned
out that everything kind of clicked. I have the musical,
I have the movie coming out in September, Gabby's Dollhouse,
and it just all in this one year happened and it.
Speaker 1 (06:26):
Will be It's full circle.
Speaker 5 (06:27):
I told him when he brought the song, I go,
you know what, if I do another album, I want
it all to be tropical and I wanted.
Speaker 1 (06:34):
To be in Spanish and this is the world.
Speaker 5 (06:37):
I got a taste of it Doingclorail, which we won
a Grammy for, and she won her first Grammy. O
Wo a song by Celia Cruz, who I loved and
adored and was my idol and my like just like
that North Star in so many ways.
Speaker 1 (06:54):
Her relationship with Pedro. You know, she was on stage
and she was aged list up there.
Speaker 5 (07:01):
She was the most humble and professional and warm human being.
I'd get notes from her on every special occasion it was,
and I saw it as a sign when Sheila text
me in the middle of the night, Sister, I want
you to join me. I'm doing a Sunsa jazz album
(07:22):
and I want to do Bemba Golora and Mimi Suka
and you and me and I go, Bemba Golora, I go.
Speaker 1 (07:28):
I'm there. You know, she's been there for me so much.
Speaker 4 (07:31):
She's beautiful.
Speaker 1 (07:32):
You know.
Speaker 2 (07:33):
I was listening to Raise as the single and it's
such a positive, uplifting the message. You know, the lyrics
are just just beautiful, and I was I've been listening
to it over and over. I love the musicality. I
think the arrangement is incredible, the production, the lyrics, your performance.
Speaker 4 (07:48):
I love it.
Speaker 2 (07:49):
And it's interesting because it mixes like two worlds. It's
like musically it has like this, all these different components
and I'm listening to it and I'm thinking this song
will become like an Them marc Antonia. Besides musically, it's
it's incredible. It's a it's a very specific positive message.
(08:11):
And this one you know, but not what I say.
I guess, I guess, Brad, which is so true. And
sometimely nowadays you know that I think the whole world
is in this massive spiritual, spiritual search of what makes.
Speaker 4 (08:25):
Sense to them and you.
Speaker 2 (08:27):
I will have to translate it to you because you
you would understand that. But it is beautifully written, Eric,
and it's just the one thing that you if you,
if you would listen to every single morning, it will
reset your mind and your day.
Speaker 5 (08:40):
We wanted to remind people because you know, we forget
about the simple things that are just so beautiful. You know,
sometimes there's so much anxiety and depression going on. That's
why the one line where it says, look to the sky,
open up your heart, you know, because the stars are
always gonna shine every night. They're gonna be there, you know,
and let the light light your path. It's like they're
(09:03):
simple truths, and you know what simple truths done in
a beautiful way Like Emilio's got this special thing because
he's very succinct in his thoughts. And that's not that
it's not something that hasn't been heard before. You know,
you reap what you saw, but in the way that
he made it. Musically, my fan they go, I wanted
(09:25):
to cry, but I wanted to dance. Y brying and
dancing at the same time.
Speaker 4 (09:30):
But his joy isn't magical, it's joyful.
Speaker 3 (09:33):
How was it doing the video with the whole family?
I understand was the first time, right the entire family
had been together on screen doing something so meaningful like that.
Was that just to me? I can't imagine. It means
everything when you see your whole life and career come together.
Speaker 1 (09:49):
In one well.
Speaker 5 (09:50):
My family is actually in both videos in a certain way.
In first video of Races, I wanted to go to
some place that's like the most deeply rooted place in
Miami Fairchalk Garden. It's been there for over one hundred years.
It's got trees from both Cuba from here. I'm a virgo.
I need nature. I'm happiest there. So I was kind
(10:11):
of mirroring life as a journey. I'm barefoot in the video.
The fashion was just about being a part. The green
dress and the brown dress. It's just supposed to mirror
like we are a part of everything, of the all,
and we're all connected.
Speaker 1 (10:27):
And then I have my family through the years, all.
Speaker 5 (10:29):
These old videos, some pictures that I brought to life
because I wanted also to touch the fact that we're
in twenty twenty five. So I used AI to bring
to life a picture of my mom and dad in
Cuba where they literally waved me on to my journey.
