Referred to as the "Rainha do Bumbum" ("Butt Queen"),[5] Gretchen has sold 15 million records over nearly four decades.

Born as a Roman Catholic, Gretchen embraced the Protestant faith in the 1990s, and began singing gospel music.

With the emergence of Butt Music stars like Carla Perez, Gretchen was eventually recognized as a forerunner of the hip shakers.

"[20] Alvaro Neder of AllMusic wrote about her rise to stardom and the impact of her dancing style: Relying in her dizzying curves and hot dancing style, the Carioca vocalist Gretchen was launched in the late 70's by Mister Sam, soon performing around Brazil with the group Záccaro.

In that period, she became a popularity phenomenon, having been one of the most successful Brazilian artists, performing shows by the thousands and appearing regularly in the most famous TV programmes [...] With the decline of her vogue in the 80's, despite her efforts in the exploration of new fashionable rhythms like the lambada, she converted to Protestantism and became a gospel singer.

[25] Gretchen was portrayed by Emanuelle Araújo in the 2017 biographical film Bingo: The King of the Mornings.