Gloria Estefan reflects on bilingual career

MIAMI (Billboard) - For the first time in its young, nine-year history, the Latin Recording Academy and its board of trustees is honoring a woman as its Person of the Year, Gloria Estefan.

With a career that spans more than three decades and 70 million-plus albums sold, Estefan is the original Latin crossover international star. First as lead singer of Miami Sound Machine and later as a soloist, Estefan has achieved success in two languages.

During a break from her European tour, Estefan spoke with Billboard about what it means to be Latin today.

Q: You are touring arenas, in front of tens of thousands of people. Of course, you’ve done this most of your life. Is there a routine you follow right before taking the stage?

Gloria Estefan: I try to open all my chakras and I think of all my points of communication. I do a prayer that everything comes out the best it can, and we exchange energy. I imagine a point in the top of my head, in my hands, in my solar plexus. Read the rest of this entry »