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Gloria Gaynor’s hit single “I Will Survive,” from her 1978 album, _Love Tracks,_ has been an anthem for more than four decades. This Independence Day, Gaynor brought her unstoppable talent

to Washington D.C., for PBS’s annual all-star concert and fireworks extravaganza, _A Capitol Fourth_. Gloria Gaynor’s single “I Will Survive” started gaining popularity in the 1970s after

DJs played it at New York City clubs. The disco singer will celebrate her 79th birthday in September. A. Schorr/ullstein bild via Getty Images Now, Gaynor goes back on the road for her 2022

tour, which will have hit Poland, Austria, the U.K and Chile before the year is out. In addition, a feature-length documentary about her life, _Gloria: I Will Survive,_ is also in the works.

WHAT DOES YOUR TYPICAL FOURTH OF JULY LOOK LIKE? We usually just barbecue, like everybody else in America. I love barbecued baby back ribs. Sometimes I make them; sometimes I just go to

Outback Steakhouse. I once had a Fourth of July party catered from Outback. I was very, very happy. DID YOU KNOW THAT 'I WILL SURVIVE' WOULD BE EVERLASTING? Oh yeah, before I even

heard the music, when I was reading the lyrics. The record company released it as a B side. I’m saying to them, “What are you, stupid? It’s a timeless lyric. Everybody’s going to relate to

this.” I took copies of it to DJ Richie Kaczor at Studio 54 and asked him to play it. You know, if a jaded New York audience immediately loves something, it’s got to be a hit. We gave him

the whole box of records and told him to give it to his DJ friends. They began to play them, and the people began to request it, and then they began to request it on the radio because they

wanted to hear it on the way to work, coming home from work, in rush hour traffic. And the rest is history. YOU’RE FROM NEWARK, NEW JERSEY. ONCE A JERSEY GIRL, ALWAYS A JERSEY GIRL? Always.

Now I’m staying at my vacation home in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, while I’m building a new home in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. It’s nice up there. WHAT MAKES A JERSEY GIRL? We like the

four seasons; we’re kind of tough; we don’t really take any guff from anybody; we tend to be opinionated. Although we don't mind other people having opinions, ours is just the ones that

are right.  YOU’RE STILL TOURING AROUND THE WORLD. WHAT’S THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IN YOUR SUITCASE? My Bible. And my eyelashes. Gloria Gaynor performs in 1975 in Hollywood, California. Her

2022 tour will hit Poland, Austria, the U.K and Chile. Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images WHAT CITY HAS THE BEST FANS? There’s no better place to perform than New York. Frank Sinatra really

did know what he was talking about when he said, “If I can make it there, I’ll make it anywhere.” It’s a tough audience. If you get them, then the rest is a piece of cake.