Gloria Estefan will be the first guest on the new YouTube documentary series ‘The Thread,’ which premieres on March 4th.
The series, hosted by journalist and author Maria Elena Salinas, explores the stories and connections of influential Latino figures in various fields, such as music, sports, politics, and entertainment.
In the first episode, Estefan shares her personal and professional journey, from her childhood in Cuba to her rise to fame as the lead singer of Miami Sound Machine, and her solo career as one of the most successful Latin artists of all time.
She also reveals how music helped her overcome some of the most difficult challenges in her life, such as escaping the Castro regime, losing her father, surviving a near-fatal bus accident, and coping with the pandemic.
"Music allowed me to survive some of the toughest moments in my life," she says in a trailer for the series. "When the Castro forces came in, my father told my mother that he needed to get us out of Cuba. My mother told him, 'They're gonna arrest you,' and that's exactly what happened."
Estefan and her mother fled to Miami in 1960, when she was just two years old. Her father, who was a bodyguard for former Cuban president Fulgencio Batista, was imprisoned for two years, and later joined the U.S. military. He died in 1980, after suffering from multiple sclerosis.
Estefan said she never expected to become an artist, but she discovered her passion for music when she met her husband and producer, Emilio Estefan, in 1975.
Estefan said she feels grateful for her fame, and that she uses it to inspire and help others who are facing their own struggles. She has been involved in various humanitarian and philanthropic causes, such as supporting veterans, immigrants, children, and health research.
"I never would've imagined being an artist," she says. "But I can inspire people who are going through their own hardships, and that gave so much purpose to my fame."
The series aims to celebrate the diversity and contributions of the Latino community in the U.S., and to highlight the common threads that bind them together.
The Thread will be available to watch for free on YouTube, starting on March 4th, at 7 p.m. (Central).
[Source: Classic Hits Today]