Nara Lofego Leão (; January 19, 1942 – June 7, 1989) was a Brazilian

bossa nova Bossa nova () is a style of samba developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is mainly characterized by a "different beat" that altered the harmonies with the introduction of unconventional chords and an innovativ ...

and MPB (popular Brazilian music) singer and occasional actress. Her husband was

Carlos Diegues Carlos Diegues, also known as Cacá Diegues (born May 19, 1940), is a Brazilian film director. He was born in Maceió, Alagoas, and is best known as a member of the Cinema Novo Cinema Novo (), "New Cinema" in English, is a genre and movement o ...

, director and writer of ''

Bye Bye Brasil ''Bye Bye Brazil'' ( pt, Bye Bye Brasil) is a 1979 Brazilian-French-Argentine film, directed by Carlos Diegues. Locations for the film include Belém and Altamira in the state of Pará, Maceió, the capital of Alagoas state, and the national capi ...

''.

Life

Leão was born in Vitória,

Espírito Santo Espírito Santo (, , ; ) is a state in southeastern Brazil. Its capital is Vitória, and its largest city is Serra. With an extensive coastline, the state hosts some of the country's main ports, and its beaches are significant tourist attra ...

. When she was twelve, her father gave her a guitar since he was worried about her being shy. Her teachers were popular musician and composer Patricio Teixeira and classical guitarist Solon Ayala. As a teenager in the late 1950s, she became friends with a number of singers and composers who took part in Bossa Nova's musical revolution, including

Roberto Menescal Roberto Menescal (born October 25, 1937) is a Brazilian composer, record producer, guitarist, vocalist, and pioneer of bossa nova. In many of his songs there are references to the sea, including his best-known composition "O Barquinho" ("Little Bo ...

Carlos Lyra Carlos Eduardo Lyra Barbosa (born 11 May 1933) is a Brazilian singer and composer of numerous bossa nova and Música popular brasileira classics. He and Antonio Carlos Jobim, were the first two music composers, together with lyricists Vinicius ...

Ronaldo Bôscoli Ronaldo Fernando Esquerdo Bôscoli, usually known as Ronaldo Bôscoli, or just Bôscoli (October 28, 1928 in Rio de Janeiro – November 18, 1994) was a Brazilian composer, songwriter, record producer and journalist. He was very active and ...

João Gilberto João Gilberto (born João Gilberto Prado Pereira de Oliveira – ; 10 June 1931 – 6 July 2019) was a Brazilian guitarist, singer and composer who was a pioneer of the musical genre of bossa nova in the late 1950s. Around the world, he was o ...

Vinicius de Moraes Marcus Vinícius da Cruz e Mello Moraes (19 October 1913 – 9 July 1980), better known as Vinícius de Moraes () and nicknamed O Poetinha ("The little poet"), was a Brazilian poet, diplomat, lyricist, essayist, musician, singer, and playwright ...

, and

Antônio Carlos Jobim Antônio Carlos Brasileiro de Almeida Jobim (25 January 1927 – 8 December 1994), also known as Tom Jobim (), was a Brazilian composer, pianist, guitarist, songwriter, arranger, and singer. Considered one of the great exponents of Brazilian mu ...

. In fact, it was in her apartment in her parents' home in

Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro Copacabana () is a ''bairro'' (neighbourhood) located in the South Zone of the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is most prominently known for its 4 km (2.5 miles) balneario beach, which is one of the most famous in the wor ...

, that the new music was born in 1958. By 1963, after singing as an amateur for a few years, she became a professional and toured with

Sérgio Mendes Sérgio Santos Mendes (; born February 11, 1941) is a Brazilian musician. His career took off with worldwide hits by his group Brasil '66. He has over 55 releases and plays bossa nova heavily crossed with jazz and funk. He was nominated for ...

. In the mid-1960s, the institution of

military dictatorship A military dictatorship is a dictatorship in which the military exerts complete or substantial control over political authority, and the dictator is often a high-ranked military officer. The reverse situation is to have civilian control of the m ...

in Brazil led her to sing increasingly political lyrics. Her show, ''Opinião'', reflected her political beliefs, and she had largely switched to political music by this point. In 1964 she even spoke against bossa nova as a movement, calling it "alienating." In 1968 she appeared on the album '' Tropicália: ou Panis et Circenses'', performing "Lindonéia." She later left Brazil for

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

and in the 1970s abandoned music to focus on her family. She returned to music later, and when she discovered in 1979 that she had an inoperable

brain tumor A brain tumor occurs when abnormal cells form within the brain. There are two main types of tumors: malignant tumors and benign (non-cancerous) tumors. These can be further classified as primary tumors, which start within the brain, and seconda ...

