Isabel Buarque de Hollanda Gilberto de Oliveira (born May 12, 1966), known as Bebel Gilberto, is an American-born
Brazilian popular singer often associated with
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 ...
. She is the daughter of
João Gilberto and singer
Miúcha. Her uncle is singer/composer
Chico Buarque.
Early life
Gilberto was born in New York City to Brazilian parents,
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 ...
pioneer
João Gilberto and singer
Miúcha, who were briefly living in the city at the time of her birth.
She often traveled with her father when he recorded albums in different countries; she lived in Mexico at age three and moved to Rio de Janeiro at age five.
Gilberto's parents separated when she was seven, and she spent her time between Rio de Janeiro with her mother and New York with her father.
Gilberto has been performing since her youth in
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of the same name, Brazil's List of Brazilian states by population, third-most populous state, and the List of largest citi ...
, Brazil.
Gilberto recalls that her childhood was "music nonstop"; when reflecting on her father's influence, Gilberto states, "He taught me to be a perfectionist. But my mother taught me how to lose it. And you can hear it in my music today, I think."
She grew acquainted with popular artists such as
Caetano Veloso,
David Byrne
David Byrne (; born 14 May 1952) is a Scottish-American singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, writer, music theorist, visual artist and filmmaker. He was a founding member and the principal songwriter, lead singer, and guitarist of ...
, and
Stan Getz
Stanley Getz (February 2, 1927 – June 6, 1991) was an American jazz saxophonist. Playing primarily the tenor saxophone, Getz was known as "The Sound" because of his warm, lyrical tone, with his prime influence being the wispy, mellow timbre o ...
, who often visited her father's home to collaborate.
She began singing with her mother at a young age and participated in professional musicals such as ''Saltimbancos'' and ''Pirlimpimpim''. At the age of seven, she made her recording debut on her mother's first solo album, ''Miúcha & Antônio Carlos Jobim'' (1977). Two years later, she performed at
Carnegie Hall with her mother and Stan Getz.
Career
Beginnings: 1986–1999
Gilberto's professional solo debut came in 1986 with a self-titled EP released by WEA which included "Preciso dizer que te amo", a partnership with
Cazuza
Agenor de Miranda Araújo Neto, better known as Cazuza (; April 4, 1958 – July 7, 1990), was a Brazilian singer and songwriter, born in Rio de Janeiro. Along with Raul Seixas, Renato Russo and Os Mutantes, Cazuza, both while fronting Barão Verm ...
and Dé Palmeira, when both were in the
Barão Vermelho band. In 1991, Gilberto moved to Manhattan, where she continues to live, but shares her time between the U.S. and Brazil.
Gilberto was a great friend of Cazuza and composed several songs with him in addition to "Eu preciso dizer que te amo", including "Amigos de Bar", "Mais Feliz", and "Mulher sem Razão".
Gilberto next participated in the project
Red Hot + Rio, joining major music stars such as
Everything but the Girl
Everything but the Girl (occasionally referred to as EBTG) are an English musical duo formed in Kingston upon Hull in 1982, consisting of lead singer and occasional guitarist Tracey Thorn and guitarist, keyboardist, producer and singer Ben Wa ...
,
Maxwell
Maxwell may refer to:
People
* Maxwell (surname), including a list of people and fictional characters with the name
** James Clerk Maxwell, mathematician and physicist
* Justice Maxwell (disambiguation)
* Maxwell baronets, in the Baronetage o ...
,
George Michael
George Michael (born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou; 25 June 1963 – 25 December 2016) was an English singer and songwriter. He is considered one of the most significant cultural icons of the MTV Generation, MTV generation and is one of the List ...
, and others for the benefit CD recording. She also collaborated on
Towa Tei's CD ''
Future Listening!'', singing on the hits "Technova" and "Batucada," and also participated in
Peeping Tom with
Mike Patton (lead singer of Faith No More), singing "Caipirinha".
''Tanto Tempo'', ''Bebel Gilberto'', and ''Momento'': 2000–2007
''
Tanto Tempo'', an electronic bossa nova album released in 2000, was popular at clubs around the world and positioned Gilberto as one of the best-selling Brazilian artists in the U.S. since the 1960s. With her second album, ''
Bebel Gilberto'' (2004), she refined her sound to create an acoustic lounge style that showcased her strengths as a Brazilian composer.
With ''
Momento'' (2007), her third album in seven years, she wanted to do a fusion of both. Mixing the taste of Rio's
Orquestra Imperial
Orquestra Imperial is a Brazilian Big Band formed in 2002 with the objective of recreating the typical Gafieira Samba sound. The group brought together notable names from the new Carioca pop scene such as Rodrigo Amarante (from the group Los Herma ...
with the melting pot of New York's
Brazilian Girls, and following the direction of the English producer
Guy Sigsworth (Madonna's partner in "What It Feels Like for a Girl"), ''Momento'' reaffirmed the international character of Gilberto's music. In 2007, she was a judge for the 6th annual Independent Music Awards to support independent artists' careers.
