Gloria Trevi: The Controversies of This Rebel Without a Cause

Was Gloria Trevi a rebel since she was a child? Well, no. Contrary to popular belief, Gloria was not a rebellious child nor was she born in a poor home. The singer’s mother has stated that her daughter was a quiet and very obedient child. From an early age she was interested in art, so she started practicing ballet.

In addition, her parents were established professionals who provided well for all their children, so Gloria was never in financial need.

Believe it or not, Gloria Trevi’s artistic career began thanks to singer and actress, Lucero. In 1982 Televisa held a contest to find the double of “Chispita”, a very successful character that Lucerito was playing.

Trevi convinced her mother to accompany her to Mexico City for the audition. To everyone’s surprise, when Gloria arrived the other girls started asking her for autographs thinking she was really Lucero.

For obvious reasons Gloria ended up winning the contest and as a prize she received a scholarship to study at the Televisa Training Center. By this time Gloria’s illusion of being a great artist had grown quite a bit.

In the company of his mother he moved to Mexico City, where he lived for a year to take advantage of the scholarship. During this time she only had two small appearances in network soap operas, but did not receive any major projects.

Looking for new opportunities to stand out in show business, Gloria met Sergio Andrade, who by that time was one of the most important music producers in Mexico. Sergio had worked with artists such as Cristal, Yuri and even Lucerito.

Seeing Gloria’s desire to succeed, the producer proposed to involve her in some musical projects he had in mind, however, at that time nothing was certain. Anyway, Gloria was willing to participate.

Finally, in 1984, when Gloria was 17 years old, Sergio made her audition for a project called Boquitas pintadas, it was a female youth group that would sing pop and rock songs.

Gloria, María Raquenel (who was Sergio Andrade’s partner), Pilar Romero, Mónica Murr and Claudia Rosas were selected for this project. The five girls began an arduous process of preparation and in early 1985 the group was releasing their first studio album, produced and directed by Andrade.

Unfortunately, before the first studio album was released the record company they were working with began to have problems with the musical group. It is said that both parties thought differently about how the group should develop.

In addition, the same members of Boquitas pintadas began to have problems between them, so in 1986 the group broke up for good. Of course, they did not achieve the success and fame that everyone was expecting.

After the imminent failure of Boquitas pintadas, Gloria and her mother began to have strong economic problems. It should be remembered that both had moved to Mexico City so that Gloria could take advantage of the scholarship, but their home was in Monterrey.

Gloria’s mother told her it was time to go home, as she had not achieved her dream of becoming a star. This was the first time Gloria rebelled, for against all odds, she refused to return.

At 18 years old Gloria assured her mother that she would not return to Monterrey, so the lady had no choice but to leave her in Mexico City. Gloria’s attitude caused a rift with her family. After this episode the singer spent a couple of years without calling her relatives.

Of course, financial problems followed, but this time Gloria had to fend for herself to survive in the city, as she no longer had her mother’s support.

Gloria’s life took a rather drastic turn. She had stopped being the girl who had everything thanks to her parents and now she had to see for herself and look for new opportunities to show her talent.

On more than one occasion the singer slept in the street, and even had to sing in squares to collect coins to eat. Undoubtedly, this was one of the hardest stages in the singer’s life.

In 1988, tired of the life she was leading, Gloria Trevi went back to Sergio Andrade to get a new job opportunity. Seeing the young woman’s desire and talent, Sergio agreed to help her launch her career as a soloist.

That same year Gloria began preparing her first album with the help of Andrade, who a few months earlier had separated from Maria Raquenel, better known as “Mary Boquitas”.

In early 1989 Gloria Trevi’s first album as a solo artist was released. The name of the record was ¿Qué hago aquí?, and it quickly reached the top of the charts.

Without expecting it, the singer’s fame began to rise like foam, her success was immediate, something that even she could not believe. After seven years living in Mexico City and many attempts and failures, Gloria’s dream was coming true.

Against all odds the innocent girl began to become a symbol of rebellion. Gloria’s music began to move the masses, mainly because it touched on sensitive issues for the time, such as women’s rights, young love, and much more.

The singer started to become an icon and a role model for a whole generation, although this also brought her problems. The “Trevolution”, as she was labeled by the press, was widely criticized for inciting young people to be haughty and rebellious.