, she increased her productivity as much as possible. She died in 1989. She was known as "the muse of bossa nova." Nara's sister was

Danuza Leão Danuza Lofego Leão (July 26, 1933 – June 22, 2022) was a Brazilian model, socialite, journalist, writer, and actress. Career She had a minor role in Glauber Rocha's 1967 FIPRESCI Award winning film ''Entranced Earth''. She has released sev ...

, a model and

socialite A socialite is a person from a wealthy and (possibly) aristocratic background, who is prominent in high society. A socialite generally spends a significant amount of time attending various fashionable social gatherings, instead of having traditio ...

who was also a newspaper

columnist A columnist is a person who writes for publication in a series, creating an article that usually offers commentary and opinions. Column (newspaper), Columns appear in newspapers, magazines and other publications, including blogs. They take the fo ...

and occasional TV commentator.

Discography

* 1997: ''I love you Solon V. Ayala Jr.'' * 1989: ''My Foolish Heart'' * 1987: ''Meus Sonhos Dourados'' * 1986: ''Garota de Ipanema'' * 1985: ''Nara e Menescal - Um Cantinho, Um Violão'' * 1984: ''Abraços E Beijinhos e Carinhos Sem Ter Fim... Nara'' * 1983: ''Meu Samba Encabulado'' * 1982: ''Nasci Para Bailar'' * 1981: ''Romance Popular'' * 1980: ''Com Açúcar, Com Afeto'' * 1979: ''Nara Canta en Castellano'' * 1978: ''Debaixo Dos Caracóis Dos Seus Cabelos'' * 1977: ''Meus Amigos São Um Barato'' * 1974: ''Meu Primeiro Amor'' * 1971: ''

Dez Anos Depois ''Dez Anos Depois'' () is a 1971 double album of bossa nova standards by Brazilian singer Nara Leão. The first LP is entirely acoustic. The arrangements and accompaniment, made by Brazilian guitarist Tuca, with occasional piano lines, were reco ...

'' * 1969: ''Coisas do Mundo'' * 1968: ''

Nara Leão Nara Lofego Leão (; January 19, 1942 – June 7, 1989) was a Brazilian bossa nova and MPB (popular Brazilian music) singer and occasional actress. Her husband was Carlos Diegues, director and writer of '' Bye Bye Brasil''. Life Leão was bor ...

'' * 1967: ''Vento de Maio'' * 1967: ''

Nara The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an " independent federal agency of the United States government within the executive branch", charged with the preservation and documentation of government and historical records. It i ...

'' '' * 1966: ''Liberdade, Liberdade'' * 1966: ''Manhã de Liberdade'' * 1966: ''Nara Pede Passagem'' * 1966: ''Show Opinião'' * 1965: ''Cinco na Bossa'' * 1965: ''O Canto Livre de Nara'' * 1964: ''Opinião de Nara'' * 1964: ''

'' '' Nara Leão , Bem vindo ao site oficial
/ref>

Bibliography

* De Stefano, Gildo, ''Il popolo del

samba Samba (), also known as samba urbano carioca (''urban Carioca samba'') or simply samba carioca (''Carioca samba''), is a Brazilian music genre that originated in the Afro-Brazilian communities of Rio de Janeiro in the early 20th century. Havin ...

, La vicenda e i protagonisti della storia della musica popolare brasiliana'', Preface by

Chico Buarque de Hollanda Francisco Buarque de Hollanda (born 19 June 1944), popularly known simply as Chico Buarque, is a Brazilian singer-songwriter, guitarist, composer, playwright, writer, and poet. He is best known for his music, which often includes social, economic, ...

, Introduction by

Gianni Minà Gianni Minà (; Turin, 17 May 1938) is an Italian journalist, writer, magazine editor and television host. He has collaborated with both Italian and International newspapers and magazines; produced hundreds of reports for RAI (''Radiotelevisione ...

, RAI-ERI, Rome 2005, * De Stefano, Gildo, ''Saudade

Bossa Nova Bossa nova () is a style of samba developed in the late 1950s and early 1960s in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is mainly characterized by a "different beat" that altered the harmonies with the introduction of unconventional chords and an innovativ ...

: musiche, contaminazioni e ritmi del Brasile'', Preface by

Chico Buarque Francisco Buarque de Hollanda (born 19 June 1944), popularly known simply as Chico Buarque, is a Brazilian singer-songwriter, guitarist, composer, playwright, writer, and poet. He is best known for his music, which often includes social, economic, ...

, Introduction by

, Logisma Editore,

Firenze Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...

2017,

References

External links

Slipcue.com: Guide to Brazilian music
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Leao, Nara 1942 births 1989 deaths 20th-century Brazilian women singers 20th-century Brazilian singers Bossa nova singers Brazilian columnists Brazilian mezzo-sopranos Brazilian people of Azorean descent Brazilian people of Italian descent Brazilian people of Portuguese descent Deaths from brain tumor Deaths from cancer in Rio de Janeiro (state) Música Popular Brasileira singers Brazilian women columnists Women in Latin music Wrasse Records artists