Gloria Estefan opens up about her biggest musical influences
She also told Ken Bruce about the musical she's written
Last updated 28th Oct 2025
The wonderful Gloria Estefan joined Ken Bruce for a chat on Greatest Hits Radio, where she opened up about her love for her home town Miami, including one of her early jobs. The singer also revealed her musical inspirations including one particular British song, released in 1964.
During the chat with Gloria, the pair also spoke about a new musical that Gloria has written with her daughter Emily Estefan, revealing it is about a kids who live near a landfill site, who have turned the rubbish into a musical instruments.
Musical influences
When asked about her musical influences growing up, Gloria admitted there was one British song in particular, that made her hair stand up. She told Ken: "Oh my gosh, I have so many (influences), it's really hard...
"Early on, obviously the Cuban Greats, my mum had an extensive record collection, but in that collection was also Nat King Cole, Hank Williams, Doris Day, all the big crooners. And then as I grew, the British invasion got me hard.
"Like I remember being six-years-old, pulling up to a laundromat in Texas where my sister was born, my dad was in the army and they played ‘Ferry Across The Mersey’.
"And I sat in there and my hair stood on end and I wanted to listen, and now I realise that it's a bolero, that song!"
Gloria Estefan and Miami
Gloria has lived in Miami for much of her life, and she opened up about the love for the city telling Ken: "Well, for me, it's my home, so it's always been lovely and I love it there. I love the nature, I love the heat, you know? I love the humidity... We keep better in humidity, skin, voice, everything."
Speaking about growing up in the Florida city, the 'Rhythm Is Gonna Get You' singer revealed a funny story about her first job. Working as a translator for Customs and Immigration at the airport, Gloria would often work the graveyard shift from 1pm until 9pm, and opened up about an unusual find.
"I used to work at the airport, my first job at 17," she explained. "I saw some things in that customs... It was really quite something.
The singer went on to recount how she had to take a sausage from a nun who was hiding it under her habit! Watch the moment the singer recounts it below...
Gloria Estefan's Basura musical
Gloria has been working on a number of things recently, with one of her projects being a musical called Basura which means "trash" in Spanish. The singer opened up about the musical which is an inspirational true story about a group of children who live near a landfill site.
The singer told Ken about it saying: "I'm very picky about what (jobs) I choose because my time is precious. I want to spend it as much as I can with my grandson. But whenever it's a creative project like this Broadway musical that we're working on called Basura...
"It's about the recycled orchestra of Cateura, Paraguay, these kids that live next to the biggest landfill in South America, and they make the instruments out of trash because they have nothing."
She went on to explain: "An environmental engineer came in and started giving them lessons because he couldn't do anything about the environment in a landfill. And at this day, they have 300 students, they've built a school out of trash.
"Their motto is, 'The world sends us trash, and we give back music'.
"Because it used to be a beautiful lake that the government started giving the opportunity for countries to like... they sold them the opportunity to send trash. And now it's a huge landfill and it is such an uplifting story. I met the kids, they're incredible and it's been a wonderful process to do that."
The musical is set to premiere in Atlanta, Georgia in May next year, before moving to Broadway.
How to listen to Ken Bruce on Greatest Hits Radio
You can listen to Ken every weekday between 10am and 1pm on Greatest Hits Radio. Listen to the radio station for free through our Rayo app, available for iPhone and Android.
Take a look through interviews we've had this year:
Mike Rutherford has written new songs for Mike + The Mechanics Spring tour
It's been 40 years since Mike Rutherford first formed Mike + The Mechanics as a side project during Genesis' hiatus, yet the band continues to see huge success.
Mike joined Ken Bruce on Greatest Hits Radio for Golden Years, to talk about his "second incarnation", recording new songs and the year 1970...
Elton John says making this new album was 'a risk he wanted to take'
Elton John has just announced a brand new album called 'Who Believes in Angels?', this time around the singer has teamed up with American singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile, known for her music which transcends several different genres.