And when that came to life, it was like I
(10:50):
was reclemped. I was going, oh my god. It really
affected me. And there's little things like that. I brought
to life. A picture of my grandmother holding my son.
Speaker 1 (11:00):
She smiles.
Speaker 5 (11:02):
A picture of Emilio and me both just like a
cowboy and a cowgirl, him in Cuba, me here, and
they hug in the they cross the frames and hug.
So we were trying to do it in a very
slight way, because you know, you gotta be careful with
that kind of thing, but it's about.
Speaker 1 (11:18):
That journey, so they're all in there.
Speaker 5 (11:20):
And then at the end it's a photo album where
all the pictures are falling on it from everybody from
our great grandparents down to the last one, which is
my grandson Sasha. In Lavesina video, where we shot at
the place where I first lived with my mom, I
played three characters. There's Lavesina sitting in the launchair. I
have a picture of my mother sitting in a launchair
(11:42):
in front of that apartment with me in her lap,
so I do one scene from there. Then there's another
one where I recreate a picture of my mother that
she shot for my dad when he was in jail
in Cuba, a bay of pigs, political prisoner in one
of those apartments.
Speaker 1 (11:57):
So that's the church lady. I call her more my mom.
Speaker 5 (12:00):
And then at the end, we literally built a stage
in the middle of the two apartments and it's my
image now. So it's a place where I started, it's
where I am now, and then my whole but now
with my entire family revisiting this place where we started
our lives. Here these little apartments that were like the
(12:23):
size of a closet.
Speaker 1 (12:25):
And it was very emotional.
Speaker 5 (12:27):
I was very I had all kinds of memories all day,
good ones, bad ones. But it was important because looking
back on fifty years and that was sixty five years
ago when I was living in that place, to have
it be exactly the same and soon they're going to
tear it down, so we kind of saved it for posterity.
(12:47):
And it was really special to have my family there,
to have my son say yes, because he never does anything.
Speaker 1 (12:54):
It's like a hermit.
Speaker 5 (12:56):
And when I told him the concept, he really dug
it because he's in film and all that.
Speaker 1 (13:01):
So he said, okay, Mom, I'll do it. I'll be
there for you. So how beautiful Vin our grandson.
Speaker 2 (13:06):
Yeah, when the kids of your kids and the grand
kids of your kids, you know this generational treasure that
they're going to have, you know, so they can look
back and said, this is the video that grandma did.
Speaker 4 (13:17):
Ah amazing.
Speaker 5 (13:18):
And to have them there all day it was beautiful.
I think that's the longest they've ever sat in one
place because since they were at the end of the
shot and then we had close ups, but they had
to be there for a few hours and the stories
from you know, them talking about their dad in shooting
this thing, like you would tell them, okay, nobody, nobody
look into the camera and the minute the camera would pass, why.
Speaker 1 (13:40):
You wouldn't look. They have made so much fun of him.
Speaker 4 (13:44):
Oh my god, Oh my god. I love it.
Speaker 2 (13:54):
Let's now transition Gloria to the acting because I know
you have this movie coming out. You voiced one of
the characters in September.
Speaker 1 (14:03):
Now it's live action as well.
Speaker 4 (14:05):
It's like, okay, I didn't know that.
Speaker 2 (14:08):
Okay, beautiful, And I know you've been acting for a while.
You know, you've been doing it for many, many, many years,
but you're coming and out. You know, like you said,
you have the luxury to pick what resonates with you,
and that's what you do.
Speaker 4 (14:19):
But how important is acting to you? Is it as
important as singing?
Speaker 2 (14:24):
Or was just a byproduct of because you became Glory
staff and now people call you like how important.
Speaker 4 (14:30):
It is to you?
Speaker 5 (14:31):
Well, first of all, I have nothing but respect for actors,
and early on in my career, I'm a musician.
Speaker 1 (14:38):
I'm a singer.
Speaker 5 (14:39):
That is my soul, right, But when we started having
to do videos, because at the beginning, we could record.
You know, we did our albums. There was no videos.