''All in One'': 2009–present
Gilberto recorded her fourth studio album, ''
All in One'', in New York,
Jamaica
Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of Hispan ...
, and the Brazilian state of
Bahia
Bahia ( , , ; meaning "bay") is one of the 26 states of Brazil, located in the Northeast Region of the country. It is the fourth-largest Brazilian state by population (after São Paulo, Minas Gerais, and Rio de Janeiro) and the 5th-largest ...
.
It was released worldwide on September 29, 2009, on the American jazz label Verve, and was released in Brazil by Universal Music. It is the least electronic-infused of her albums, and brings to the forefront more of Gilberto's personality and love for organic styles. ''All in One'' had a team of accomplished producers including
Mark Ronson (
Amy Winehouse
Amy Jade Winehouse (14 September 1983 – 23 July 2011) was an English singer and songwriter. She was known for her deep, expressive contralto vocals and her eclectic mix of musical genres, including soul, rhythm and blues and jazz.
A m ...
,
Lily Allen),
John King (Dust Brothers, Beck),
Daniel Jobim,
Carlinhos Brown,
Didi Gutman (Brazilian Girls) and
Mario Caldato Jr (
Beastie Boys, Björk, Jack Johnson). Gilberto also provided the voice of the bird Eva in the animated film ''
Rio'' (2011), an experience she called "amazing".
Since the launch of ''Tanto Tempo'' in 2000, she has sold over 2.5 million records and has been featured on seven film soundtracks including ''
Next Stop Wonderland'', ''
The Bubble'', ''
Closer'' and most recently 2010s ''
Eat Pray Love'' and 2011's ''
Rio''; and seven TV series including ''
Sex and the City
''Sex and the City'' is an American romantic comedy-drama television series created by Darren Star for HBO. An adaptation of Candace Bushnell's newspaper column and 1996 book anthology of the same name, the series premiered in the United St ...
'', ''
Six Feet Under'', and ''
Nip/Tuck''.
In 2011, she contributed a track entitled "Acabou Chorare" to the
Red Hot Organization's most recent charitable album, ''Red Hot+Rio 2''. The album is a follow-up to the 1996 ''Red Hot+Rio''. Proceeds from the sales will be donated to raise awareness and money to fight AIDS/HIV and related health and social issues. In 2015, her song "Tudo" was nominated for the
16th Latin Grammy Awards in the
Best Brazilian Song category.
Discography
Studio albums
* ''Um Certo Geraldo Pereira, Funarte'' (with Pedrinho Rodrigues) (1983, Atração)
* ''De Tarde, Vendo O Mar'' (with Luizão Maia & Banzai) (1991)
* ''
Tanto Tempo'' (2000)
Ziriguiboom
* ''
Bebel Gilberto'' (2004)
Ziriguiboom
* ''
Momento'' (2007)
Ziriguiboom
* ''
All in One'' (2009)
Verve Records
Verve Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group (UMG). Founded in 1956 by Norman Granz, the label is home to the world's largest jazz catalogue, which includes recordings by artists such as Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simon ...
* ''
Tudo '' (2014)
Sony
, commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professional ...
* Agora (2020)
Remix albums
* ''Tanto Tempo Remixes'' (2001)
Ziriguiboom
* ''Tanto Tempo (Special Remix Edition'') (2003)
EastWest Records
* ''Bebel Gilberto Remixed'' (2005)
Ziriguiboom
EPs
* ''Bebel Gilberto (EP)'' (1986)
Warner Jazz
* ''Bring Back The Love — Remixes EP 1'' (2007)
igital-only* ''Bring Back The Love — Remixes EP 2'' (2007)
igital-only* ''Live Session (
iTunes Exclusive) – EP'' (2008)
igital-only
Filmography
* ''
Pirlimpimpim'' (1982 TV movie)- Narizinho
*''
Malandro'' (1986)- Bebel
*''
The Color of Destiny'' (1987)
*''
Elis Regina Tribute Live at Town hall'' (1998 video short)- Singer, Performer
* ''
Rio'' (2011) – Eva (voice)
*''
Kings & Rats'' (2012)- Banda
* ''
Rio 2'' (2014) – Eva (voice)
References
External links
*
*
Live concert in Amsterdam, 6 June 2007– video
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gilberto, Bebel
1966 births
Living people
Musicians from New York City
American people of Brazilian descent
20th-century Brazilian women singers
20th-century Brazilian singers
Bossa nova singers
Música Popular Brasileira singers
Verve Records artists
Chill-out musicians
Downtempo musicians
21st-century Brazilian women singers
21st-century Brazilian singers
20th-century American women singers
20th-century American singers
21st-century American women singers
21st-century American singers
Musicians from Rio de Janeiro (city)
Women in Latin music
Latin music songwriters
American singers