Greatest Hits Radio's Simon Mayo caught up with both Elton and Brandi to chat about the new release and what it was like working together on a full album.
Paul Jones opens up about his Rolling Stones secret
Former Manfred Mann frontman Paul Jones joined Ken Bruce on Greatest Hits Radio for Golden Years and opened up about the 1960s, Manfred Mann and a Rolling Stones secret. Paul shocked Ken by revealing: "I used to be friends with Brian Jones and Brian, in 1962, said to me, 'I'm forming a band, do you want to be my singer?', and I turned it down..."
The band he turned down ended up becoming The Rolling Stones!
Candi Staton tells Ken Bruce why she fell in love with 'Young Hearts Run Free' ❤️
Chatting to Ken Bruce, Candi admitted that the UK have supported her a lot, and she said the support helped her through the tough times. The singer also told Ken what her 1976 hit 'Young Hearts Run Free' really meant to her. "Three minutes of my life story," Candi explained.
"I fell in love with that track, I said: 'Oh, I could feel it.' And then he (writer/producer David Crawford) gave me the lyrics and I sang the song down one time. Because I was singing my story and I had everything, my heart was in it, my mind, my soul, my spirit, everything just connected to those lyrics because I knew I was singing the truth."
Matt Goss opens up on the possibility of a Bros reunion and tour
It's the question that's on everyone Bros fan's lips, will Matt and Luke Goss reunite to work on new music and go on tour? Matt opens up about the possibility of a reunion.
Manic Street Preachers reveal 'the biggest thrill' about being in the band
James Dean Bradfield and Nicky Wire from Manic Street Preachers joined Ken Bruce on Greatest Hits Radio for Golden Years, choosing 1984. The during the chat they opened up about writing their hit songs, and what it is that they love about being in a band.
Curtis Stigers opens up about meeting his father for the first time at the age of 46
Curtis Stigers' recent song 'Good To Know You' was written about his experience of meeting his biological father at the age of 46. The singer explained, until the age of 17 he thought that his step-dad was his father, but his mum later opened up to him.
Heaven 17 on how a chance meeting led to them relaunching Tina Turner's career
Heaven 17 members Martyn Ware with Glenn Gregory joined Kate Thornton on Greatest Hits Radio to talk about their upcoming tour and new music. The duo also opened up about how a chance meeting led them to being instrumental in re-launching Tina Turner's music career.
Suggs reveals what we can expect from Madness' next tour
In May 2025, Madness released tickets for their 'Hits Parade' tour and Ken was keen to know more about what the band had in store for fans, when they take to the road in December. Suggs also reminisced about the time he was asked to play the double bass in an orchestra, despite having no experience, which he said was "way beyond humiliation"!
Suggs reveals the secret to Madness' longevity
Suggs joined Great Conversations with Jackie Brambles on Greatest Hits Radio, to talk about the band's upcoming tour, their success and the secret to their longevity. He said: "I think there's a few things (why we stayed together). One was that we've been friends since pretty much we were at school, so there's a great deal of tolerance... We had to have tolerance, otherwise we would have killed each other."
Craig David on the emotional full-circle moment visiting his childhood home
Craig David might have had several Number 1 songs in the UK, but he hasn't forgotten the early days, writing hit songs in his bedroom. Teaming up with the charity Shelter, Craig returned to his childhood home, which was a social housing flat in Southampton, where he wrote songs such as 'Fill Me In', 'Rewind', and 'Walking Away'.
He told Jackie Brambles all about the full-circle moment.
Lionel Richie reveals he 'freaked out' when asked to write a duet with Diana Ross
It's been more than four decades since the legend that is Lionel Richie joined forces with pop icon, Diana Ross, to release their Platinum single 'Endless Love' — and yet it's still considered one of the most beloved songs of all times. Lionel joined Jackie Brambles to talk about the hit.
