No more tours for singer Gloria Estefan

Written by Manuel Nuñez, www.hispanicsurf.com

June 28, 2004 -- Superstar singer, Gloria Estefan announced that she will no longer take her act on the road.

Estefan, 47, had gone eight years without touring, but nonetheless she wanted her fans to know that her current tour will be the last.

"I'm not retiring or anything of that nature. I'm definitely going to be doing everything I've been doing … I think touring is one of the least things that artists do," said Cuban-born Estefan

“It's just the touring, meaning going all over the world with the shows. It's difficult,” Estefan told NBC’s Matt Lauer on the “Today Show.”

Estefan also cited motherhood and a desire to focus more on behind-the-scenes creative work as reasons for retiring from the stage. She would continue to perform occasionally and to work with organizations such as the Latin Recording Academy.

''Although I will continue writing and recording and doing everything else that comes with this incredible way of life, this next tour will be my last."

In the eight years since her last tour, she focused on raising her daughter Emily and on writing songs for Unwrapped, the personal, low-key album she released last fall.

Last year, she opted out of a world tour in 2000.

Estefan says she has several projects in the works, including a book and movie deal.

Her "Live and Re-Wrapped" tour begins July 30 and ends Sept. 25 at American Airlines Arena in Miami.