Since the moment she was born, Luísa Maita has been surrounded by music. She was exposed at a very young age to the greats of Brazilian samba, bossa nova and jazz, and the music of legends such as João Gilberto, Tom Jobim, Nana Caymmi, Vinicius de Moraes, Milton Nascimento, Edu Lobo and Baden Powell provided a constant life soundtrack. Luísa was also enamored with American music, especially the laid back jazz of Billie Holiday and Chet Baker and the funky soul and pop of Ray Charles, Michael Jackson, Prince and Stevie Wonder.
In 2006, the Brazilian singer Virginia Rosa recorded two of Luísa’s compositions, and in 2009 popular singer Mariana Aydar’s version of a song co-written by Luísa and frequent collaborator Rodrigo Campos was selected as “Song of the Year” by Rolling Stone Brazil magazine....
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Since the moment she was born, Luísa Maita has been surrounded by music. She was exposed at a very young age to the greats of Brazilian samba, bossa nova and jazz, and the music of legends such as João Gilberto, Tom Jobim, Nana Caymmi, Vinicius de Moraes, Milton Nascimento, Edu Lobo and Baden Powell provided a constant life soundtrack. Luísa was also enamored with American music, especially the laid back jazz of Billie Holiday and Chet Baker and the funky soul and pop of Ray Charles, Michael Jackson, Prince and Stevie Wonder.
In 2006, the Brazilian singer Virginia Rosa recorded two of Luísa’s compositions, and in 2009 popular singer Mariana Aydar’s version of a song co-written by Luísa and frequent collaborator Rodrigo Campos was selected as “Song of the Year” by Rolling Stone Brazil magazine.
The launching of her first album Lero-Lero in 2010 was a milestone in her career. With obvious allegiances to Brazilian samba and bossa nova, the songs on Lero-Lero also capture the influences of jazz, pop, soul and electronica that have captivated Luísa on her life’s journey so far. Luísa credits the inspiration for the album to her native city, its neighborhoods and its people. Lero-Lero, an album with a relaxed yet energizing spirit that reflects Luísa’s personal artistic expression and outlook.
Lero-Lero appeared on many of the the best records of the year lists in Brazil and beyond. In the USA, it reached first place in sales on Amazon and iTunes in the Latin Music category, and second place in the World Music category on Amazon. Two tracks, Desencabulada and Lero-Leroare on the soundtrack of the Oscar nominated film Boyhood in 2015.
During her first tour in the USA and Canada in 2010, she was hailed as “The New Voice of Brazil” by National Public Radio.
In 2011, she was awarded “Best New Artist” at the renowned Brazilian Music Awards and performed at many of the most important festivals and venues in Europe and North America. In the following year, more performances were held in the USA, including an appearance at the influential Google Zeitgeist conference. Luísa participated in the CD anthology Tribute to Caetano Veloso, an album that celebrated the artist’s seventieth birthday. Her composition “Axé Acapella”, written in partnership with Dani Black, was recorded by popular Brazilian singer Maria Gadú.
In 2013, Luísa performed throughout Brazil and participated in collective projects such as Na Mira da Música Brasileira, alongside artists such as Lucas Santtana, Juliano Holanda, Jam da Silva and Juliana Perdigão, as well as Tribute to Amado Maita (her father, an influential musician and composer who died in 2005) together with artists such as Ed Motta, BNegão and Tiganá Santana.
In 2014, she returned to the USA for yet another tour, which included venues such as Jazz at Lincoln Center in NY. In that same year, she participated as a guest soloist in two memorable concerts in Rio and in São Paulo celebrating Brazilian legend João Donato’s 80th birthday.
Last year, besides performing in concerts all over her native country, she dedicated herself to composing new songs and to the completion of her second álbum Fio da Memória.
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