english BIO MIUCHA

The story of the life of Miúcha is full of famous personalities. Daughter of historian Sergio Buarque de Hollanda, sister of Chico Buarque, mother of Bebel Gilberto and ex-wife of João Gilberto, the singer had enough personality to leave her own mark on the history of Brazilian popular music.

Heloisa Buarque de Hollanda, MIÚCHA, born in Rio de Janeiro, at eight years of age she moved with her family to São Paulo, where her father promoted musical get togethers in their house. It was there that she began playing the guitar and singing with her brothers. Miucha was raised in an intellectual environment where Vinicius de Moraes was a regular and has taught her the first guitar lessons and introduced her to the songs of great old masters of Brazilian music. Soon, Vinicius and Antonio Carlos Jobim started composing many hits of the Bossa Nova that are included in  Miucha´s records. Famous composers and musicians as Chico Buarque (her brother), Antonio Carlos Jobim, João Gilberto, Baden Powell, Stan Getz, Guinga, Toquinho, João Donato, Yamandú Costa are part of Miucha´s life story.

Living in Italy where her father (historian Sergio Buarque de Holanda) taught, she used to travel to other countries singing with friends in Paris in the 60`s, where she studied the History of Art and was introduced to Joao Gilberto, with whom she moved to the U.S. and married.

In 1975, Miúcha made her debut in the American scene, singing with Joao Gilberto and Stan Getz, at the presentation of the celebrated album The Best of Two Worlds, at the Newport Jazz Festival. In the same year, she appeared on Tom Jobim's album Urubu.

In 1977 the best selling album Miúcha e Antonio Carlos Jobim was released and the unforgettable musical encounter Tom, Vinicius, Toquinho e Miúcha was staged for almost one year at Canecão in Rio and toured many South American and European cities.  The live record of the show is a landmark in the Brazilian music history. Miúcha e Tom Jobim (Tom is Antonio Carlos Jobim´s nickname) of 1979, recorded in New York, arranged by Claus Ogermann, became another big hit in the artist’s career

Her first two solo albums, both eponymous, were released in 1980 and 1988, respectively. It was here that she came into her own, recording the little-explored repertoire that has since become her signature. In the first one João Gilberto participated with the funny adaptation for the Portuguese of the American song “All of me”.  In the second  Miucha, the Cuban musician Pablo Milanez was the guest of honor. Returning to Brazil from Havana she discovered the composer/guitar player, Guinga (not yet famous at the time) and recorded several of his works with the participation of a big band. These albums show the careful and impeccable choice of repertoire which is one of Miucha´s many musical qualities.

Rosa Amarela released in 1996, produced by Japan’s Kasuo Yoshida, a well known “brazilianist”, is considered one of her best albums.

After Miucha.compositores dedicated to the many composers that crossed her life, Miúcha started a research on Vinicius de Moraes, highlighting the poet’s musicality.  Only the poet’s lyrics and music interpreted by friends and partners were included in her Vinicius & Vinicius – lyrics and music.

Miúcha is constantly traveling all over Brazil and abroad.  She has participated in many musical projects such as Projeto Pixinguinha aiming at showing to the new generations the beauty of  the Brazilian musical richness.

From this project, came the inspiration for a new work paying homage to the composers who took a major part in her life.  Songs by Tom, Vinicius and Chico Buarque are intertwined with stories of these dear and close friends.   This show, which included some of the best musicians (one of her trade marks), was performed with great success all over Brazil for over one year.  The record Outros Sonhos, released recently, stressing her qualities of great composer interpreter and extreme good taste in the choice of her repertoire.

This show has traveled all over Brazil, mixing memories and songs that were finally recorded at Bicoito Fino´s studios at the end of the year.   With Chico Buarque´s special participation, Other Dreams is being considered the singer’s best CD.

Launched in Brazil in April, the album is reaching several countries around the world.  After almost ten years, Miúcha returned to Japan last August, to perform and record with the singer Lisa Ono accompanied by  Paulo and Daniel Jobim.  In November, she performed at the Teatro Sistina in Rome, with piano player Leando Braga and the Jobim Trio, in a show paying homage to Tom Jobim.

2008 looks very hectic.  On the first weekend of January Miucha performed in Rio with her trio, interpreting her album repertoire and at the end of the month she took part in the project “Chorinhos e Modinhas”, singing for the first time with the Galo Preto band.

One of her career’s greatest moments was the invitation to sing at the Latin America Memorial, accompanied by the Symphonic Jazz Orchestra, celebrating the city of São Paulo´s anniversary, on January 25.

During Carnaval, Carlinhos Brown invited her to participate in an homage show to   Yemanja together with Caetano Veloso, Daniel Jobim, Cristovão Bastos and many others artists.

Miúcha is now working in a project started two years ago: a film about the life and work of Antonio Carlos Jobim, directed by Nelson Pereira dos Santos.  The screenplay is a partnership of Miúcha with the famous director.