Tireless, Gloria Gaynor she belongs to that genuine, and exclusive, breed of divas who have spent decades defying fashion and ageism that can do so much damage to many popular female artists. On September 7, she will be 80 years old and she can proudly say that “80 years is nothing.” She continues to travel the world, sharing a most celebrated repertoire, as she will demonstrate again on August 15 at the Malaga Sabbatical Festival, accompanied that night on the bill by another veteran, Bonnie Tyler. “It’s wonderful to continue performing and to know that my songs continue to be danced to and celebrated; there’s no better feeling than seeing you bring joy to other people,” she says. “I am speechless when I think of that God who gives us a talent to improve the lives of others, he makes me feel blessed every day. And my audience is what gives me the energy to continue. As I adore Spain and its people, I couldn’t be happier to be back.”
Gloria Gaynor is synonymous with disco music, and it is that she has to her credit some of the greatest classics produced by this style that left an indelible mark on the pop culture of the late 70s and early 80s -and which also had rabid detractors -. Her renditions of Never Can Say Goodbye, I Will Surviveo I Am What I Am These are enough credentials for her to earn the title of disco diva with honors, which she continues to boast of decades later. “Those who criticized this style were few, but very loud,” she says with a sneer and a laugh. “Disco music has always served as an instrument for uniting people and has helped them to free themselves from daily stress, I don’t see what could be criticized for it. I have never seen another style capable of making people of all ages enjoy themselves equally. race, nationality, sexuality or age. Isn’t that our ultimate goal? Sharing what we have? That’s what life is all about to me.”
With her biggest hits, she paved the way for many other artists who would come later, inspired by her self-affirming anthems and deeply feminist, perhaps without him being aware of it when he first recorded them. Her pioneering advocacy for women’s equality on the dance floor has also contributed to her legendary character. “Very few artists sent messages like this; the usual thing is to seek success with a selfish attitude, thinking only of yourself and believing that you are always right”. Gaynor assures that her attitude was different from her from the beginning of her career. “You can disagree with what others are doing without being unpleasant, although unfortunately it is not what we usually see.” That is why she regretted some reactions that caused the change that she decided to make in the lyrics of her great hymn I Will Survive, de «It took all the strength I had no to fall apart» [Tomé todas las fuerzas que tenía para no desmoronarme] a «Only the Lord could give me strength not to fall apart» [Solo el Señor podría darme fuerzas para no desmoronarme], because it made sense of that self-sufficiency that so inspires those who listen to it. “The important thing for me is positive and constructive feedback. When I premiered the new version at an Italian festival, a girl approached me after the concert to say that thanks to what that particular sentence had inspired in her that had changed, she now knew where seek strength not to commit suicide, because until that moment his life had lost meaning. Just because my song elicited that reaction from her, it was worth the change.”
Converting to Christianity marked a before and after in the life of the singer, who suffered a revelation in what she considers the darkest moment of her life, in which fame led to a period of excesses and what she remembers as “bad company “, in which she was surrounded by the clichés associated with the life of a rock star, in which alcohol and drugs abound. “God made me see that if he let me do what I did in those moments, it was to make me realize that he needed to strengthen me so that I could help others later,” she explains. And she is emphatic in reminding herself in that period: “she was just stupid.” And she laughs. “There came a day when I feared for my life, and then God appeared and told me: ‘Enough is enough. Then I realized that I had chosen the wrong path that had led me to a precipice, and I realized that no one is invincible.” There is no doubt that the lyrics of her greatest hit cannot represent her anymore. “I am a survivor who knew how to prosper”, that’s how he defines himself.
Along the way, he has seen legends like Whitney Houston, Prince, Tina Turner o Michael Jackson, and he assures that every loss of that caliber has made him very sad. “It is very sad that the fans of these artists can only cling to the music they left as a legacy. That is why I strive to continue offering my followers everything I have; I know how important it is to them, and what it means to them. It’s empowering to see me still active.” Many, as is well known, belong to the LGTBIQ+ community, which adopted I Will Survive as its anthem practically from its launch. Those fans are very special to her: “they are part of my family.” She remembers how it was in the early 80s, with the great AIDS crisis, when she was aware of the close bond that she was creating with the gay public thanks to her song. “Those were horrible times. And it comforted me to know that my music could help them in such a dark time.” There were those who wanted to see, after a controversial statement to the BBC in 2007, that this bond had been broken, and since then she has not stopped denying it. “I have never judged anyone by their way of living or for the person you love, nor have I discriminated against my followers based on their race, their religion or similar. What I do do if I see someone I respect going down the wrong path is pray for him.”