Nara Lofego Leão (; January 19, 1942 – June 7, 1989) was a Brazilian bossa nova and MPB (popular Brazilian music) singer and occasional actress. Leão was married twice, to Ruy Guerra and subsequently

Carlos Diegues Carlos Diegues (also known as Cacá Diegues; 19 May 1940 – 14 February 2025) was a Brazilian film director, best known as a member of the Cinema Novo movement. He was popularly known for his unconventional, yet intriguing film techniques among ...

, both film directors.

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 attracti ...

. 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, Carlos Lyra, Ronaldo Bôscoli,

João Gilberto João Gilberto (born João Gilberto do 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 w ...

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 playwrig ...

, 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 as one of the great exponents of Brazilian ...

. There are even voices that claim that it was in her room in her parents' home in

Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro Copacabana ( , , ) is a Brazilian (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 ...

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

Sérgio Mendes Sérgio Santos Mendes (; 11 February 1941 – 5 September 2024) was a Brazilian musician. His career took off with worldwide hits by his band Brasil '66. He released 35 albums and was known for playing bossa nova, often mixed with funk. He ...

. In the mid-1960s, the institution of

military dictatorship A military dictatorship, or a military regime, is a type of dictatorship in which Power (social and political), power is held by one or more military officers. Military dictatorships are led by either a single military dictator, known as a Polit ...

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 city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

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 (sometimes referred to as brain cancer) occurs when a group of cells within the Human brain, brain turn cancerous and grow out of control, creating a mass. There are two main types of tumors: malignant (cancerous) tumors and benign ...

, 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, a model and

socialite A socialite is a person, typically a woman from a wealthy or 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 ...

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 (periodical), Columns appear in newspapers, magazines and other publications, including blogs. They take the ...

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'' * 1969: ''Coisas do Mundo'' * 1968: '' Nara Leão'' * 1967: ''Vento de Maio'' * 1967: ''

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

'' * 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 () is a broad term for many of the rhythms that compose the better known Brazilian music genres that originated in the Afro-Brazilians, Afro Brazilian communities of Bahia in the late 19th century and early 20th century, It is a name or ...

, La vicenda e i protagonisti della storia della musica popolare brasiliana'', Preface by Chico Buarque de Hollanda, Introduction by

Gianni Minà Gianni Minà (; 17 May 1938 – 27 March 2023) was an Italian journalist, writer, magazine editor, and television host. He collaborated with both Italian and International newspapers and magazines; produced hundreds of reports for RAI (''Radio ...

, RAI-ERI, Rome 2005, * De Stefano, Gildo, ''Saudade Bossa Nova: 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, econom ...

, Introduction by

, Logisma Editore,

Firenze Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...

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 Brazilian bossa nova singers Brazilian bossa nova guitarists Brazilian jazz singers Brazilian women jazz singers Brazilian jazz guitarists Brazilian women guitarists Women jazz guitarists Brazilian columnists Brazilian women columnists Brazilian mezzo-sopranos Brazilian people of Azorean descent Brazilian people of Italian descent Brazilian people of Portuguese descent Deaths from brain cancer in Brazil Deaths from cancer in Rio de Janeiro (state) Música Popular Brasileira singers Women in Latin music Wrasse Records artists 20th-century Brazilian journalists 20th-century Brazilian women journalists Portuguese-language singers of Brazil