Sparks join Simon Mayo for an exclusive chat about new music, UK tour and musical movie
Sparks have come a long way since their first Top of The Pops performance, more than 50 years ago. Having released UK Top 10 hits such as 'This Town Ain't Big Enough for Both of Us' and 'Amateur Hour', along with their Top 5 album 'Kimono My House', the band have been releasing music since the early 70s.
The duo, made up of brothers Ron and Russell Mael, joined Simon Mayo for a chat.
ABC's Martin Fry tells us the story behind his iconic gold suits and the band's formation
ABC frontman Martin Fry joined Simon Mayo on Greatest Hits Radio to chat about his tour, the formation of the band, their huge hit 'The Look of Love' and the origin of his iconic gold suits.
Sir Rod Stewart teases new music in a different genre
Sir Rod Stewart joined Ken Bruce on Greatest Hits Radio, for a chat ahead of performance at Glastonbury 2025, in the Legends Slot. This was the first time the singer had performed at the iconic festival since 2002, and he told Ken how he was going to struggle to fit all the songs he wanted into his set.
Griff Rhys Jones reminisces about introducing Queen to the Live Aid stage
As the 40th anniversary of Live Aid took place in 2025, here at Greatest Hits Radio we caught up with Griff Rhys Jones. Back in 1985, along with his comedy partner Mel Smith, the pair were welcomed on stage at Wembley, to introduce Queen.
Michael Buerk opens up about not watching Live Aid and how his feelings changed
Sunday 13th July 2025 marked 40 years since the iconic event Live Aid, which took place to raise money and awareness of the devastating famine in Ethiopia. Veteran broadcaster Michael Buerk was the BBC's South Africa correspondent at the time and brought the heartbreaking scenes from Ethiopia to a worldwide audience. He joined Simon Mayo to talk about reporting on the news.
The Doobie Brothers open up about the writing process for 'Walk This Road'
'Long Train Running' band The Doobie Brothers, joined Simon Mayo for a chat. They spoke about their new album 'Walk This Way', writing new music and their current tour.
Tim Minchin reveals his next big idea for a musical
Tim Minchin, the highly-acclaimed composer, comedian and songwriter joined Simon Mayo to chat about his new album, tour, book and what he could be working on in the future.
Dame Helen Mirren hints at The Thursday Murder Club 2 and future plans
Stars of The Thursday Murder Club, Dame Helen Mirren and Celia Imrie, joined Ken Bruce to talk about their latest roles, and what it's like being an older actor in the industry. The pair also hinted at a second film, saying: "We might do another Murder Club...".
Rick Astley reveals how his next tour will be different
Following the announcement that Rick Astley will be going on tour in 2026, he joined Simon Mayo at Greatest Hits Radio for a chat, to talk about his 'Reflection' tour and his success over the years.
Simple Minds open up about the band's beginnings as they celebrate their 40th anniversary
Simple Minds' Jim Kerr and Charlie Burchill joined Ken Bruce to chat about their 40th anniversary celebrations, which include a Special Deluxe Edition of their album 'Once Upon A Time' and new memoir 'Our Secrets Are The Same'. The pair opened up about the reasons they believe they've been together in the band for so long, as well and revealing their musical influences as they were growing up. Singer Jim Kerr also recounted how his dad was sure the band would be successful.
Gloria Estefan opens up about her biggest musical influences
Gloria Estefan opened up about her love for her home town Miami, including one of her early jobs. The singer also revealed her musical inspirations including one particular British song, released in 1964. Also, find out more about the singer's new musical written about a group of children who live next to a landfill and turn rubbish into musical instruments.
Giles Martin opens up about the Beatles' archive and future projects
Giles Martin, son of the highly acclaimed Beatles producer Sir George Martin, joined Ken Bruce to talk about the release of the Beatles Anthology music collections, which he has remastered. He also spoke about future projects around the Beatles, including the Sam Mendes films he is working on.
Now read:
Jodie Whittaker on why Doctor Who was her favourite role of all time
Simple Minds open up about the band's beginnings as they celebrate their 40th anniversary
Jeremy Allen White "reveals" what kept him up at night on the Bruce Springsteen biopic