The worst the biggest thing you did was going on
a TV show and performing. But now, all of a sudden,
here comes the eighties, eighties.
Speaker 1 (14:57):
And now, oh no, you're not done.
Speaker 5 (14:59):
When you do the album, you have to do a
frigging mini movie. So I really enjoyed that part of it,
but I knew I was in no way ready. And
when we were really climbing, they approached me to do
the role that Julia Roberts ended up doing.
Speaker 1 (15:17):
A Mystic Pizza. Okay, so they wanted me.
Speaker 5 (15:21):
I didn't have to audition, but I knew I wasn't ready.
I knew I wasn't ready.
Speaker 1 (15:25):
I knew that the acting, I knew what it takes,
and I wanted time to prepare.
Speaker 5 (15:29):
I didn't want to divert from the music because I go,
if I fail at the movies, it's going to screw up.
Speaker 1 (15:36):
You know, everything kind of washes over your career. So
I thought there'll be.
Speaker 5 (15:41):
Other opportunities if it's meant to be. So I didn't
do it, and I started whenever I could. I started,
you know, I got an acting coach, I started actually
working on it before I ever did anything, because I
have nothing but respect for acting.
Speaker 1 (15:59):
You know, it's you have to.
Speaker 5 (16:01):
Let go of your ego, and then for somebody like me,
it's a double whemming because you have to make them
forget it's you. Of course, early you know you're not
coming as a blank slate. But I love it. But
I got a lot of things offered through the years
that I turned down because it wasn't going to advance
me as an actor. He was going to portray my
culture in the typical, stereotypical way that we tend to
(16:23):
get treated, and I thought, no, I don't want to
contribute to that. So when Andy called me for Father
of the Bride, well, he texted me and is inimitable way,
Oh yeah, the way I'm on that on script And
I go, okay, what.
Speaker 1 (16:40):
Is it?
Speaker 5 (16:40):
He goes, you'll see and he goes the director wants
to zoom with you. Because this was during COVID, he
wants to zoom with you on Tuesday. Go he wants
me to audition. He goes, no, no, he wants you
for the role. I want you for the role. It's
you or nobody.
Speaker 1 (16:56):
I go, oh. And then when I get it and
It's Father the Bride. I go, oh, so good, are
you going to such a classic? How are you gonna?
Speaker 5 (17:05):
But the script was fun, it was good, yes, and
I thought, oh wow, I get a chance to play
with my friends. And it was during COVID, so we
were in a hard bubble wow doing that thing.
Speaker 4 (17:18):
I enjoyed it so much. I loved it. I loved
you guys. I really enjoyed it.
Speaker 1 (17:22):
Thank you. I enjoyed doing it, you know.
Speaker 2 (17:24):
And that's the best part when you get to a job,
you know, there is basically you you have like a
second family for a couple of months, you know, and
you have to make the most out of it. And
when you love the people that you work with, is
it makes a huge difference, a huge different.
Speaker 5 (17:36):
Fun because it's fun for you, It's not gonna be
fun for the people watching you.
Speaker 3 (17:43):
It's all about heart.
Speaker 2 (17:43):
And talk to us a little bit about this one
you have coming, Gabby's Dollhouse.
Speaker 5 (17:47):
It's I wasn't as aware because my kids were already grown.
But there's been a very, very successful children's series called
Gabby's Dollhouse. They've had like nine seasons and little kids
little they go crazy with It's this young girl that
she talks.
Speaker 1 (18:05):
She breaks the fourth wall.
Speaker 5 (18:06):
She talks to her audience, and she has this magical
dollhouse and these cat eers that when she presses it
and does this little song, she becomes an animated character
and is in the dollhouse playing with these little cats.
They have one it's kind of like a Sinatra cat.
They have Kki, like they each have their own little personality.
(18:27):
So they were bringing this to the big screen and
it's the original Gabby. I play her grandma who built
her this dollhouse. So my house in the movie is insane.
It looks like a copy of the dollhouse. And I
got to drive a a seventies VW van that's decked
out also like a cat because I'm like a super
(18:50):
fun bohemian grandma that built her this thing and now
wants to do something else with her. And then we
end up I end up having to go into the
dollhouse to help save her get out from the thing,
and it's really fun.
