Djavan Caetano Viana (; born 27 January 1949) is a Brazilian singer-songwriter.

Early life and career

Djavan was born in

Maceió Maceió (), formerly sometimes Anglicised as Maceio, is the capital and the largest city of the coastal state of Alagoas, Brazil. The name "Maceió" is an Indigenous term for a spring. Most maceiós flow to the sea, but some get trapped and form l ...

, Brazil to a white father of Dutch descent and a black mother. He later formed the group Luz, Som, Dimensão (LSD – "Light, Sound, Dimension"), playing Beatles' material. In 1973, Djavan moved to

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...

and started singing soap opera soundtracks. His first album, ''A Voz, o Violão e a Arte de Djavan'', was recorded in 1976 and included the hit song "Flor de Lis".

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris ( Judkins; May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, who is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include rhythm and blues, Pop musi ...

was a guest on the album ''Luz''. In 1999, his album ''Ao Vivo'' sold 1.2 million copies. In 2016, he was nominated for the 2016 Latin Grammy Awards in the

Record of the Year The Grammy Award for Record of the Year is presented by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without reg ...

, Album of the Year, Best Portuguese Language Song and Best Singer-Songwriter Album categories. Djavan's compositions have been recorded by numerous musicians, including Al Jarreau,

Carmen McRae Carmen Mercedes McRae (April 8, 1920 – November 10, 1994) was an American jazz singer. She is considered one of the most influential jazz vocalists of the 20th century and is remembered for her behind-the-beat phrasing and ironic interpre ...

and

The Manhattan Transfer The Manhattan Transfer is a Grammy award–winning vocal group founded in 1969 that has explored a cappella, vocalese, swing, standards, Brazilian jazz, rhythm and blues, and pop music. There have been two editions of the Manhattan Transfer, ...

. His album ''Vesúvio'' was ranked as the 35th best Brazilian album of 2018 by the Brazilian edition of ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'' magazine.

Discography

Studio albums

* (1976) ''

A Voz, o Violão, a Música de Djavan ''Djavan'' (also known by its subtitle, ''A Voz, O Violão, A Música de Djavan'' ) is the first album by Brazilian singer and songwriter Djavan. It was released in 1976. The album features some of the singer's early hits, like "Flor de Lis," "Par ...

'' * (1978) ''Djavan'' * (1979) ''

Alumbramento ''Alumbramento'' is the third album by Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazi ...

'' * (1981) ''Seduzir'' * (1982) ''Luz'' * (1984) ''

Lilás ''Lilás'' (Purple) is the sixth album of singer and songwriter A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, ...

'' * (1986) ''Meu Lado'' * (1987) ''

Não É Azul Mas É Mar ''Não é Azul, Mas é Mar'' (in English "It's not blue, but it's hesea") is an album by musician, singer, and composer Djavan released in 1987 by Sony Records. Recorded in Los Angeles, California, and produced by Ronnie Foster, it was sold in ...

'' * (1988) '' Bird of Paradise'' * (1989) ''Puzzle of Hearts'' * (1992) ''

Coisa de Acender ''Coisa de Acender'' is a 1992 album of the Brazilian singer and songwriter Djavan released by Sony Music. Praised by critics and musicians, the album features to be more pop than the previous ones. Among the successes are their first four tra ...

'' * (1994) ''Esquinas'' * (1995) ''Novena'' * (1996) ''

Malásia ''Malásia'' is the twelfth album by Brazilian singer and songwriter Djavan released in 1996. The album opens with the song "O Que foi My Love?", a jazz accelerated ending in the form of blues; "Sêca", which talks about the drought in northeas ...

'' * (1998) ''Bicho Solto O XIII'' * (2001) ''Milagreiro'' * (2004) ''Vaidade'' * (2005) ''Na Pista, Etc.'' * (2007) ''

Matizes ''Matizes'' (in English Hues) is an album of singer and songwriter Brazilian Djavan, released in 2007. Track listing # Joaninha ( Djavan) – 5:35 # Azedo e Amargo ( Djavan) – 4:41 # Mea-Culpa ( Djavan) – 4:04 # Imposto ( Djavan) – 4:16 # D ...

'' * (2010) ''Ária'' * (2012) ''Rua dos Amores'' * (2015) ''Vidas pra Contar'' * (2018) ''Vesúvio'' * (2022 ''D''

Live albums

* (1999) ''Djavan ao Vivo'' * (2011) ''Ária ao Vivo'' * (2014) ''Rua dos Amores ao Vivo''

Video albums

* (2000) ''Djavan ao Vivo'' * (2002) ''Milagreiro ao Vivo'' * (2011) ''Ária ao Vivo'' * (2014) ''Rua dos Amores ao Vivo''

References

External links

Djavan's official web site

Djavan's chords and tabs
{{DEFAULTSORT:Djavan 1949 births Living people Afro-Brazilian male singers Samba musicians Brazilian jazz singers Brazilian people of Dutch descent Brazilian people of indigenous peoples descent Columbia Records artists Música Popular Brasileira singers Latin dance singers Latin Grammy Award winners People from Maceió Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winners Brazilian songwriters Latin music songwriters Male jazz musicians