Mônica da Silva

Monica da Silva standing on hill 2010
Monica da Silva on a hillside (2010)

Mônica da Silva is a Brazilian/American singer, songwriter, musician, and producer. She is best known for her multi-lingual music compositions that span five languages - English, Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, and French.[1] Mônica grew up between the U.S. and Belém, Brazil, a city on the Amazon River, and she is a citizen of both countries. Experiencing life in two very different places helped to shape Mônica's original sound, which is a blend of bossa nova, MPB and indie pop.

Biography

Early Life and Career

Monica da Silva was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, to a Brazilian mother and an American father, who met while her father was in the Peace Corps in Brazil. She started playing piano and flute at an early age, and was always singing. She was inspired by a wide spectrum of music, everything from Bossa Nova and Samba from her mother's native country, to The Beatles and Madonna. Mônica teamed up with her siblings Erica and Bruce Driscoll, forming a band called Nectar. The siblings embarked on a national tour, playing colleges (NACA), venues, and festivals (Mobfest), and eventually landed a development deal with EMI Publishing. In 2002, Nectar won Runner Up in the Pop Category for the UK Songwriting Contest with the song "Life Out Loud". Soon after, they showcased for many of the US Major Labels, including Warner Bros. Records, Maverick Records, Capitol Records, Elektra Records, and Dreamworks Records. The US Major Labels all raved about the band, but were unsure about how to market the siblings. One of the labels compared the band to The Corrs, a band of Irish siblings who'd had more success in Europe than the U.S. Later that year, the siblings disbanded over creative differences.

Going Solo

Mônica then set off on her own, moving to Chicago, and forming a band called Socialite Fiasco with guitarist and songwriter, Brett Ratner. The two wrote hundreds of songs in their 3 years together, and regularly performed at Chicago staples like The Double Door, Schuba's, Martyr's, and The Elbo Room. They also recorded an album "Miles From Nowhere". Just before the album's release in January 2007, Brett and Monica had a talk with their Grammy-nominated producer and engineer, Rick Barnes, who suggested that they release the songs under Mônica's name, Mônica da Silva.

Focusing on Brazilian Roots

In December 2007, Mônica met Chad Alger, after responding to an ad he had posted in the musician category on Craigslist. The ad that Alger had posted, searching for "someone to start a Brazilian project with" intrigued da Silva, who had been wanting to steer her music more toward her Brazilian heritage.[2] da Silva and Alger quickly hit it off, and began playing in a quartet at many clubs around Chicago. Alger was originally da Silva's drummer, but the two began writing songs together in da Silva's kitchen during the blizzardy winter of 2008, with Chad on guitar. The songs they came up with were a mixture of Bossa Nova and Indie Pop, a genre Mônica coined "Indie Nova". The lyrics were a blend of Portuguese and English. Many of the songs they wrote were later recorded on the first album they released together"Brasilissima". Monica and Chad began touring around the United States, heading for South by Southwest (SXSW), and showcasing at The Red Gorilla Music Festival in Austin, TX.

Discography

Miles from Nowhere

Miles From Nowhere 2007 - Mônica da Silva-Vocals, Keyboards, Programming, Songwriter
Monica released her debut solo album "Miles From Nowhere" in January 2007. Living in Chicago, IL at the time, she teamed up with guitarist and songwriter Brett Ratner and Grammy-nominated record producer Rick Barnes (Ok Go, Los Lonely Boys, George Clinton, Smashing Pumpkins, Rachael Yamagata) owner of Rax Trax Studio. Her debut album is a collection of catchy, guitar driven Pop and Rock songs.[3] The album gained moderate momentum, and many of the tracks (Haven't Been Around, Amazing, I Know, I Know, Icy) had placements on national and international television and radio, including a Wal-Mart Commercial in Asia.

Brasilissima

Brasilissima 2011 - Mônica da Silva- Vocals, Keyboards, Flute, Programming, Songwriter, Producer
Mônica's release, “Brasilissima”, on Socialite Fiasco Music, was a follow up to her 2007 debut, “Miles From Nowhere”. The album was produced by Mônica da Silva, Chad Alger and Mônica's brother, Bruce Driscoll (Astaire, Blondfire, Ivy, Brookville, Sleepy Rebels, Freedom Fry, Lana Mir). “Brasilissima” drew from Mônica's Brazilian and American cultures, and was described as "a throwback to the days of Astrud Gilberto with plenty of modern elements and edge". The first single from the album, "Aí Então", gained attention from music critics and blogs alike, and caught the ear of Jacob Edgar, owner of Cumbancha Records and resident world music compiler for Putumayo World Music. The track was chosen from “tens of thousands of artists”, to be featured on the Putumayo World Music compilation "Brazilian Beat". Another track from "Brasilissima", the upbeat, psychedelic-inspired "That's Not The Way" was featured on ESPN during The 2014 World Cup.

Music Production

Socialite Fiasco Music, LLC. was formed by Mônica da Silva in 2007. Chad Alger later joined, taking the role of Executive Producer. The company is a boutique music house that produces and licenses music for use in Television, Film & Commercials.[4]

Accolades

2002 - UK songwriting Contest- Runner Up/ Pop Category with the song "Life Out Loud"
2011 - Pump Audio-Getty Images-Best Overall/First Place- Latin Song "Amor Perdido"
2011 - International Brazilian Press Award Nomination
2010 - 2011 - ASCAP PLUS Award- Popular Division
2011 - 2012 - ASCAP PLUS Award- Popular Division 2012 - Song "Aí Então" featured on the Putumayo World Music compilation "Brazilian Beat"
2014 - 2015 - ASCAP PLUS Award- Popular Division
2014 - Song "That's Not The Way" featured on ESPN during programming for The World Cup 2014 in Brazil

Influences

João Gilberto, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Astrud Gilberto, Seu Jorge, Bebel Gilberto
Adriana Calcanhotto, Céu, The Beatles, Caetano Veloso, Brazilian Girls,
Heitor Villa-Lobos, Françoise Hardy, Björk, Tori Amos, Emiliana Torrini, The Pet Shop Boys,
Vinicius de Moraes, Kings of Convenience, Federico Aubele, The Smiths

References

  1. ↑ "Socialite Fiasco History". Socialite Fiasco Music. Retrieved 9 September 2011.
  2. ↑ "International Pop Overthrow Wrap-Up". Illinois Entertainer. Retrieved 30 April 2008.
  3. ↑ "Brazilian-American Monica da Silva explores a cultural mix on new album". Florida Times Union. 7 January 2011.
  4. ↑ "Socialite Fiasco History". Socialite Fiasco Music. Retrieved 9 September 2011.

External links