Zuleide Santos Silva better known for her stage name as Lady Zu is a Brazilian singer and songwriter.

Early life

Silva was born on May 7, 1958, in the neighborhood of Canindé, São Paulo. When she realized that she wanted to be as an artist, her father decided to take her to the studios of

TV Cultura TV Cultura, or simply Cultura, is a free Brazilian non-commercial public television network headquartered in São Paulo and a part of Father Anchieta Foundation, a non-profit foundation funded by the São Paulo State Government. It focuses on ...

to perform at the children's talent show "O Dois É Nosso". Her first interpretation was singing the samba "Triste Madrugada" by Jorge Costa. She took singing classes at the age of 10 and continued to perform in children's radio and television programs and in dances on the outskirts of São Paulo. Later, she would work as a banker, clerk and an announcer of the Municipal Market of Lapa. She was a fan of

Aretha Franklin Aretha Louise Franklin ( ; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Honored as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Soul", she was twice named by ''Rolling Stone'' magazine as the Roll ...

and

Tina Turner Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock; November 26, 1939 – May 24, 2023) was a singer, songwriter, actress, and author. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Rock 'n' Roll", her vocal prowess, raspy voice, and electrifyin ...

, did several tests for crooner in nightclubs, but was always vetoed for being still very young.

Career

The big break would come around 1975, when Silva won a music festival at her school. Among the jurors was the composer Osmar Navarro, who gave her guidance on the artistic medium. Armed with a cassette tape with covers of songs by Roberto Carlos and Maria Bethania, she was introduced to producer Marcos Maynard, then Phonogram (now Universal Music). The empathy was immediate, but Maynard's plans for Zu were off the MPB: the record company intended to bring to the country the international fever of nightclubs.

1977 - 1979 : ''A Noite Vai Chegar'' and ''Hora de União (Samba Soul)''

Silva released her first single in 1977 and had been toppled out the Brazilian Charts back then and have an opportunity for inclusion for the soundtrack of Rede Globo's Telenovela ''Sem Lenço, Sem Documento'' which has a major impact for her career and for the Disco/Samba Music Scene In Brazil. Later that year, she also released her first album and signed a contract with Universal Records. She stated : ''It played from north to south. It was super cool because everyone danced, blacks and whites. That was fancy and true'' In 1979, another album was released and gave on the hit show Dancin Days.

1980 - 1990

1990 - present

The Brazilian Donna Summer

Zu dubbed as the "Brazilian

Donna Summer Donna Adrian Gaines (December 31, 1948May 17, 2012), known professionally as Donna Summer, was an American singer and songwriter. She gained prominence during the disco era of the 1970s and became known as the "Queen of Disco", while her music ...

" by presenter

Chacrinha José Abelardo Barbosa de Medeiros (September 30, 1917 – June 30, 1988), better known as Chacrinha (), was a Brazilian comedian, radio and TV personality. His career was at its peak from 1950 to 1980. He was author of a famous Brazilian phr ...

in 1990.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zu, Lady 1958 births Living people Música Popular Brasileira singers Musicians from São Paulo 20th-century Brazilian women singers 20th-century Brazilian singers 21st-century Brazilian women singers 21st-century Brazilian singers