Maria Rita

Maria Rita

Maria Rita performing at Virada Cultural in 2009.
Background information
Birth name Maria Rita Camargo Mariano
Born September 9, 1977
São Paulo, Brazil
Origin São Paulo, Brazil
Genres MPB, jazz, samba
Instruments Voice
Years active 2001present
Labels Warner Latina
Wea International
Universal Music
Website www.maria-rita.com

Maria Rita (Portuguese pronunciation: [maˈɾiɐ ˈʁitɐ]; born September 9, 1977, in São Paulo, Brazil) is the performance name of Maria Rita Camargo Mariano, a Brazilian singer. She is the daughter of famed pianist/arranger César Camargo Mariano and the late Brazilian singing legend Elis Regina and sister to Pedro Mariano and music producer João Marcelo Bôscoli. Her namesake is family friend and famed Brazilian rock legend Rita Lee. Maria Rita majored in Latin American studies and communications at New York University, and worked as a journalist at a magazine for adolescents.

Maria Rita began singing professionally at the age of 24, although she had wanted to sing since she was 14. Her first CD, Maria Rita, launched her career symbolically, with the first cut on her first album, A Festa (The Party), being written by Milton Nascimento, the legendary Brazilian singer-songwriter whose career was launched by Maria Rita's mother, Elis Regina, when she began to sing his songs to the national Brazilian audience. The CD went platinum and was a hit worldwide, making her an international star. Her mother's reputation as one of Brazil's greatest female singers has been a major influence in Maria Rita's life although for years she respectfully avoided the songs identified with her mother; she had said that she was always conscious of being the only daughter of a great singer. Despite having her mother's vocal DNA, she has developed her own jazzy vocal style, with singers like Ella Fitzgerald as her model. For her 2013 album Redescobrir she was finally persuaded to perform and record songs her mother had sung.

She won the 2004 Latin Grammy Awards for Best New Artist in the General Field, Best Song in Portuguese (“A festa”) and her debut album Maria Rita won the Best MPB (Musica Popular Brasileira) Album award for that year. The world hit that “Segundo” turned out to be, granted her in 2006, two additional Grammys Latinos – Best MPB Album and Best Brazilian Song with “Caminho das Águas” authored by Rodrigo Maranhão – and over 50 shows abroad, with full public and reviews acceptance in the Montreux Jazz Festival, North Sea Jazz Festival, Irving Plaza (NY), San Francisco Jazz Festival, among others.

Maria Rita was nominated for the BBC Radio 3 Awards for World Music in 2008. On 28 June 2008, Maria Rita performed in London for the first time, with a production by Tuba Productions and JungleDrums Magazine.

Discography

Rita also appeared with Milton Nascimento on his CD "Pieta" singing a duet on "Tristesse", which also won a Latin Grammy in 2003. She recently appeared with Uruguayan 2004 Grammy Award Winner Jorge Drexler on his CD "12 Segundos de Oscuridad" singing a duet on "Soledad". She is a big fan of and has appeared live in cameo with the Brazilian rap/hip-hop group O Rappa.

References

    Awards and nominations

    Latin Grammy

    2004 Result
    Album of the Year - Maria Rita Nominated
    Record of the Year - A Festa Nominated
    Best New Artist Won
    Best MPB Album - Maria Rita Won
    Best Brazilian Song - A Festa (Award Went to Milton Nascimento) Won
    2006 Result
    Best MPB Album - Segundo Won
    Best Brazilian Song - Caminho das Águas (Award Went to Rodrigo Maranhão) Won
    2008 Result
    Best Samba/Pagode Album - Samba Meu Won
    2011 Result
    Record of the Year - Latinoamérica (as a feature artist) Won
    2012 Result
    Best MPB Album - Elo Nominated
    2013 Result
    Best MPB Album - Redescobrir Ao Vivo Won
    2014 Result
    Best Samba/Pagode Album - Coração a Batucar[1] Won

    Prêmio Multishow de Música Brasileira

    2003 Result
    Best New Artist (Solo) Nominated
    2004 Result
    Best Album - Maria Rita Nominated
    Best Female Singer Won
    Best Song - A Festa (by Milton Nascimento) Nominated
    Best DVD - Maria Rita Nominated
    Best Show Nominated
    2008 Result
    Best Album - Samba Meu Won
    Best Female Singer Nominated
    Best Song - Tá Perdoado Nominated

    1Tied with Paulinho da Viola for MTV Unplugged.

    External links

    1. Wang, Andrea; Brown, Tracy (24 September 2014). "Latin Grammys 2014: Complete list of nominees". Los Angeles Times. Tribune Company. Retrieved 29 September 2014.