In 1989 Aline Hernandez came into Gloria Trevi’s life. The singer had seen the 13-year-old girl in the middle of a crowd and immediately proposed that she audition to be part of Sergio Andrade’s staff talent show.

Aline with much enthusiasm, and the authorization of her parents, accepted the proposal. In a few weeks the little girl became one of Gloria’s chorus and, without knowing it, she would later become a determining factor in her story.

Sergio had already divorced “Mary Boquitas” when he met Aline. He immediately fell in love with the girl, even though she was 13 years old and he was already a 34-year-old man. Little by little the producer fell in love with the chorus girl and it is said that Gloria helped him during the conquest.

In 1990, just when Aline was about to turn 15, Sergio talked to her family, as he wanted to marry her. The ceremony took place that same year against Aline’s parents.

But not everything was perfect. After the wedding, Aline’s fairy tale turned into a nightmare, and one of the worst. In an interview the young woman confessed that she suffered mistreatment from Andrade and got to the point of being afraid of the producer.

Aline was married for two years, then asked her parents for help to get a divorce. Fortunately, Andrade didn’t put up any obstacles during the separation process. It seemed that he was also tired of their relationship.

While all this was going on Gloria’s career was still on the rise. The controversial singer had become a musical phenomenon, and she dared to take a step that only got her involved in more controversy.

Gloria began to launch calendars with erotic photos, in which she appeared practically naked. The calendars were a success in sales, but the press began to criticize her, as the singer was the role model for many girls, and she should set a better example.

In 1994 Gloria met Karina Yapor, a 12-year-old girl who was part of her fan club in Chihuahua. The singer made her exactly the same proposal she had made to Aline several years earlier. He wanted her to audition to be part of Sergio Andrade’s staff talent show.

Although Karina was very young, she convinced her parents to let her audition and take advantage of the “scholarship” they offered her. She immediately became part of the producer’s team.

In 1998 something unprecedented happened. Aline Hernandez published a book entitled La Gloria por el infierno. In her work Aline recounted all the mistreatment she suffered from Sergio Andrade and made very serious accusations involving Gloria Trevi.

Aline wrote about all the situations experienced by the girls who worked for Andrade, and explained that although Gloria was not an executor, she was an accomplice of the producer in all his misdeeds, so she was also responsible.

After publishing her book, Aline proceeded to denounce Sergio Andrade for all the mistreatment she suffered while married to him. Although the complaint had a great media coverage, it was not transcendent for the justice system, since it had been proven that part of her accusations were false.

Either way, this complaint marked a before and after for Gloria Trevi and Sergio Andrade. This was the first of many legal issues they had to face.

While Aline was publishing her book and making her complaint, Sergio, Gloria, Karina and other girls were traveling to Spain to make a break in the singer’s schedule. The trip lasted a few months and in this country Karina Yapor gave birth to Sergio Andrade’s son.

The affair was handled very discreetly because of all the fuss that was forming in Mexico. Besides, Karina had just turned 15, so the news would be a scandal.

In 1998 the whole Andrade and Trevi team moved to Argentina, but not before sending Karina briefly to visit her parents to dispel any suspicions about Andrade, since the scandal of Aline’s book had been big.

Karina’s family was unaware that their daughter had had a child a few months before and, in fact, the child had been left in Spain under the care of third parties. After this visit Karina would spend months without communicating with her family.

That same year Karina tried to enter Spain to get her son back and then travel to Argentina to reunite with Gloria and Sergio. This feat was impossible, as the girl was deported to Mexico and her son stayed in Europe.

Anyway Karina traveled to Argentina, and the Spanish authorities contacted her parents after a few months to inform them that they had a grandson and that he was in a foster home thanks to the absence of his mother.

When Karina’s parents found out the truth, they tried to contact her by all means without any results. Finally, in 1999 the Yapor family denounced Gloria Trevi and Sergio Andrade. Both were charged with several crimes related to Karina’s disappearance.

This lawsuit was the straw that broke the camel’s back in the whole scandal that was already rolling. The authorities began to take action against the Yapor family.

With everything that was going on Gloria Trevi’s musical career was at its lowest point. The singer was being linked to quite serious crimes and the worst thing was that she had not come out to show her face. On the contrary, her attitude was that of a fugitive.

All this caused many of her fans to become disappointed in the artist and stop supporting her as they once did. Gloria spent more than two years completely away from the media.

