Virgínia Rodrigues (born

Salvador, Bahia Salvador () is a Municipalities of Brazil, Brazilian municipality and capital city of the Federative units of Brazil, state of Bahia. Situated in the Zona da Mata in the Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast Region of Brazil, Salvador is recognize ...

, March 31, 1964) is a Brazilian singer. Her music has an influence of classical music, samba, and jazz, and her lyrics reference

Candomblé Candomblé () is an African diaspora religions, African diasporic religion that developed in Brazil during the 19th century. It arose through a process of syncretism between several of the traditional religions of West and Central Africa, especi ...

and

Umbanda Umbanda () is a religion that emerged in Brazil during the 1920s. Deriving largely from Kardecist spiritism, Spiritism, it also combines elements from African diasporic religions, Afro-Brazilian traditions like Candomblé as well as Roman Catho ...

entities.

Biography

Virgínia Rodrigues was born in

Salvador Salvador, meaning "salvation" (or "saviour") in Catalan, Spanish, and Portuguese may refer to: * Salvador (name) Arts, entertainment, and media Music *Salvador (band), a Christian band that plays both English and Spanish music ** ''Salvador'' ( ...

Bahia Bahia () is one of the 26 Federative units of Brazil, states of Brazil, located in the Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast Region of the country. It is the fourth-largest Brazilian state by population (after São Paulo (state), São Paulo, Mina ...

on March 31, 1964. She had started her career by singing in both Catholic and Protestant church choirs. In 1997, she was invited by the director Márcio Meirelles to participate in the play ''Bye Bye Pelô,'' alongside the Bando de Teatro Olodum. During rehearsals, she discovered by

Caetano Veloso Caetano Emanuel Viana Teles Veloso (; born 7 August 1942) is a Brazilian composer, singer, guitarist, writer, and political activist. Veloso first became known for his participation in the Brazilian musical movement Tropicália, which encompas ...

. Her first album '' Sol Negro'' (1997) was produced by Celso Fonseca and had arrangements by Eduardo Souto Neto, and the participation of

Djavan Djavan Caetano Viana (; born 27 January 1949) is a Brazilian singer-songwriter and guitarist. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest singers in Brazilian history. Early life and career Djavan was born in Maceió, Brazil to a whit ...

Gilberto Gil Gilberto Passos Gil Moreira (; born 26 June 1942), is a Brazilian singer-songwriter and politician, known for both his musical innovation and political activism. From 2003 to 2008, he served as Brazil's Ministry of Culture (Brazil), Minister of ...

, and

Milton Nascimento Milton Silva Campos do Nascimento (; born October 26, 1942), also known as Bituca, is a Brazilian singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Nascimento has recorded 32 studio albums and has won five Grammy Awards, including Best World Music ...

. It was released on the

Rykodisc Rykodisc is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group, operating as a unit of WMG's Independent Label Group and distributed through Alternative Distribution Alliance. History Claiming to be the first CD-only independent record label ...

label and was well received in the United States and Europe. ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...

'' of London described Rodrigues as "... The new diva of Brazilian music". The album also received good reviews in ''

Le Monde (; ) is a mass media in France, French daily afternoon list of newspapers in France, newspaper. It is the main publication of Le Monde Group and reported an average print circulation, circulation of 480,000 copies per issue in 2022, including ...

'' and the magazine ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

''. Rodrigues second album, ''Nós'' (2000), paid homage to the blocos afros of Salvador, featuring songs of

Ilê Aiyê Ilê Aiyê is a carnival block from Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. It is located in the Curuzu/ Liberdade neighborhood, the largest afro-descendent population area of Salvador. The name stems from the Yoruba language: Ilé - home; Ayé - life; which ...

Olodum Olodum is a ''bloco-afro'' from Salvador's carnival, in Bahia, Brazil. It was founded by the percussionist Neguinho do Samba. The musical group's album ''Pela Vida'' (meaning "For Life" in Portuguese) was nominated for Best Brazilian Roots/Reg ...

, Timbalada, Araketu and Afreketê. This album was also well received, with reviews in ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' and All-Music Guide. Her third album, ''Mares Profundos'' (2003), was released on the German label

Deutsche Grammophon Deutsche Grammophon (; DGG) is a German classical music record label that was the precursor of the corporation PolyGram. Headquartered in Berlin Friedrichshain, it is now part of Universal Music Group (UMG) since its merger with the UMG family of ...

and features 11 African-sambas composed between 1962 and 1966 by guitarist Baden Powell and poet

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 ...

. The program closes with samba "Lapinha" (Baden-Paulo Cesar Pinheiro). Her fourth album, ''Recomeço'' (2008) was released by Biscoito Fino and features poetry 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 ...

. Rodrigues regularly appears at festivals of jazz and world music throughout the world, participating in several world tours. Former U.S. president

Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...

once said that she was the singer who he liked best in the world and mentioned her in his memoir ''My Life''.

Discography

;Albums *'' Sol Negro'' (1997) * ''Nós'' (2000) * ''Mares Profundos'' (2003) * ''Recomeço'' (2008) * ''Mama Kalunga'' (2015) * ''Cada Voz E Uma Mulher'' (2019) ;Contributing artist * '' Unwired: Latin America'' (2001,

World Music Network World Music Network is a UK-based record label specializing in world music. The World Music Network website features news, reviews, live music listings, and guide sections on world music. It also features an online "Battle of the Bands" competi ...

)

Filmography

References

External links

Listen
* * Michael Church

''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'', 12 March 2004. Living people 21st-century Brazilian women singers 21st-century Brazilian singers 1964 births 20th-century Brazilian women singers 20th-century Brazilian singers Musicians from Salvador, Bahia {{Brazil-singer-stub