Laura Branigan

The sound of Laura Branigan is defined by that powerful, crystalline voice that needs no adornments to fill the space. In the eighties, when pop leaned toward the synthetic, she maintained an organic presence, as if each note breathed. Her version of Gloria —originally by Umberto Tozzi— was not just a cover, but a reinvention: she turned it into an anthem of long verses and a chorus that sticks like a hook. That song not only dominated American radio for 36 weeks, but it also topped the charts in Australia and Canada, proving it could cross borders without losing strength. What’s curious is that, at first, pop stations ignored her; it was the public who eventually pushed the song to where no one expected it to go.

The moment her career took a definitive turn came in 1984, when Self Control became her most successful album. The record not only went platinum, but it also included hits like How Am I Supposed to Live Without You, which reached number one on the Adult Contemporary Chart in the U.S. That year also marked her foray into soundtracks: her voice appeared in Flashdance —an Oscar winner— and in Ghostbusters, reinforcing her image as a versatile artist. But beyond the numbers, what’s interesting is how those songs became part of popular culture without sounding forced, as if they had always been there.