Nara Leão

Nara Lofego Leão (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈnaɾɐ leˈɐ̃w, li-]; January 19, 1942 – June 7, 1989) was a Brazilian bossa nova and MPB (popular Brazilian music) singer and occasional actress. Leão was married twice, to Ruy Guerra and subsequently Carlos Diegues, both film directors.

== Life ==

Leão was born in Vitória, Espírito Santo. When she was twelve, her father gave her a guitar since he was worried about her being shy. Her teachers were popular musician and composer Patricio Teixeira and classical guitarist Solon Ayala. As a teenager in the late 1950s, she became friends with a number of singers and composers who took part in Bossa Nova's musical revolution, including Roberto Menescal, Carlos Lyra, Ronaldo Bôscoli, João Gilberto, Vinicius de Moraes, and Antônio Carlos Jobim. There are even voices that claim that it was in her room in her parents' home in Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro, that the new music was born in the fifties. By 1963, after singing as an amateur for a few years, she became a professional and toured with Sérgio Mendes.

In the mid-1960s, the institution of military dictatorship in Brazil led her to sing increasingly political lyrics. Her show, Opinião, reflected her political beliefs, and she had largely switched to political music by this point. In 1964 she even spoke against bossa nova as a movement, calling it "alienating." In 1968 she appeared on the album Tropicália: ou Panis et Circenses, performing "Lindonéia."

She later left Brazil for Paris and in the 1970s abandoned music to focus on her family. She returned to music later, and when she discovered in 1986 that she had an inoperable brain tumor, she increased her productivity as much as possible. She died in 1989.

Nara's sister was Danuza Leão, a model and socialite who was also a newspaper columnist and occasional TV commentator.

== Discography ==

1989: My Foolish Heart

1987: Meus Sonhos Dourados

1986: Garota de Ipanema

1985: Nara e Menescal - Um Cantinho, Um Violão

1984: Abraços E Beijinhos e Carinhos Sem Ter Fim... Nara

1983: Meu Samba Encabulado

1982: Nasci Para Bailar

1981: Romance Popular

1980: Com Açúcar, Com Afeto

1979: Nara Canta en Castellano

1978: Debaixo Dos Caracóis Dos Seus Cabelos

1977: Meus Amigos São Um Barato

1974: Meu Primeiro Amor

1971: Dez Anos Depois

1969: Coisas do Mundo

1968: Nara Leão

1967: Vento de Maio

1967: Nara

1966: Liberdade, Liberdade

1966: Manhã de Liberdade

1966: Nara Pede Passagem

1966: Show Opinião

1965: Cinco na Bossa

1965: O Canto Livre de Nara

1964: Opinião de Nara

1964: Nara

== Bibliography ==

De Stefano, Gildo, Il popolo del samba, La vicenda e i protagonisti della storia della musica popolare brasiliana, Preface by Chico Buarque de Hollanda, Introduction by Gianni Minà, RAI-ERI, Rome 2005, ISBN 8839713484

De Stefano, Gildo, Saudade Bossa Nova: musiche, contaminazioni e ritmi del Brasile, Preface by Chico Buarque, Introduction by Gianni Minà, Logisma Editore, Florence 2017, ISBN 978-88-97530-88-6

== References ==

== External links ==

Slipcue.com: Guide to Brazilian music

Nara Leão discography at Discogs

Nara Leão at IMDb

Source: Wikipedia ↗