Gloria Estefan returns to Rio de Janeiro? She was in Leme during Carnaval’s kickoff for a surfside video shoot and here’s what we’ve learned about her next album.
By Scott Adams
The hints about Gloria Estefan’s new album have been on a slow roll for several months now.
But when Gloria Estefan returns to Rio for Carnaval weekend, the buzz immediately shifts from baterias in the Sambadrome to her video shoot on the beach.
Last week she was in Salvador, Bahia where she posted this video clip. The caption read, “Bom Día! Good morning from beautiful Bahia! #Brasil ?? Exciting things coming!! “
Brazilian Sound Machine
Last year, she talked about the unnamed project with Billboard: She wanted to re-do many of her greatest hits by featuring the rhythms of Brazil.
That’s exactly the kind of thing you’d expect to happen whenever Gloria Estefan returns to Rio, one of the world’s most musical cities.
“I’m very excited about this project,” she told Billboard. “We’ve taken our top hits and gone to Brazil and re-recorded them in completely Brazilian rhythms – some well-known, some not well-known.”
Much of the recording work has already been completed. The sessions found her in top studios in both Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo.
In addition to the re-worked hits, four new song have been recorded for the album.
” It is just a blast for me to be in that studio, re-singing all the songs so differently. ‘Conga’ is now a samba, and it is burnin’. ‘Here We Are’ is a sexier song now, with a Brazilian rhythm. We’ve been really meticulous in making sure we celebrate the music of Brazil in the right way. “
“‘Conga’ is now a samba and it is burin’!”
Gloria also confided about the unexpected challenges she faced during those sessions in Brazil.
“We tried to do ‘Coming Out Of The Dark’ and found it really didn’t work It’s a gospel and we really did not find anything that would take that song to another level,” she said.
The unknowns we know
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We know that the album remains untitled, and that’s true of the four new songs, too. Plus, the release date for the album is still up in the air, but it very well could be in the next few months.
Gloria Estefan hinted as much, during her Billboard interview last fall. “I think it’s a summer record, so I guess we’re probably going to release it early next year, not later this year.”
Canta Portuguese?
And, finally, no word on whether Gloria Estefan will sing in Portuguese, as she did on this song. Whenever Gloria Estefan returns to Rio, magic can happen.
We cant wait!
