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GLORIA ON EMILIO: "He THINKS of SOMETHINGS, and he makes it HAPPEN" by Gloria Estefan Who could possibly be better qualified to give the lowdown on Emilio Estefan Jr. than his globally famous wife and confidante, Gloria? During their 20-year marriage, Gloria and Emilio have gone from being members of a cover band called Miami Sound Machine to being one of the most powerful and beloved couples in the music industry. The following remarks by Gloria help reveal the true scope of Emilio's talent and the broad range of artists whom he has produced, including Cuban mambo pioneer Cachao, Mexican pop/ranchera siren Ana Gabriel, pop heartthrob Carlos Ponce and Argentine folkloric sensation Soledad.  Emilio is optimistic energy. He is the dream personified. He thinks of something, and he makes it happen. He doesn't sit by dreaming. He is a wonderful combination of the creative artist and the consummate business professional. He does it with so much love and zest, it is infectious to everyone around him. He doesn't have and ego problem as to who does what or who writes what. He is very secure, and he likes people to grow and use their benefits as well as his. We've been artists and we've been screwed, let's say. So, tha's why he takes such pride in helping other artists and making it good for them. He wants to be the side of the business that pays these people. Like what he did for Chacao. Chacao had not received one cent in his entire life for anything he had ever done, and Emilio's first concern was to give him an advance, so that he could make money with his beautiful music. He is very concerned about both things, since he has been everything from artist to manager. Emilio is extremely organized. He can and he likes to delegate and give opportunities to people. His influence in the music indistry has been huge in the past ears, with artists on the Latin charts like Alejandro Fernandez and Carlos Ponce. I mean, Carlos Ponce even jumped me on the chart - thank a lot [laughs]. I didn't get No. 1, because of Carlos Ponce! Shakira is going to blow people away with her album. The things he did with Soledad; the stuff he did with Ana Gabriel are great. So, he is a force in the Latin market because he has brought an incredible quality in recording and finding the right material for each artist, so they stay true to what they are and still continue to grow and be out there in the international forum and get music that has allowed them to come out of theur particular country. Alejandro was well-known in Mexico for rancheras, but that was about it. Now, he is an international artist. Emilio has a global vision and applies this vision to these artists that have such rich, folkloric music to offer. Because of his travels in both worlds, he is able to find incredible material that can take these people to another level and open up doors for them. He also gives the artist a feeling of incredible support, and they feel protected, which for any artist that is an amazing thing to happen. Thaen you are free to create. Emilio does everything with the same love - like Bongo's (restaurant), which was a great business deal. But the only thing that mattered to him and us was to portray our culture in a wonderful way and in a way that we can feel proud and share it with other people and other cultures. When we plan something and do something, it is about integrity and things that are going to last in the long run. It is never about money. When we did Cardozo Hotel, we wanted people to go there and leave with a good feeling about the hotel and the city. So, everything we do and everything he does has to be done with quality. Emilio eventually will end up directing (movies). He has an amazing eye, creatively for things. He is going to blow the movie people away, too. Not only does he deliver a creatively beautiful project, he has never been late on a project, and he doesn't go over budget. And if he says, you have to spend a bigger budget, he talks to you logically on a business level and nothing is never extreme. He delivers... on all counts. And, on top of that, he is sincere; people love him for it. It's not a put on; it is who he is.His zeal for life carries into everything he does, and that is his only reason for doing things. I wish he would rest a little more. On sunday morning, the only day that I figure he is going to sleep a little, he is up at the crack of dawn the terrace, picking up the leaves in the yard. He cannot stop. It is part of his persona. Emilio was the first person who talked me into writing. I always did parodies as a kid and was quite happy to do other people's songs and play them on guitar. So, when I joined the band, I had sung a couple of these parodies for Emilio, and he thiught they were really funny. So, he came to me and he said, "I really want to record some original music", because when I joined the band, we used to play really old Cuban standards, salsa, all Latin stuff. Emilio did play "The hustle" on the accordion, and I thought, "This guy is brave". But the band had so much charisma and they were hacing such a good time, it was infectious. It was honest and something that you could see not just a job for Emilio, but it was something he truly, truly enoyed. So, Emilio came to me and said, "I think you could write some songs, judging from the funny stuff you do. So just do it, but in serious way". And that's what happened, and if I hadn't been for him, I don't think I would have tried to write. Music was such an escape for me, it was a catharsis. So, the sadder song, the more I liked it. |
