Gloria Estefan is making history by becoming the first Hispanic woman to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
“To be the first of anything at this age is fantastic,” Estefan told “CBS Mornings” on Wednesday.
For Estefan, songwriting appears to come naturally. She’s sold over 100 million records worldwide, has garnered eight Grammy Awards and is the voice behind smash hits like “Anything for You” and “Rhythm is Gonna Get You.”
Estefan said that creating music has never been easy for her but once she’s been able to put her thoughts and emotions down, the words come easily.
“The minute I finish writing a song, I think I will never be able to do this again… Each one is different. Every song comes differently,” she said.
By her side for the last 47 years is her husband, Emilio Estefan Gómez, a fellow musician and producer. Together the two are credited for paving the way for other Latin artists like Shakira and Ricky Martin and helping them crossover into mainstream pop.
Estefan said that she and her husband became their own “cheerleaders” and took the industry head-on.
“And you know, we got a lot of no’s at the beginning of our career. ‘No, this sound will never work. No, you are not going to be able to crossover. No, you can’t compete on a world level.’ Of course, we didn’t believe that,” she said. “When we got the opportunity to give a hand up or leg up to other Latinos, other Latin artists that we knew could be amazing, it was wonderful to be able to say yes.”
Estefan is among seven musical icons — including Sade, Glen Ballard, Snoop Dogg, Jeff Lynne, Teddy Riley and Liz Rose — to be announced as inductees into the 52nd Annual Songwriters Hall of Fame.
The star-studded event is slated for Thursday, June 15 at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City.
