If ever a song suited its singer, Gloria Gaynor’s I Will Survive is it.
The disco staple topped the charts in 1979 – the same year the singer suffered a spinal injury after falling over a monitor on stage, leading to decades of rehabilitation. Then, in 2005, she divorced Linwood Simon, her manager husband of 26 years.
© GettyBut Gloria hasn’t just survived; at the age of 81, she’s thriving.
"I’m brilliant," she tells us from her home in New Jersey. "I still love what I’m doing. When I don’t love it any more, I’ll quit. I don’t see that happening."
Gloria, I Will Survive only became a hit after being played at New York’s Studio 54 nightclub. What was that evening like?
"It was awesome. I took the recording there because the record company wouldn’t listen to it. When the audience stormed the dancefloor immediately as they heard the song, I was like: 'I am so right about this!' I was happy that we took matters into our own hands and decided to let the people have what they needed."
Your new song, Fida Known, is out now – what was the inspiration for the track?
"My marriage, right? 'Fida Known' – that’s how you say it when you feel it strongly. I was rehearsing I Will Survive and when I got to: 'If I’d have known for just one second you’d be back to bother me,' those words illuminated, and I thought: 'Oh, I’ve got to write a song with that.'"
© Getty ImagesWhat’s your advice for moving on from a tough relationship?
"The biggest thing is that two broken people, two halves, do not make a relationship. You’ve got to first make sure that you’re whole, and your partner is whole, before you enter into a union."
You do CrossFit three times a week. Why do you love it?
"I don’t. I don’t like exercising; I wish I did. It’s absolutely 100% willpower. I pray about it every night: 'Lord, please help me do this.' I talk to Him about my body being a gift from Him, and I need to keep it in good shape for as long as I need it."
© gettyYou’re singing in the UK this summer – what are you looking forward to?
"Performing for the British people, speaking to them afterwards and immersing myself in the British culture for a couple of days. I used to come a lot, and I have good what I call 'frams' there – friends who are like family."
You’ve recently been honoured by the Bergen Performing Arts Center in your home town – what did that mean to you?
"It means that I’m accomplishing some things that I set out to accomplish: to uplift, encourage and inspire women. It helps me to know I’m fulfilling a purpose – nobody wants to feel as though they’re just taking up space."
To read the full exclusive interview, pick up the latest issue of HELLO! on sale in the UK on Monday. You can subscribe to HELLO! to get the magazine delivered free to your door every week or purchase the digital edition online via our Apple or Google apps.
