Amelinha

Amelinha first rose to visibility in the 1970s alongside peers such as Zé Ramalho, Alceu Valença, Elba Ramalho, Ednardo, Geraldo Azevedo, Fagner, Belchior, and others who merged pop songwriting with Northeastern folklore and gained nationwide attention. One of her releases earned gold certification while a second surpassed a million copies sold.

She relocated to São Paulo in 1970, where she contributed backing vocals for her friend Fagner. Professional engagements and television spots followed in 1974, leading to an invitation to support Vinícius de Moraes and Toquinho on their 1975 tour of Punta del Este, Argentina; during that engagement de Moraes dedicated the song “Ah! Quem Me Dera” to her.

Favorable notices for the 1977 album Flor Da Paisagem supplied her first significant recognition. The next release, Frevo Mulher (1979), also attained gold status. While performing at TV Globo’s MPB 80 Festival in 1980, a capacity crowd at Maracanãzinho sang along to “Foi Deus Que Fez Você” (Luiz Ramalho); the song finished second in the festival, exceeded a million copies, and became the first track to top both modulated-frequency and short-wave radio charts.

In 1982 she scored another success with “Mulher Nova, Bonita E Carinhosa Faz O Homem Gemer Sem Sentir Dor,” which served as the main theme for the TV Globo series Lampião e Maria Bonita, propelling sales of the identically titled album that stayed among the year’s fifty best-selling LPs for more than thirty weeks.

Amelinha explored pop textures beginning in 1984. A contrasting profile appeared in the 1989 show Saudades da Amélia, honoring MPB composers Tom Jobim, Caetano Veloso, and Chico Buarque. When the New Forró wave surfaced in the 1990s she returned to her cultural sources.