Speaker 1 (19:06):
It was. It was a blast. I love shooting A two.
Speaker 5 (19:08):
Day Leila was amazing and Christen Wigg is in it,
one of one of my favorites.
Speaker 2 (19:17):
She's amazing well, that's gonna be fun. I can't wait
to take the kids to see that. They're gonna love it.
Dealing is gonna go gaga. He's gonna love it.
Speaker 1 (19:23):
It's gonna be fun.
Speaker 4 (19:30):
Basura.
Speaker 2 (19:30):
I know this is probably an incredible because you're collaborating
with Emily and doing music together.
Speaker 1 (19:36):
Controversial name, but that's what we wanted. Okay. These literally
in a nutshell.
Speaker 5 (19:43):
These kids live and work from their families one of
the largest landfills in Asuncion, Paraguay, Okay.
Speaker 1 (19:52):
Years ago.
Speaker 5 (19:54):
They're the number four soy producers in the world, and
a lot of people got pushed out of their family
farms for sord production.
Speaker 1 (20:02):
The people they could found homes in the city.
Speaker 5 (20:05):
The people they couldn't had to find a place to live,
and they created these bangneros which are around the city.
This vannetros called Katua, and what used to be a
beautiful lake years and years ago has now become one
of the largest mountains of trash in the Southern Hemisphere.
Speaker 1 (20:25):
They live from the trash because.
Speaker 5 (20:27):
They salvage things and they fix them and resell them.
But this engineer, an environmental engineer, went into the area
to try to help that part of it. He couldn't,
so he was a musician and he brought his violin
and he started giving violin lessons to the kids in
like a school. Eventually they made built the school out
(20:51):
of trash. They have three hundred students now. They've played
for the Queen. But they made the instruments out of
the trash because they had floods, ash storms, all these
crazy things that would destroy instruments. And it's the story
of how they came together and how they started the
idea of making the instruments out of trash. And that's
(21:11):
what we've done, and we've written like Emily and I.
Alex Lackimore is the music supervisor. He's been amazing to
work with. Michael Greif directing. He's a star on Broadway.
Karen Zakadias amazing playwright, and and Ken Sernilia, who did
Hadestown is the drama turg and we've been working together
(21:33):
for these last three years. The story and the music
came together, so it wasn't like they gave me.
Speaker 1 (21:39):
A book right for this, no splashing it out from
day one.
Speaker 5 (21:44):
The creative team and we're so excited, but you know,
there was some reticence to allow us to call it basuda.
Speaker 1 (21:52):
Because of what it is.
Speaker 5 (21:54):
But it's the truth about finding hope and beauty in
one of the most dire situations. And it makes you
think about what we consider trash, how we make so
much trash, you know, things we throw away.
Speaker 1 (22:12):
That continue to be attached to us.
Speaker 5 (22:14):
And and how they turned this situation into something beautiful
and creative through music, through the arts, and that that's
that story to me is like so important.
Speaker 2 (22:25):
To that incredible Musically, you think, it's like a lot
of infusion of many many things.
Speaker 5 (22:30):
I did a deep dive into Paraguayan rhythms, so we
have I want to be very culturally like thoughtful when
we present them because but Paraguay music is not salsa.
Speaker 4 (22:46):
What is it.
Speaker 1 (22:47):
Paraguay and music is uh.
Speaker 5 (22:50):
They have a lot of German ancestry in Paraguay, so
they have these rhythms, the polkaya which comes from the
Polkas that came from Europe and were in the area,
you know, decades ago. They love classical music. They every
New Year's they listened to the symphony at midnight, so
(23:14):
they loved classical music. The Paraguayan music, you have guaranya,
you have the polka Paraguaya and it's it's usually in
three I mean, kind of like a waltz, very uptempo,
so it was really exciting for us to create around it.
Now we're gonna use that, but we also have fusion.
(23:37):
Emily brings in all these other brazil We use Brazilian
rhythms because the trash comes from Brazil. We use a
little bit of rock element because the stuff that they
would find in the trash was old cassettes and things,
so they were Metallica fans. They played with Metallica at
one point. So we want to really express with the
(24:00):
orchestra is about and place, but in original songs that
also exalt their Paraguayan traditions.
