Glenn Medeiros
A Hawaiian teenager's smooth ballad became an unexpected global earworm, defining late-80s soft pop and enjoying a second life in European TV ads.
Born 1970 (age 56)·American singer·Birthday: June 24·Generation X
Biography
Glenn Medeiros was a high school sophomore from Hawaii when a local radio contest win launched him onto the international stage. His tender, youthful cover of 'Nothing's Gonna Change My Love for You,' originally by George Benson, was a slow-burn hit, climbing charts worldwide in 1987 and 1988. While it only reached No. 12 in the US, it became a cultural phenomenon, topping the UK charts for four weeks and dominating airwaves across Europe and Asia. The song's enduring, gentle appeal defied the era's louder pop and rock trends. Medeiros followed it with a duet with Bobby Brown, 'She Ain't Worth It,' which gave him a US number one, but it was his signature ballad that defined his career. He later stepped away from the spotlight, building a long career in education in Hawaii, first as a teacher and eventually as a school administrator, finding a different kind of fulfillment far from the pop charts.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Glenn was born in 1970, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Glenn Was Born
The biggest hits of 1970
#1 Movie
Love Story
Best Picture
Patton
#1 TV Show
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
Glenn's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1970Born
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1975Started school
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1983Became a teenager
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1986Could drive
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1988Could vote
Pan Am Flight 103 bombed over Lockerbie
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $74,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Faith" — George MichaelBest Picture: Rain Man
1991Turned 21
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
2000Turned 30
Y2K passes without incident; contested Bush-Gore election
Gas: $1.51/galHome: $119,600Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Breathe" — Faith HillBest Picture: Gladiator
2010Turned 40
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
2020Turned 50
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
Gas: $2.17/galHome: $248,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Blinding Lights" — The WeekndBest Picture: Nomadland
2026Age 56 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- His single 'Nothing's Gonna Change My Love for You' topped the UK Singles Chart for four consecutive weeks in 1988.
- Co-wrote and performed 'She Ain't Worth It' with Bobby Brown, which reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1990.
- His signature song experienced a major resurgence in 2009 when it was used in a popular French television advertisement for Spontex sponges.
- Achieved chart-topping success in at least six countries outside the United States with his breakthrough single.
Did You Know?
He won a local radio singing contest in Hawaii at age 16, which led to his first recording contract.
He served as the principal of a Catholic elementary school in Honolulu.
The music video for 'Nothing's Gonna Change My Love for You' was filmed in New York City and features Medeiros as a street performer.
“That song was a gift that connected with people everywhere.”