Seeing that the search for Gloria and Sergio was not yielding results, the Mexican authorities requested the help of Interpol. In this way, the investigation of the Trevi-Andrade clan, as it had been called, became an international matter.

Authorities from different countries were alerted about the case, and were ready to apprehend the accused and deport them to Mexico, so that they would answer to justice for the crimes they had allegedly committed.

The complaint from Karina’s family only triggered new complaints from girls who had also worked for Sergio and Gloria. All of them claimed the same thing, that they had been victims of mistreatment and abuse by the producer and that the singer was his accomplice.

The more denunciations appeared, the worse the panorama became for Trevi, as the more delicate was the case she was facing. By this time the press was going crazy with this issue.

Although Interpol was after Sergio Andrade’s entire team, the producer managed to make it with his staff to Brazil. Months later Gloria would say that they went to this country to record several songs in Portuguese, although her words were never verified.

Sergio, Gloria and “Mary Boquitas” were living in this country for some months in a normal and inconspicuous way. There was never any indication that the singer was preparing new musical material.

At the beginning of the year 2000 a piece of news became popular that shocked the show business world and made the Trevi-Andrade case even murkier. At the end of 1999 Gloria had given birth to Sergio’s daughter, unfortunately the baby died 30 days after her birth.

The fact that Gloria had had a daughter by Andrade confirmed that the relationship between the two was much closer than a simple artist-agent relationship, and accentuated the theory that Gloria supported Sergio’s misdeeds.

Although the birth of Gloria and Sergio’s daughter was known and her death was also made public, the reasons for her death remain a mystery to this day. In an interview Sergio stated that the girl had died due to “newborn issues”.

On the other hand, every time Gloria talks about the subject she states that she doesn’t even have a grave to bring flowers to. To this day no one knows for sure what happened to Ana Andrade.

Finally, in April 2000, Sergio, Gloria and “Mary Boquitas” were caught as they were leaving their residence in Brazil. The authorities’ intention was to immediately deport them to Mexico so that they could be brought to justice. However, the trio went to great lengths to stop the extradition.

The three stated that they felt they were at high risk in Mexico, so it was better to keep them in Brazil. After analyzing the case the authorities agreed with the convicts, and the extradition was cancelled.

While all this was happening Karina Yapor was reuniting with her family and her son. The girl never traveled to Brazil, and preferred to return to Mexico to face her parents. In an interview Karina told everything she had lived with Sergio Andrade, and confirmed many of the accusations that had already been established.

Later the teenager launched a book talking about this topic, and although it was not as successful as Aline Hernandez’s, it did have a strong impact on the case.

Gloria was deprived of her freedom in Brazil until 2002. That same year it was made public that the singer was pregnant, although the identity of the father was a total mystery. That same year Angel Gabriel, Gloria’s eldest son, was born.

Many claimed that Sergio was also the father of this baby, but you have to remember that the producer was also in seclusion, so the theory doesn’t make much sense.

During 2002 Gloria requested her extradition to Mexico, as she thought it was time to face justice in her native country. That same year she was transferred to a prison in Chihuahua, while justice was analyzing all the evidence of the Trevi-Andrade case.

Gloria spent many months deprived of her freedom in Mexico, and the prosecution recommended that she be given the maximum sentence of 34 years in prison. Her son was placed in the care of her family.

Finally, in 2004 Gloria received the news she had long awaited. The judge in charge of the case found insufficient evidence to convict her, so he ordered her immediate release. Not only Gloria was acquitted, but also “Mary Boquitas” and other Andrade workers who were allegedly involved in her crimes.

After almost five years of being incarcerated Gloria could breathe free again. Of course, her acquittal made the most important front pages in Mexico and all Latin America.

While Gloria, “Mary Boquitas” and others had been released, Sergio Andrade still faced serious charges that kept him in prison until 2007. Gloria took her acquittal as an opportunity to start from scratch, although everyone wondered if the singer would go back on stage or if she would prefer to lead a quiet life.

Of course, she was interviewed many times, and in all of them she said practically the same thing. Gloria claimed that her imprisonment had been an injustice.

To the surprise of many Gloria Trevi wasted no time. In December 2004 she released an album titled Cómo nace el universo, and although the singer no longer had the same support she had before the whole Andrade scandal, it had an important acceptance.

