Studio album · No. 3
Abriendo Puertas Songwriting Credits by Gloria Estefan
Produced by Emilio Estefan Jr., Kike Santander · Engineered by Eric Schilling, Michael Couzzi, Ron Taylor, Scott Canto, Bob Ludwig
Epic
LatinTropicalVallenatoSalsa
Singer / Performer
0%
Authorship
Holds writing credit on 0 of 10 tracks
Authorship Breakdown 0 / 10 documented
Who wrote the songs?
Scored across the 10 tracks with documented writers, by whether Gloria Estefan carries a lyricist or composer credit.
0 trackswritten by Gloria Estefan
10 tracksoutside writers
Gloria Estefan's roles on this album
Share of the 10 tracks where a band member is credited, by role.
Lyricist0%
Composer0%
Producer0%
Performer100%
By the Numbers
10
Tracks
1
Lyricists
2
Producers
3
No.1 Singles
2.3 million outside the US
Worldwide Copies Sold
1995
Released
Data Insight
Every one of the ten songs carries a single writing credit, and it is not Estefan's. Kike Santander, whose legal name is Flavio Enrique Santander Lora, is listed for both music and lyrics across the whole sleeve, and he arranged the album and co-produced it with Emilio Estefan Jr. as well. That makes Abriendo Puertas closer to a composer's record performed by a star than a collaboration between the two. Estefan's contribution is the voice, the phrasing and the decision to hand a Colombian songwriter an entire album at the peak of her commercial run. Even the one track whose title suggests a standard, Farolito, is Santander's own song rather than a cover: the work entry that carries its ISWC credits him alone.
Gloria Estefan's second Spanish-language album, cut at Crescent Moon Studios in Miami and issued by Epic in September 1995. Colombian composer Kike Santander wrote all ten songs and co-produced the record with Emilio Estefan Jr., steering it away from the Cuban forms of Mi Tierra and toward vallenato, merengue and other Latin American styles. Several songs are built around Christmas and New Year imagery, and the album took a Grammy in the tropical/salsa album category at the 1996 ceremony.
Track Listing & Credits 10 tracks
Written by the artist
Written by outside writers
| # | Title | Lyricist(s) | Composer(s) | Producer(s) | Performers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Abriendo Puertas
#1
|
Kike Santander | Flavio Enrique Santander Lora | Emilio Estefan Jr.Kike Santander | Gloria Estefan (lead vocals)Gonzalo "Cocha" Molina (accordion)Ed Calle (alto saxophone, baritone saxophone, tenor saxophone)Cheito Quiñones (backing vocals)Diana Serna (backing vocals)Kike Santander (bass, guacharaca, backing vocals)Heberth Cuadrado (caja vallenata)Luis Enrique (congas, timbales, bongos, guiro)Edwin Bonilla (maracas, claves, kick drum)Dana Teboe (trombone)Tony Concepción (trumpet)René Toledo (twelve-string guitar) |
| 2 |
Tres Deseos
#1
|
Kike Santander | Flavio Enrique Santander Lora | Emilio Estefan Jr.Kike Santander | Gloria Estefan (lead vocals)Gonzalo "Cocha" Molina (vallenato accordion)Ed Calle (alto saxophone, baritone saxophone, tenor saxophone)Diana Serna (backing vocals)Kike Santander (bass, percussion, backing vocals)Jackson Fondeur (congas, tambura, guiro)Edwin Bonilla (timbales, bongos, shekere)Dana Teboe (trombone)Tony Concepción (trumpet)René Toledo (twelve-string guitar) |
| 3 |
Más Allá
#1
|
