Gloria Estefan is a Cuban-born singer who immigrated from Cuba to Miami when she was only two years old. Her father worked as a bodyguard for Cuban President Fulgencio Batista and her mother was a teacher. After working for Batista, her father worked for the CIA-backed brigade of island exiles (NYT) and then served time imprisoned after the Bay of Pigs mission failed. When Fidel Castro came into power, Gloria and her family immigrated to Miami. Like many immigrants and refugees, you always need a reminder of your country, a symbol of where you came from. This can be food, music, the language, or material items. For Gloria, the sounds of salsa from Cuba and pop which was growing in popularity at the time would contribute to the love she gained for music and the industry-changing singer she became.
As a Hispanic from an area of New Jersey with many others who identify as Latinx, the beats of merengue, salsa, and reggaeton are played very frequently with a mix of pop, hip-hop, and rap and from many Caribbean artists, songs would include a variety of these mixes. Gloria grew a huge liking for beats and music growing up, which eventually would guide her to pursue a career in the music industry. Gloria Estefan would be one of the most significant singers to combine Latin beats with American pop beats, which some might argue, makes her the Queen of Latin Pop.
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