Speaker 1 (24:08):
But it's been such a joy, it's.
Speaker 4 (24:12):
Going to be epic. What do you think is going
to be?
Speaker 2 (24:13):
Like it's in development right now, like like Broadway shows
like this that you start from zero is a full
full package. How many years and what do you think
is going to open?
Speaker 1 (24:22):
We're on May thirtieth of twenty six.
Speaker 5 (24:24):
We open in the Alliance Theater and then lex.
Speaker 1 (24:28):
Yo exactly a year from now. Okay, you're already selling tickets.
Speaker 5 (24:31):
My fans have already bought tickets to the show, so
we start there and then hopefully by twenty seven we
will be on Broadway.
Speaker 4 (24:42):
Wow beautiful.
Speaker 1 (24:45):
We're thrilled.
Speaker 4 (24:55):
And then Eric wants to mention something very important.
Speaker 3 (24:57):
Yeah, yeah, let's talk about your trip to La.
Speaker 1 (25:01):
Oh the which one the one coming in for conga?
Speaker 3 (25:06):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (25:07):
Yeah, what an honor.
Speaker 5 (25:08):
I mean, this song is still giving. I see it everywhere,
heard everywhere. I've seen it from anywhere from South Park
to the Chipmunks movies that my grandson thought he was
surprising me. He made me sit down when he was little,
goes to to watch this and he plays me the
chip hats doing conga.
Speaker 3 (25:25):
Oh my god.
Speaker 5 (25:27):
You know it's it's really a joy and a privilege
to be in any kind of hall of fame. So
for the Grammy Hall of Fame, that song, it's it's
the gift that keeps on giving. And it's still I
hear it everywhere. It still sounds like its own thing.
Speaker 2 (25:42):
And he's like forty years years Wow, you.
Speaker 4 (25:46):
Know, I'm gonna tell you a story. Grewer. You didn't.
Speaker 2 (25:48):
You don't know this, No nobody knows this. When I
left for the RICO, I moved to New York. I
was there for three years. I was in a soap
as a world turns right. But of course a dream
is I want to move to Hollywood. I want to
go to LA and I want to do movies and
all that. Anyways, I'm under contract with the soap. I'm
come to LA to do a national commercial for Always.
They I booked this national commercial and while I'm here
(26:10):
in LA for the first time, they didn't know anything
about Los Angeles. There was there were casting Fame La,
the remake of Fame. I ended up getting it, but
everybody had to be a triple threat. Every cast member,
it was seven of us, had to dance, sing, and act.
Speaker 4 (26:26):
I auditioned.
Speaker 2 (26:26):
I remember they flew me three times, acting portion of
the audition, then singing portion, then dancing portion. I ended
up getting it, left left New York, came to LA,
and then never left LA. Anyways, I'm telling you this
because I remember when my my singing audition that they
flew me with all the producers at Sony, at this
recording studio. This song assigned was Conga. I was like,
(26:51):
but you don't they because I've been such a fan forever.
I remember going, oh, how the heck, I'm gonna pull
this off. Oh my god, this is Gloria Conga Okay.
But then I was like, no, ros this is a sign.
She's going to carry you through me is Cloria. You're
going to get This is Gloria.
Speaker 4 (27:07):
This is a gift for you. It is not crazy.
Speaker 2 (27:08):
And I ended up getting it, and that's how my
prime time acting career started.
Speaker 5 (27:14):
That means so much to me because they have been
a small part of your process.
Speaker 1 (27:20):
Song's not easy to sing.
Speaker 5 (27:22):
I mean when I approached it, I'm a band girl.
You know, I'm the girl in the band. So I
feel very much about that. I'm part of everything, and
I love percussion, so when I sang it, I sang
it as if I was a percussive instrument. And when
I did the three part harmony, it was my homage
(27:42):
to the Andrew Sisters, which I loved and as a
little kid, had the records because we moved into this
house that was furnished and had collection of seventy eight's.
