Gloria Gaynor: "There came a day when I feared for my life, and then God appeared and said, 'Enough is enough.'"

• Interview Gloria Gaynor: 'I didn't think about fame, fortune or prestige'
• Gloria Gaynor Tour: "If we dance, we don't fight"

Indefatigable, Gloria Gaynor belongs to that genuine, and exclusive, breed of divas who have spent decades defying the fashions and ageism that can do so much damage to many popular female artists. On September 7, he will turn 80 and will be able to proudly claim that "80 years is nothing." She continues to travel the world, sharing a repertoire of the most celebrated, as she will demonstrate again on August 15 at the Sabatic Fest in Malaga, accompanied that night on the poster by another veteran, Bonnie Tyler. "It's wonderful to continue performing and know that my songs are still being danced and celebrated; There is no better feeling than seeing that you bring joy to other people," he says. "I am speechless when I think of that God who gives us a talent to improve the lives of others, makes me feel blessed daily. And my audience is the one that gives me the energy to keep going. As I adore Spain and its people, I couldn't be happier to return."

Gloria Gaynor is synonymous with disco music, and it has to her credit some of the greatest classics that gave this style that left an indelible mark on the pop culture of the late 70s and early 80s -and that also had rabid detractors-. Her renditions of Never Can Say Goodbye, I Will Surviveor I Am What I Am are enough credentials for her to earn with honors the title of disco diva, of which she continues to boast decades later. "Those who criticized this style were few, but very loud," he says sarcastically and laughing. "Disco music has always served as an instrument of union of people and has helped them to free themselves from daily stress, I do not see what could be criticized. I have not seen another style capable of making people of any race, nationality, sexuality or age enjoy equally. Isn't that our ultimate goal? Share what we have? For me, that's what life is all about."

With her greatest successes she paved the way for many other artists who would come later, inspired by her anthems of self-affirmation and deeply feminist, perhaps without her being aware of it when she recorded them for the first time. Her pioneering advocacy for women's equality on the dance floor has also contributed to her legendary character. "Very few artists sent messages like that; The usual thing is to seek success with a selfish attitude, thinking only of yourself and believing that you are always right." Gaynor says that his attitude was different from the beginning of his career. "You can disagree with what others are doing without being unpleasant, although unfortunately that's not what we usually see." That's why he regretted some reactions to the change he decided to make in the lyrics of his great hymn I Will Survive, from "It took all the strength I had no to fall apart" to "Only the Lord could give me strength not to fall apart." Because it detracted from that self-sufficiency that so inspires those who listen to it. "The important thing for me is the positive and constructive feedback. When I premiered the new version at an Italian festival, a girl approached me after the concert to tell me that thanks to what had inspired that particular phrase that had changed, she now knew where to look for strength not to commit suicide, because until that moment her life had lost meaning. Just because my song provoked that reaction in her was worth that change."

Converting to Christianity marked a before and after in the life of the singer, who suffered a revelation in what she considers the darkest moment of her life, in which fame led to a period of excesses and what she remembers as "bad company", in which she was surrounded by the clichés associated with the life of the rock star, in which alcohol and drugs abound. "God made me see that if in those moments he let me do what I did, it was so that I realized that I needed to strengthen myself so that I could help others later," he explains. And she is emphatic when she remembers herself in that period: "I was just stupid". And he laughs. "There came a day when I feared for my life, and then God came and said, 'Enough is enough.' Then I realized that I had chosen the wrong path that had led me to a precipice, and I realized that no one is invincible." There is no doubt that the lyrics of her greatest success can no longer represent her. "I am a survivor who knew how to thrive," is how she defines herself.

Along the way he has seen legends such as Whitney Houston, Prince, Tina Turner or Michael Jackson disappear, and he assures that each loss of that caliber has grieved him greatly. "It's very sad that fans of those artists can only hold on to the music they left as a legacy anymore. That's why I strive to continue offering my followers everything I have; I know how important it is to them, and how empowering they are to see me still active." Many, as is well known, belong to the LGTBIQ + community, which adopted as an anthem I Will Survive practically since its launch. Those fans for her are very special: "they are part of my family." He remembers how it was in the early 80s, with the great AIDS crisis, when he was aware of that close bond he was creating with the gay public thanks to his song. "Those were horrible times. And it comforted me to know that my music could help them in such a dark time." There were those who wanted to see, after a controversial statement to the BBC in 2007, that this link had been broken, and since then he has not stopped denying it. "I have never judged anyone for the way they live or the person they love, nor have I discriminated against my followers on the basis of race, religion or the like. What I do if I see someone I respect who is going astray is pray for them."

Diana Ross is another of those legends – of the same age – that continues to rotate today. They don't know each other personally, but Gaynor celebrates their resilience, aware of the effort it takes and the pressure it puts on artists like them. "I ignore that supposed pressure," he says. "The important thing is that I continue to have fun what I do and inspire the new generations that continue to discover me so that they do not make the same vital mistakes as me." He confesses that once in a while, for a microsecond, he thinks about quitting music. "It's a fleeting thought, I don't think I'll ever retire." He hasn't released any new music since releasing a gospel album, Testimony, in 2019, but says he's working on a new project. "Soon I will be recording a new EP," he says. "I'm working with great songwriters, who have collaborated with Miley Cyrus, Meghan Trainor or Taylor Swift, on my new songs. I wanted to work with young people with a lot of experience in pop today, and fuse it with dance music." And it will never give up faith in the redemptive capacity of the tracks.

• music
• Gay Pride