Gloria Gaynor

Celebrity bio

Gloria Gaynor (real name Gloria Fowles, born September 7, 1949) is a U.S. singer best-known for the disco hit songs 'I Will Survive' (1979) and 'Never Can Say Goodbye' (1973).

Born in New Jersey, Gaynor was a singer with the Soul Satisfiers, a jazz/pop band, in the 1960s. Her first solo single was 'She'll Be Sorry'/'Let Me Go Baby' (1965).

The lyrics of 'I Will Survive' are written from the point of view of a woman, recently dumped, telling her ex-lover that she can cope without him and doesn't want anything more to do with him. The song has become something of an anthem of female emancipation, and is still a staple of office parties and karaoke nights, not to mention an anthem in North American gay culture. She also sang on lesser-known disco songs like 'Honey Bee' (1973), 'Casanova Brown' (1975), and 'I Am What I Am' (1983).

She continued recording for many years, releasing 'Last Night' in 2000, 'Just Keep Thinking About You' in 2001, and 'I Never Knew' in 2002.