Imagine how old this was, and there was the Andrew Sisters,
and then we threw in James Brown. That's great, all
the elements of my musical life fusing together, and you
(28:06):
know it's not easy to sing.
Speaker 2 (28:07):
It's not it's not I was, I was petrified, but
I was like, no, it's glory.
Speaker 4 (28:11):
You're gonna carry me through. She's gonna carry me through.
And you did so I appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (28:17):
Yeah, thank you Dream, Yeah, incredible Dream.
Speaker 3 (28:21):
Yes, you're thank you for you know, being hanging with us,
talking to us about so much of your past, your present,
everything going on. And your album will be is out,
you know it'll be out. When this out, you'll be
going and we wish you all the best and we'll
look forward to seeing you hopefully soon in person.
Speaker 1 (28:40):
Amazing doing all the best, continued success.
Speaker 5 (28:44):
I love to see you know, married couple doing things
together and having it work great and you know that's
not always easy.
Speaker 1 (28:51):
I'm sure you.
Speaker 4 (28:51):
Know, of course.
Speaker 3 (28:52):
Well you you two are an inspiration. So we appreciate you.
Lots of love to the whole family.
Speaker 4 (28:57):
Thank you. My mom be out there, leave.
Speaker 1 (28:59):
The egos in at the door.
Speaker 3 (29:01):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (29:02):
Absolutely, we love you and I'm tell you back, Mama,
thank you.
Speaker 4 (29:05):
Thank you.
Speaker 3 (29:06):
Bye bye.
Speaker 4 (29:09):
H She's so she's incredible.
Speaker 3 (29:11):
It's so incredible. They both thought. The whole family. It's
just uh, I mean you've I didn't know them until you,
until I, you know, met you, but you know, since
we've been together, I know I was always a fan,
uh and since we've been together, you just switched. It
speaks so highly of them, and to finally meet them,
it was like, oh my god, this is exactly how
you described.
Speaker 2 (29:28):
I've known them for so long, you know, through thick
and thin, and they've always been so supportive and loving
and just like like your parents. You know, every time
I see them, we hug, and it's I feel there's
a comfort level because they're just amazing.
Speaker 3 (29:41):
It's so unique though that people I don't know, people
fully understand like to to meet or know stars, talents
at that height, at that level, who have revolutionized industries,
changed the game, and they're so humble and down to
earth and just incredible humans. So it's it's a breath
of fresh air. And like I said, inspiration. You know,
(30:04):
any married couple working together I find success. I know.
Speaker 4 (30:09):
So now you know it's possible.
Speaker 2 (30:10):
You know you have you have, like she said, the
North Star, you know you have them, knowing that you
know they they worked it out in very very extremely circumstances.
They come from Cuba and the oppression and they left
the country and they started this band when they were kids.
And there's a lot of baggage, you know, and a
lot of generational trauma because of where they come from
(30:31):
and to be able to succeed and do it together
hand by hand.
Speaker 4 (30:34):
And you have never ever heard.
Speaker 2 (30:36):
Anything anything negative, no scand out, nothing about the Steffan,
which is incredible. You know that she's like a billboard
history maker, guys, and we're going to leave you with this.
She's among Latin female artists, Gloria stands alone as the
only one to charge Billboard hits across five consecutive decades,
spanning multiple formats including the Hot one hundred, Latin Song's,
(30:59):
tropical sands, adult contemporary.
Speaker 4 (31:01):
I mean, she is a powerhouse. Absolutely very privileged to
have her.
Speaker 3 (31:06):
Absolutely, thank you so much, Gloria. We love you and
love you next time. I love you. Thanks for listening.
Don't forget to write us a review and tell us
what you think.
Speaker 2 (31:14):
If you want to follow us on Instagram, check us
out at he said.
Speaker 4 (31:17):
Ajab or sens An email.
Speaker 2 (31:19):
Eric and Ross at iHeartRadio dot com.
Speaker 4 (31:22):
He said.
Speaker 2 (31:22):
Ajab is part of iHeartRadio's Mike would do that podcast network.
Speaker 3 (31:26):
See you next time.
Speaker 2 (31:27):
Bye,
Host
Roselyn Sanchez
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