If there’s one song that has been eternally linked to human resilience and the belief in life’s worth despite adversity, it’s “I Will Survive.” A disco anthem, uniquely performed by the great Gloria Gaynor, that became a sacred symbol and compass for anyone disappointed, betrayed, wounded, or excluded—who managed to stand tall and cry out with all their soul, “I will survive!” This timeless global music anthem, along with many more hits that have stood the test of time, will be performed live for Greek audiences at her upcoming concert on July 26 in Halkidiki, as part of this year’s Sani Festival.
“I can’t wait to return to Greece. It’s one of my favorite countries in the world. I love it for its beauty, its history, its food—and of course, for its kind and hospitable people,” she tells us in an exclusive interview. At 81 years old, her age clearly doesn’t stop her from continuing to travel the world for concerts. She feels that the power of her voice and soul is ageless. Her need to connect with her audience also remains undiminished, even after more than five decades of a remarkable career:
“It’s very important for me to have a personal connection with my audience. I appreciate my fans and I enjoy the relationship we’ve developed, so I want to keep that connection as strong and fresh as possible. The energy and love that an artist receives from the crowd on stage helps them forget anything bad that’s going on and feel like everything is alright. I can’t imagine my life without singing. I was born to be a singer.”
She’s felt this certainty about the purpose of her life since childhood. Growing up in New Jersey with her mother, grandmother, five brothers, and one sister, in a poor but loving home, music was an inseparable part of daily life.
The radio was always on, her older brothers sang gospel and formed a band—but she wasn’t allowed to join because she was a girl. She had to wait until she was 20 to fulfill her dream and sing for the first time at a neighborhood club. She spent about a decade performing in this amateur music scene before being discovered by iconic producer Clive Davis, the man behind her first major hit, “Never Can Say Goodbye” (1974).
By the mid-70s, Gaynor had become a known name, and the dance tracks from her debut album were playing nonstop in discos. But the real turning point came in 1978 with the release of the powerful and lyrically intense “I Will Survive”, which crowned her the “queen of disco” and earned her the first of two Grammy Awards. From the first notes and her voice singing solo to a piano—“At first I was afraid, I was petrified…”—to the gradual build-up and climax with the rallying cry “I will survive!”, the song had every element of a great hit: rhythm, raw emotion, passion, and truth.
“This song has deeply influenced both my professional and personal life. It has uplifted me, inspired me, and empowered me during difficult times—just like it has for my fans. I’ve never gotten tired of singing it,” she reveals, affirming that she sees it not as a burden that trapped her in the category of “one-hit wonders,” but as a blessing.
But in music, as in life, nothing is accidental. The lyrics were written by Dino Fekaris, a Greek-American producer and songwriter, during a low point in his life after being fired from Motown Records:
“They let me go after almost seven years. I was an unemployed songwriter crying over my fate. I turned on the TV and there it was—a song I had written for the film ‘Generation’ was playing. I saw it as a sign that things would get better. I started jumping on the bed yelling, ‘I’ll make it. I’ll survive!’” he has recalled. Freddie Perren composed the music, and the song was ready—but they didn’t have a singer. Until Gaynor came into the picture, instantly fell in love with the track, and delivered a powerhouse performance—even though her label Polydor didn’t believe in it at all and buried it on the B-side of the record, choosing another song as the lead.
They were later forced to backtrack when the song they had dismissed—and recorded in just half an hour—began its unstoppable rise. It went on to become the only disco track in modern music history to win a Grammy, one of the best-selling songs of all time, and was even declared by the Library of Congress as an official part of the American cultural heritage.
Another reason that contributed to the success of “I Will Survive” was the fact that, when Gaynor was called to perform it, she had just gone through a very difficult ordeal.
Not long before, she had suffered a terrible onstage accident at the Beacon Theatre in New York—a fall that left her paralyzed from the waist down for three whole months. She had to undergo a serious spinal surgery in order to recover. At that moment, when the superstar saw her life and career collapsing, the message “I will survive” was the only thing that gave her strength.
But this wasn’t the only dark period in her life. As she has publicly revealed, she was a victim of sexual abuse twice—once at age 12 by her mother’s partner, and again at 17 by her boyfriend’s cousin. It took decades for her to speak out about these traumatic experiences that left deep emotional scars.
She also suffered abuse during her long marriage to Linwood Simon, who pressured her to work relentlessly while he shamelessly lived off her earnings—bringing his mistresses into their home. For this reason, the great performer felt immense satisfaction when, in recent years, many women began to speak publicly about their own stories of abuse.
“I believe the #MeToo movement has helped a lot in addressing sexual abuse and harassment,” she stresses, fully aware of how difficult it is for a woman to come forward. “The more victims speak out and report their abusers, the more courage they give to others who have experienced the same.”
It took 35 long and difficult years for her to find the strength to escape that abusive marriage, stand on her own feet, and stay focused on her true needs and desires.
“I found the courage to overcome my emotional trauma and began walking the path of truth about my existence through my faith in Jesus Christ,” she shares about her source of strength. “My faith is now the foundation of my being. The help it has given me to overcome the hard times in my life is truly priceless.”
And so, Gloria Gaynor continues her life with creativity and peace, still singing and reminding the world, in every difficult moment—personal or collective—of that powerful anthem:
“I Will Survive.”
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Gloria Gaynor will perform live on July 26 at the Sani Festival in Halkidiki.
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