Disco: Music with endurance

Gloria Gaynor set to perform at Lycabettus Theater tonight and at Patras’s Ancient Odeon on Friday

IOTA MYRTSIOTI

Can disco still get the audience going, the way that “I Will Survive” and other hits managed to do 30 years ago? “Disco means freedom, which today is more necessary than ever with all the problems we face. It is liberating from the stress of daily life. I give people the opportunity to get the day’s tension out of their system.”

That was the reply of disco diva Gloria Gaynor at a press conference in Thessaloniki. Gaynor performed in the northern city on Monday and is scheduled to play today at Athens’s Lycabettus Theater and then at Patras’s Ancient Odeon on Friday.

Cheerful and relaxed, despite her tiring journey, the 59-year-old American singer opened her series of concerts at the Gis Theater. “I have been singing the song ‘I Will Survive’ for 30 years. I will celebrate its 30th birthday with a new album next year, which will include not just a jazz version, but also a gospel version of that song,” Gaynor said.

So far she has released 14 albums, her first big success being 1974’s “Never Can Say Goodbye.” The 1978 hit album “Love Tracks” was the high point of her career.

“Disco is a happy music. To me it signifies encouragement and liberation from a day’s stress.” She believes that disco has already made a comeback and is perpetuated by all artists who create music with positive messages as well as dance tunes.

Although she is mostly identified with her great hits from the past, she is optimistic about the future following her 2002 album “I Wish You Love,” her first after a 20-year absence, as well as 2006’s “The Answer.” “The secret lies in not trying to simply repeat the hit.”

She may not talk about her political preferences, but she said that whether Barack Obama is elected or not, it is a great change for African Americans. “The fact that a black man is running for this position sends a message of hope to children that they can succeed even in their highest goals.”