Gloria Gaynor

Gloria Gaynor is an American singer who became one of the defining voices of the disco era. Raised in Newark, New Jersey, she began her career singing jazz and soul with a group called The Soul Satisfiers before moving into the emerging disco sound of the mid-1970s. Her 1975 album Never Can Say Goodbye was a landmark release, notable for its continuous side-long mix that helped shape how DJs would later approach dance music, aided by DJ Tom Moulton's pioneering beat-matching techniques.

Gaynor's defining moment came in 1979 with «I Will Survive», an anthem of resilience that became one of the best-known songs of the twentieth century. Its message of empowerment gave it a life far beyond the dance floor, making it a staple at weddings, sporting events, and civil rights and LGBTQ+ celebrations alike. The song was significant enough to be inducted into the Library of Congress National Recording Registry, and it eventually lent its title to Gaynor's autobiography.

Although disco's popularity waned in the early 1980s and her later singles never matched the success of «I Will Survive», Gaynor remained a respected figure in popular music, later recording gospel material as well. She is remembered as one of disco's most powerful vocalists and a symbol of survival and self-determination in song.