Kike Santander | Flavio Enrique Santander Lora | Emilio Estefan Jr.Kike Santander | Gloria Estefan (lead vocals)Kike Santander (acoustic guitar, keyboards, bells, backing vocals)Diana Serna (backing vocals)Jorge Casas (bass)Don Grolnick (electric piano)Edwin Bonilla (congas, bongos, maracas, wind chimes)Archie Peña (percussion)Juanito Márquez (conductor)Jill Dell'Abate (string contractor, coordinator)Ellen Westermann (cello)Eugene J. Moye Jr. (cello)Jeanne LeBlanc (cello)Richard Locker (cello)Ira Weller (viola)Julien Barber (viola)Mary Helen Ewing (viola)Sue Pray (viola)Barry Finclair (violin)Cecilia Hobbs Gardner (violin)Charles Libove (violin)David Nadien (violin)Donna Tecco (violin)Elena Barere (violin)Gene Orloff (violin)Jan Mullen (violin)Jean Ingraham (violin)John Pintavalle (violin)Joyce Hammann (violin)Laura Seaton (violin)Marti Sweet (violin)Paul Peabody (violin)Richard Sortomme (violin)Sandra Park (violin) |
| 4 |
Dulce Amor
|
Kike Santander | Flavio Enrique Santander Lora | Emilio Estefan Jr.Kike Santander | Gloria Estefan (lead vocals)Gonzalo "Cocha" Molina (vallenato accordion)Ed Calle (alto saxophone, baritone saxophone, tenor saxophone)Diana Serna (backing vocals)Kike Santander (bass, guacharaca, backing vocals)Heberth Cuadrado (caja vallenata)Edwin Bonilla (congas, bongos, maracas, rototoms, wood block, hi-hat, claves, cowbell)Dana Teboe (trombone)Tony Concepción (trumpet)Juanito Márquez (twelve-string guitar) |
| 5 |
Farolito
|
Kike Santander | Flavio Enrique Santander Lora | Emilio Estefan Jr.Kike Santander | Gloria Estefan (lead vocals)Kike Santander (acoustic guitar, jug, handclaps, backing vocals)Cheito Quiñones (backing vocals)Diana Serna (backing vocals)Mario Ochoa (congas, tumbadora, guache)Edwin Bonilla (congas, tom-tom, shekere)Archie Peña (handclaps)Scott Canto (handclaps)Roberto Pereira (Paraguayan harp) |
| 6 |
Nuevo Día
|
Kike Santander | Flavio Enrique Santander Lora | Emilio Estefan Jr.Kike Santander | Gloria Estefan (lead vocals)Gonzalo "Cocha" Molina (vallenato accordion)Diana Serna (backing vocals)Kike Santander (keyboards, guacharaca, backing vocals)Sal Cuevas (bass)Luis Enrique (congas, quinto, claves, bongos, timbales, shekere, cascabeles)Edwin Bonilla (maracas)Dana Teboe (trombone)Tony Concepción (trumpet)Juanito Márquez (twelve-string guitar)Alfredo Oliva (violin)Bruce Wethey (violin) |
| 7 |
La Parranda
|
Kike Santander | Flavio Enrique Santander Lora | Emilio Estefan Jr.Kike Santander | Gloria Estefan (lead vocals)Ed Calle (alto saxophone, baritone saxophone, tenor saxophone)Diana Serna (backing vocals)Kike Santander (cuatro, percussion, backing vocals)Sal Cuevas (bass)Luis Enrique (congas, percussion, bata drums)Mario Ochoa (guache)Archie Peña (snare drum)Edwin Bonilla (snare drum, congas, hi-hat, kick drum)Dana Teboe (trombone)Tony Concepción (trumpet)Teddy Mulet (trumpet solo)Juanito Márquez (twelve-string guitar) |
| 8 |
Milagro
|
Kike Santander | Flavio Enrique Santander Lora | Emilio Estefan Jr.Kike Santander | Gloria Estefan (lead vocals)Gonzalo "Cocha" Molina (vallenato accordion)Diana Serna (backing vocals)Kike Santander (bass, acoustic guitar, guacharaca, backing vocals)Heberth Cuadrado (caja vallenata)Edwin Bonilla (congas, bongos, maracas, claves, timbales, guiro)Tony Concepción (flugelhorn)Juanito Márquez (twelve-string guitar) |
| 9 |
Lejos de Ti
|
