Disco legend Gloria Gaynor walks fans through her “bumpy ride” to success and taking control of her career in the new documentary Gloria Gaynor: I Will Survive.
The title comes from the singer’s platinum-selling 1970s single.
“For the last 40 years I’ve been telling you ‘I will survive,’ but I never told you how,” Gaynor says in the teaser for the project.
The two-time Grammy winner details finding a manager who believed in her, overcoming near-paralysis after falling backwards onstage, and battling back from abuse.
“I had really, really deep scars from abuse,” Gaynor shares.
In a recent interview with the New York Post, the music legend revealed she was molested as a child by her mother’s boyfriend, and later by an acquaintance when she was a teenager.
The singer grew up in Newark, New Jersey in poverty. She was raised by her mother in a one-bedroom apartment with five brothers and one sister.
“My youngest brother and I slept in the kitchen,” she tells the Post. “Kids don’t know they’re poor as long as they’re loved.”
Now, 80, the singer says life is better and she’s “thriving.”
Her new film is directed by Betsy Schechter, who followed the singer for eight years.
“I saw first-hand how she proves faith and resilience can turn your life around,” Schechter said in a statement to Urban Hollywood 411. “Gloria’s story today inspires people to know that despite all of life’s challenges, it is never too late to transform your dreams into reality.”
Fathom Events is bringing Gloria Gaynor: I Will Survive to theaters nationwide for a one-night special event on Feb. 13.
“Gloria Gaynor is a music legend, but very few know her true story, which deserves to be told,” added Ray Nutt, CEO of Fathom Events. “In partnering with Gloria, we’ll be able to bring that story to theaters this February, letting fans see the story behind the woman whose personal journey fueled her powerful voice and legacy.”
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