Of course, because of everything that had happened Gloria had many detractors in the entertainment world, from television networks to big businessmen and personalities who did not think it was right for Trevi to continue with her career.

Mind you, in this new beginning Gloria was characterized by being completely away from dramas. The rebellious girl who talked about controversial topics in the 90’s was gone. It seems that she wanted to renew her image and be a more sober and calm Gloria.

This was reflected in her music, as her songs became romantic ballads and on some occasions she also released pop songs that were considered danceable. In general terms Trevi’s life changed completely.

On more than one occasion Gloria indicated that she was not ready for a romance after being released from prison. However, Armando Gomez, the lawyer who defended her and handled her case, gradually won the singer’s heart.

At the end of 2004 the couple’s relationship was confirmed and, for the first time in more than seven years, everything seemed to be going completely well in Gloria Trevi’s life.

Armando Gomez not only insisted on having a relationship with Trevi, but also gave his last name to Angel Gabriel, the son Gloria had in Brazil. This surprised the press and also increased curiosity about the identity of the child’s biological father.

The truth is that the relationship between Angel and Armando has always been good. On more than one occasion the young man has said that Armando is very important to him, and loves him as if he were his real father.

In 2005 Gloria announced she was pregnant, this was the first time the singer enjoyed a pregnancy without having legal problems. That same year Miguel Gomez, her third and last son, was born.

This was one of the happiest stages for Trevi, as she was recovering her career, had found love and was fulfilled as a mother. Her relationship with Armando was going so well that they started thinking about a wedding. Of course, the event had to be worthy of royalty.

Finally, Gloria and Armando decided to get married in December 2009. The wedding took place at the Metropolitan Cathedral of Monterrey, and was so luxurious that it was considered by many as the wedding of the year.

The event was attended by celebrities such as Lucia Mendez, Ana Barbara, Carmen Salinas and even producer Perro Torres. Also, outside the church there was a large crowd of fans waiting for the arrival of the bride to wish her the best in this new stage.

Although Trevi’s wedding looked like something out of a fairy tale, controversy could not be missing on such a special day. In the blink of an eye the press noticed that there was no trace of Trevi’s mother at the wedding. Mrs. Gloria Ruiz did not arrive at the event.

The absence of Gloria Trevi’s mother sparked rumors of family problems, and it was even said that the lady did not agree with her daughter’s wedding.

Days after the wedding both Trevi and her mother gave statements about the controversial absence. Mrs. Ruiz affirmed that she could not make it to her daughter’s wedding because she had a strong discomfort that started to appear the same day of the wedding.

In addition, she claimed that she also had severe conjunctivitis which made the whole situation worse. For her part, Gloria also stated that although her mother was not present at the event, she was with her on the phone at all times.

María Raquenel, better known as “Mary Boquitas”, was a key piece in the whole Trevi-Andrade case. This woman was not only Sergio’s wife for several years, but after their divorce she continued working with him as Gloria Trevi’s backup singer.

In 2009 Raquenel gave an interview for the renowned show El gordo y la flaca, in this she gave details about her whole experience with Sergio Andrade, and explained how the producer handled her psychologically so she would not leave his side.

Although during the interview Raul de Molina and Lili Estefan tried to address the issue of Gloria’s alleged complicity in Sergio’s actions, Maria always responded by saying that she was not aware of everything, and that she could not say whether Gloria was innocent or guilty.

What Raquenel did point out was that, like all the women who worked for Sergio, Gloria came to receive physical and psychological abuse, although the singer has denied it at the time.

Yes, after many scandals Sergio Andrade walked free in 2007. Many of the accusations against him were proven to be unfounded, however, he was found guilty on other charges.

The producer was away from the media for almost two years and finally in 2009 he reappeared in an interview only to announce publicly that he would return to compose and produce music for all his fans. As expected, he did not receive the support he expected from his audience.

In this interview Sergio also spoke briefly about his experience in jail and gave his opinion about the accusations he faced. The producer stated that the sentence had been unfair, and also said that his side of the story had not been told.

In case you had any doubts, Sergio was indeed sentenced to seven years in prison, however, he managed to get out thanks to an economic agreement he reached with Karina Yapor and her family. Otherwise the producer would have had to serve his sentence.

Another controversial topic about the life of Gloria Trevi’s executioner, are his children. Not only the daughter he had with Gloria, but all the children he had with the singer’s backup singers and other women who worked for him.

