Biography
Zizi Possi carved out distinct routes across her recording life. Her initial breakthrough arrived through an MPB composition, “Pedaço de Mim” by Chico Buarque, followed by a string of pop ballads throughout the 1980s; only in the 1990s did she settle into a refined acoustic treatment of Brazilian standards. One notable detour came with Per Amore, an album given entirely to Italian love songs performed in their original language.
From childhood onward Possi sang unaccompanied, adding formal piano study at age five. At twenty she withdrew from the rigorous composition curriculum at the State University of Bahia and, while appearing as an actress in a musical, recognized her true vocation as a vocalist. In 1978 she moved to Rio, where Roberto Menescal—then Polygram’s A&R director—offered her a debut session that produced the album Flor do Mal. Her first chart success was the title song of her second release, Pedaço de Mim, drawn from Buarque’s musical A Ópera do Malandro, in which she also performed that year.
During the 1980s Possi tilted her repertoire toward mainstream pop at the expense of MPB, scoring a major success with “Asa Morena” (Zé Caradípia, 1982). Additional hits from the decade included “Perigo” (Nico Resende/Paulinho Lima, 1986), “A Paz” (Gilberto Gil/João Donato, 1987), “É A Vida Que Diz” (Marina), and “O Amor Vem Pra Cada Um,” her Portuguese rendering of George Harrison’s “Love Comes to Everyone.” The 1989 LP Estrebucha Baby signaled an exploratory turn, presenting the first non-rock, non-pop arrangement of Herbert Vianna’s “Meu Erro” as a richly interpretive ballad and thereby lending credibility to a style then entering MPB under uncertain acceptance.
The 1990 presentation Sobre Todas As Coisas, scored for piano, voice, and percussion, marked the moment Possi discovered an inner artistic unity after earlier experiments. Encouraged by the tour’s reception, she followed Marcos Suzano’s advice to add Lui Coimbra’s cello and captured the results on the 1991 album of the same name. The acoustic aesthetic and celebration of Brazilian classics reached fuller expression on Valsa Brasileira (1993) and the projects that followed. That record yielded two notable tracks: “Bom Dia” (Swami Jr./Paulo Freire) and “Lamento” (Pixinguinha).
From childhood onward Possi sang unaccompanied, adding formal piano study at age five. At twenty she withdrew from the rigorous composition curriculum at the State University of Bahia and, while appearing as an actress in a musical, recognized her true vocation as a vocalist. In 1978 she moved to Rio, where Roberto Menescal—then Polygram’s A&R director—offered her a debut session that produced the album Flor do Mal. Her first chart success was the title song of her second release, Pedaço de Mim, drawn from Buarque’s musical A Ópera do Malandro, in which she also performed that year.
During the 1980s Possi tilted her repertoire toward mainstream pop at the expense of MPB, scoring a major success with “Asa Morena” (Zé Caradípia, 1982). Additional hits from the decade included “Perigo” (Nico Resende/Paulinho Lima, 1986), “A Paz” (Gilberto Gil/João Donato, 1987), “É A Vida Que Diz” (Marina), and “O Amor Vem Pra Cada Um,” her Portuguese rendering of George Harrison’s “Love Comes to Everyone.” The 1989 LP Estrebucha Baby signaled an exploratory turn, presenting the first non-rock, non-pop arrangement of Herbert Vianna’s “Meu Erro” as a richly interpretive ballad and thereby lending credibility to a style then entering MPB under uncertain acceptance.
The 1990 presentation Sobre Todas As Coisas, scored for piano, voice, and percussion, marked the moment Possi discovered an inner artistic unity after earlier experiments. Encouraged by the tour’s reception, she followed Marcos Suzano’s advice to add Lui Coimbra’s cello and captured the results on the 1991 album of the same name. The acoustic aesthetic and celebration of Brazilian classics reached fuller expression on Valsa Brasileira (1993) and the projects that followed. That record yielded two notable tracks: “Bom Dia” (Swami Jr./Paulo Freire) and “Lamento” (Pixinguinha).
Albums
Amanhece
2018
O Mar Me Leva
2016
Pra Sempre E Mais Um Dia
2006
Estrebucha Baby
2002
Amor & Música
2002
Zizi
2002
Zizi Possi Em "Dê Um Rolê"
2002
Puro Prazer
2000
Per Amore
1998
Asa Morena
1997
Valsa Brasileira
1994
Pedaço De Mim
1979
Singles
