Maria Rita

Maria Rita exploded onto the MPB landscape in 2003 through her first album, capturing a wide array of prizes and securing overseas recognition on the strength of its massive appeal. Offspring of the late Elis Regina, one of Brazil’s most celebrated singers, and César Camargo Mariano, among the nation’s foremost arrangers, producers, and pianists, she carries the name of another MPB giant, Rita Lee. An early creative bond with Milton Nascimento, who supplied “A Festa” as the record’s opening cut, accounts for the intense anticipation that preceded her studio debut.

Born September 19, 1977, in São Paulo, Rita turned professional at age 24. The self-titled Maria Rita surfaced in Brazil near the close of 2003 and reached international markets in 2004, producing the two major singles already noted plus “Cara Valente.” In the wake of the album’s dual critical and commercial dominance, she issued a matching self-titled DVD preserving her 2004 Bourbon Street performance in São Paulo. Latin Grammys for Best New Artist and Best MPB Album arrived in 2004.

Her follow-up, Segundo (2005), outsold the debut by moving more than 700,000 copies inside Brazil alone, even if reviews proved somewhat cooler. The concert DVD Segundo ao Vivo appeared the next year. With Samba Meu (2007) she pivoted toward acoustic sambas; the set reached number 10 on the Brazilian charts and earned platinum certification.

A subsequent tour that included England yielded the 2008 audio/video package Samba Meu: Ao Vivo, itself certified platinum and shortlisted for best new artist at the BBC Radio 3 Awards for World Music.

After a two-year pause she resurfaced with Elo, supported by the core trio of Tiago Costa on piano, Sylvinho Mazzucca on acoustic bass, and Cuca Teixeira on drums. The track list drew from Chico Buarque, Caetano Veloso, Rita Lee, and Djavan, many selections chosen directly by fans. The project served as preparation for Viva Elis, the tribute tour and stage production devoted to her mother’s repertoire. Its strong reception propelled the studio album to number nine and platinum status, after which the live document Redescobrir, drawn from the Viva Elis dates, appeared in 2012.

Her embrace of samba had become absolute. The uncompromising 2014 outing Coração a Batucar topped the Brazilian charts, received platinum accreditation, and is widely viewed as her crowning achievement. Its live counterpart, Coração a Batucar: Edição Especial, likewise reached number one and platinum. She closed the period with the 2016 concert video O Samba Em Mim: Ao Vivo na Lapa.