It is estimated that Andrade had at least six children with Trevi’s showgirls, most of these girls were minors, and all ended up as single mothers. These children were not recognized nor are they related to Sergio.

It may be curious, but Gloria Trevi’s attitude towards Sergio Andrade changed radically after his release. When they were both in Brazil Gloria referred to Sergio as her friend and even swore that the accusations against him were lies.

Since Gloria regained her freedom she has hardly spoken about the producer. When she answers questions about him she does it superficially and has never mentioned his name in public. Everything seems to indicate that the friendship is over.

After several years of recording solo Gloria Trevi accepted a group project that would be a success. Yes, it was Versus, a duet with rocker Alejandra Guzmán. This fusion took place in 2016, and since it was announced it captured the attention of all their fans.

The duo released a pretty successful album in 2017, and in 2019 they toured Mexico, where they got to sing for a capacity of more than 16,000 people.

Unfortunately, the idea was not for this duo to be permanent. After the Mexico tour both singers continued with their solo careers. Of course, the public was left wanting more, but so far neither of the singers has mentioned anything about a possible reunion.

Much has been said about a possible spat between the two, but both Gloria and Alejandra have clarified that they remain excellent friends, they just both prefer to pursue their solo careers.

For her part, Aline Hernandez did not stand idly by. The actress, who in 1998 published La Gloria por el infierno, since 2005 announced that she would release a second version of her work, in which she would tell the whole truth about the death of Gloria Trevi’s daughter.

The threat about the second version of the book lasted until 2015. At that time Aline said she was tired of talking about it and would not publish anything.

Although Aline wasted no opportunity to threaten Trevi with the release of her book, Gloria was very sure of herself. The singer even said on one occasion that Aline did not dare to release the second version for the simple fact that she had nothing to say.

Gloria’s words made a lot of sense, after all Aline was not present in Brazil, where Gloria got pregnant and lost her baby. What could she have to say about it?

But it seems that even though Gloria wants to stay away from the drama, it is haunting her. In 2021 the singer and her husband were charged by Mexican authorities for tax evasion and alleged money laundering. According to the tax authorities, Gloria had evaded a millionaire payment and was at risk of going to prison.

The singer and her husband immediately came out to defend themselves, saying that all the accusations were false, however, the inquiries continue and so does the risk.

Fearing that the Mexican authorities would act in a hasty manner Gloria and her husband sought an amparo, which protects them from going to prison temporarily. This legal situation brought back dramatic memories of the first time Trevi went to prison.

Of course, in this case everything is different, since the singer immediately faced the accusations, and did not run away as she did in 2000. In any case, we can only wait.

Gloria Trevi also took advantage of her Tik Tok account to send a message to all the people who were criticizing her for the legal problems she is facing. The singer recorded a video dancing a choreography and making some clarifications.

Trevi expressed that she was unjustly imprisoned and that she was acquitted by Mexican authorities. She also pointed out that she is a source of employment and that she has not been evading taxes. The video quickly went viral.

In a recent interview Gloria stated that the accusations by the Mexican authorities were completely unfair. She and her entire family are U.S. residents, and since they live and work in the U.S. they are required to pay taxes in the U.S. and not in Mexico.

Gloria also noted that she would be incapable of evading taxes or harming her employees in any way, and that she is willing to face justice with evidence in hand.

Gloria was recently invited to perform at the Latin Grammy 2021. Thanks to her current legal situation many media outlets were against her presentation. There were those who declared that the singer had lost all credibility and should not be at the ceremony.

Either way Gloria made her presentation and was one of the best dressed of the night. Once again Trevi is ignoring the negative reviews and is facing her problems with the law.

Although Gloria Trevi was declared innocent of all the crimes she was accused of, the public is still left with many doubts. After all, the declarations of Aline Hernandez, Karina Yapor and many other girls can’t be all bad.

Many claim that Gloria was a close friend of Andrade and was aware of the mistreatment suffered by the girls who worked for him. Although, there is also the possibility that she herself was a victim of these situations.

In 2021 the Televisa network announced that it launched the production of a Gloria Trevi biographical series. It will not only narrate how the events occurred according to the singer, but will also include statements from judges, journalists and other personalities.

Even today, after 15 years, the public is still waiting for what the singer has to say, as there are many unsolved mysteries about the Trevi-Andrade case. Sofía Espinosa will give life to Gloria.