Marisa Monte | Artist
Marisa de Azevedo Monte is a Brazilian singer, composer, instrumentalist, and record producer born 1967 in Rio de Janeiro. She has sold over 15 million albums worldwide and has won numerous national and international awards, including four Latin Grammys, eight Brazilian Music Awards, seven Brazilian MTV Video Music Awards, nine Multishow de Música Brasileira awards, and 5 APCAs. Marisa is considered by Rolling Stone to be Brazil's second greatest singer, behind only Elis Regina. She also has two albums (MM and Verde, Anil, Amarelo, Cor-de-Rosa e Carvão) on the list of the 100 best albums of Brazilian music. Her expressive, operatically-trained alto delivery weds samba and MPB to jazz and pop, funk, and soul. At age 14, Monte entered the Escola Nacional de Música, wanting to become an opera singer. At 18, she withdrew from university studies and moved to Rome in order to study opera in depth. While in Rome she was befriended by Nelson Motta, a renowned journalist and producer associated with samba and bossa legends Elis Regina and Joyce Moreno. Motta had played an important role in Brazil's MPB scene of the late '60s and early '70s as critic and producer. After she returned to Brazil, Motta directed her first professional concerts. In 1988, Monte signed with EMI and recorded a live TV special for Rede Manchete, released as her debut LP MM and VHS in 1989. The LP was a critical and commercial success pushed by the single "Bem Que Se Quis." Monte has gone on to release to-date seven consistently strong studio albums, plus numerous live sets, EP's and hit Singles. Standout studio albums include Mais "But" (1991), Verde anil amarelo cor de rosa e carvão "Green, Blue, Yellow, Rose and Charcoal" (1994), Memórias, crônicas e declarações de amor "Memories, Chronicles and Declarations of Love" (2000), Infinito particular "Private Infinity" (2006), Universo ao meu redor "The Universe Around Me" (2006), and Portas "Doors" (2021). While most of Monte's music is in the style of modern MPB, she has also recorded traditional samba and folk tunes, in collaboration with such musicians as Carlinhos Brown, Arnaldo Antunes, and Nando Reis and producer Arto Lindsay. She has also collaborated with the New York pop music vanguard, including Laurie Anderson, David Byrne, Marc Ribot, Bernie Worrell and Philip Glass. Monte was also a member of the trio Tribalistas, together with Arnaldo Antunes (vocals, guitar) and Carlinhos Brown (percussion). Monte owns the rights to all her songs, which was her primary condition for renewing her contract with EMI Music. She formed her own record label, Phonomotor, in 2000 to maintain complete artistic control over her work.
Artist Website: marisamonte.com.br
Featured Albums: Marisa Monte
Related Artists: Tribalistas