Kike Santander | Flavio Enrique Santander Lora | Emilio Estefan Jr.Kike Santander | Gloria Estefan (lead vocals)Gonzalo "Cocha" Molina (vallenato accordion)Diana Serna (backing vocals)Kike Santander (bass, acoustic guitar, guacharaca, backing vocals)Heberth Cuadrado (caja vallenata)Edwin Bonilla (congas, bongos, maracas, claves, timbales, shekere, cowbell)Ed Calle (flute)Archie Peña (hi-hat, snare drum)Juanito Márquez (twelve-string guitar) |
| 10 |
Felicidad
|
Kike Santander | Flavio Enrique Santander Lora | Emilio Estefan Jr.Kike Santander | Gloria Estefan (lead vocals)Ed Calle (alto saxophone, baritone saxophone, tenor saxophone)Cheito Quiñones (backing vocals)Diana Serna (backing vocals)Kike Santander (keyboards, guacharaca, backing vocals)Sal Cuevas (bass)Luis Enrique (congas, bongos, timbales, guiro)Edwin Bonilla (maracas)Dana Teboe (trombone)Tony Concepción (trumpet)Juanito Márquez (twelve-string guitar)Alfredo Oliva (violin)Bruce Wethey (violin) |
Songwriter & Credit Spotlight 51 contributors
KS
Kike Santander
Writer · Producer · Vocals
FE
Flavio Enrique Santander Lora
Writer
EE
Emilio Estefan Jr.
Producer
AO
Alfredo Oliva
violin
AP
Archie Peña
percussion
BF
Barry Finclair
violin
BW
Bruce Wethey
violin
CH
Cecilia Hobbs Gardner
violin
CL
Charles Libove
violin
CQ
Cheito Quiñones
Vocals
DT
Dana Teboe
trombone
DN
David Nadien
violin
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Frequently Asked Questions Abriendo Puertas
Who wrote the songs on Abriendo Puertas?
Kike Santander wrote all ten, music and lyrics. Gloria Estefan holds no writing credit anywhere on the album, which is unusual for her catalog.
Did Abriendo Puertas win a Grammy?
Yes. It took the tropical/salsa album award at the 1996 Grammy Awards, Estefan's second Grammy.
How many copies did it sell?
Billboard reported 2.3 million copies sold outside the US. The RIAA certified it 6x Platinum in its Latin field in 2000, but a certification is a threshold rather than a published sales count, so no reliable US figure exists.
What were the singles?
The title track and Más Allá both reached No. 1 on Billboard's Hot Latin Songs. Tres Deseos went to No. 1 on Hot Dance Club Songs in 1996. Dulce Amor, La Parranda, Felicidad and Lejos de Ti were promotional releases only.
How does it differ from Mi Tierra?
Mi Tierra drew mostly on Cuban music. This one spreads across Latin American styles, with the vallenato title track and a Colombian rhythm section anchored by accordionist Gonzalo Molina and caja player Heberth Cuadrado.
Where was it recorded?
Crescent Moon Studios in Miami, the Estefans' own facility. The string section on Más Allá was cut separately with a New York players' contractor and conducted by Juanito Márquez.
Data note: No published US sales figure exists. The RIAA certified the album 6x Platinum in its Latin field in 2000, which is a 600,000-unit threshold rather than a reported sale, so only the worldwide-outside-US figure Billboard printed in 2003 is recorded here.
Sources
Wikipedia: Abriendo Puertas (Gloria Estefan album)
Wikipedia: Abriendo Puertas (song)
Wikipedia: Más Allá
Wikipedia: Tres Deseos
Wikipedia: Kike Santander
Discogs release 4676468 (Epic EPC 480992 2, per-track credits)
Discogs release 2317181 (Epic EK 67284, US CD)
Discogs master 103703
MusicBrainz release group: Abriendo puertas
MusicBrainz release f95fbfc3 (Epic EK 67284)
MusicBrainz work: Farolito (writer credit)
Cover Art Archive: release group front cover
Cover Art Archive: Abriendo Puertas by Gloria Estefan