At the end of 2023, Gloria Trevi released a new song, Inocente. Although the lyrics do not refer to her past, the Mexican artist used the title to appropriate the narrative surrounding her legal troubles. “I am innocent,” he declared in advertisements on his social networks. The song was a success with her fans, reaching millions of views on digital platforms, but it was only a few weeks before Trevi was sued again in the US for her alleged complicity in Sergio Andrade's sexual abuse network. While waiting for this process to be resolved, he began a series of concerts at the National Auditorium in Mexico City. Before “Inocente,” the singer released “Medusa” and another handful of songs – in addition to a biographical series – in which she presents herself as the protagonist of a “poorly told story.” In all these cases the cycle repeats itself: despite all attempts to justify itself, the controversy always returns.
Between censorship and applause: his rise to fame
Gloria de los Ángeles Treviño Ruiz (Monterrey, 55 years old) began her training at the Televisa Artistic Education Center thanks to the scholarship she won as a prize in a competition to find Lucero's double. With his mother's support, he moved to Mexico City and at the age of 16 he auditioned for Andrade, one of the youngest and most respected music producers in the industry. He invited her to join the teenage group Boquitas Pintadas, which also included María Raquenel Portillo, Mary Boquitas, who was then married to Andrade. The group's name is inspired by Manuel Puig's 1969 novel, which explores themes such as infidelity and sexuality.
Andrade acted as a mentor and taught the girls how to play various instruments, but the band broke up shortly after the release of their first album due to differences between its members and the record label.
Gloria Trevi with her son Ángel Gabriel in Monterrey, 2004. Jorge López (Cuartoscuro)
Determined to succeed in the entertainment industry, Gloria Trevi stayed in the capital. In order to survive, she had to take a few informal jobs until she met Sergio Andrade again, whom she convinced to support her in her career as a soloist, the artist said in her 2002 autobiography. Her first album ¿Qué Hago Aqui? was released in 1989, but it was her debut on the Mexican show Siempre en Domingo that made Gloria Trevi famous. Dressed in a miniskirt and the torn stockings that became an essential part of her image, the singer sang Dr. Psychiatrist as she danced and crawled on the forum floor. After this presentation on national television, it was impossible for the woman from Monterrey to be forgotten.
This album was followed by “Your Guardian Angel, I feel so alone and more disturbed than ever”, a title in which the ambiguity does not go unnoticed. In his lyrics, Trevi spoke about sexual liberation, teenage pregnancy, condom use and machismo, which resonated with Mexican youth. Writer Carlos Monsiváis declared that the singer was “the spokesman of a generation” and included in Los Rituales del Caos an illustration of El Fisgón inspired by the famous Gloria Trevi calendars from the 90s. What came next caused the chronicler to censor the text he wrote about her and to eliminate the artist from the cover of subsequent editions of his book.
The Trevi-Andrade clan
The first to denounce what was happening behind the scenes was Aline Hernández, who met Sergio Andrade at the age of 13, when, like many other girls, she was looking for an opportunity to succeed in the music industry. In her 1998 book “La Gloria por El Infierno,” the young woman recounted the abuse she experienced in her marriage to the producer who married her when she was still a minor. According to various testimonies, Andrade had established a procedure to target young people between the ages of 13 and 18. Mexican actress Lorena Herrera said a few years ago that she was one of the many who auditioned for him. The first contact was with Gloria Trevi, who approached her and told her that the renowned producer wanted to make her a star. They met her at a hotel and after Trevi asked her to act out some scenes, she explained that she had to get naked in front of Andrade. When Herrera refused, the singer began to cry and begged him to do it or she would lose her job. So he did it.
Some time later they called her to sign a contract with them, but the proposal came at a time when Lorena Herrera already had a team of representatives who warned her that the man was “sick and voyeuristic.” She was one of the few who were lucky. Aline Hernández's statements caused a major scandal at the time, but they remained simply gossip in the tabloids and it was only when Karina Yapor's story became known that the authorities became involved in the case.
Yapor also joined the Trevi-Andrade clan with the prospect of an artistic career. She moved to Spain with her parents' permission, but they lost contact with her until they received a call from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs informing them that their grandson (whose existence they did not know) had been abandoned in a public hospital Health conditions. At the age of 14, the girl had become pregnant by Andrade, and so Yapor's parents Sergio Andrade, Gloria Trevi and Mary Boquitas filed a complaint with the Chihuahua Attorney General's Office in 1999 on charges of kidnapping, aggravated rape and corruption of minors.
In addition to his legal problems, Trevi experienced a difficult time after the loss of his daughter Ana Dalai, who was just over a month old. In her autobiography, the singer explained that the pregnancy was the result of a deep love that only came to fruition when she traveled the world with Andrade to keep a low profile in the face of controversy. The little girl died inexplicably in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, so the producer gave the order to dispose of the body to avoid the authorities finding her when they asked for help, according to the version Mary Boquitas.
After their capture in 2000, Gloria Trevi, Sergio Andrade and María Raquel Portillo spent three years in a prison in Brazil, where the star gave birth to her second child, Ángel Gabriel. The identity of the child's father remained a mystery for a long time, and even during the DNA tests carried out in prison, Trevi preferred to remain silent. Finally, the series Ellas Soy Yo, which premiered in 2023 and has the singer's approval, confirmed that the father is Sergio Andrade.
Sergio Andrade with Gloria Trevi and María Raquel Portillo at a press conference in Brasilia in December 2000. EVARISTO SA (AFP)
The group was extradited to Mexico but were ultimately acquitted of the charges against them. Trevi was released in 2004 and Andrade in 2007.
His return to the stage
After regaining her freedom, Gloria Trevi focused on rebuilding her life. The singer fell in love and started a family with Armando Gómez, who was part of her legal team and played a key role in securing her release. His musical comeback – like his debut – could also be described as a phenomenon, as he once again knew how to address the audience with songs that reflected his struggles and encourage him to strengthen himself, even when public opinion was against him is. Themes like Todos me Miran and Resistencia have achieved anthem status for the LGTB community, which includes a large portion of their current fandom.
Gloria Trevi at her wedding to Armando Gómez in December 2009. Gabino Acevedo Acevedo (Cuartoscuro)
His speech about everything that happened with Sergio Andrade has also changed. In her first versions, the interpreter tried to defend him and even suggested that Televisión Azteca had used the victims to lie as revenge for a failed deal with the television station. Some time later, she explained that she had indeed been abused by Andrade, but that the scandal had been used as an excuse to distract Mexicans from the wave of femicides in Ciudad Juárez. It wasn't until the end of 2023 that her story matched what the other young girls told decades ago. In a countersuit she filed in the United States, Trevi admitted that she had not previously spoken out because she was trying to protect her children, but that she had been “controlled, enslaved and physically and mentally tortured by Andrade” for years. had been.
Statements provided to Variety also confirmed what Aline Hernández, Karina Yapor and the other victims said about the brutal punishments they endured at the hands of their attacker. This new lawsuit is actually a response to a lawsuit against him by two women who requested anonymity and claimed that Trevi was also responsible for the violence he suffered.
Gloria Trevi continues to deny her involvement in recruiting the young women.
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