Luísa Maita

Luísa Maita
Background information
Birth name	Luísa Taubkin Maita
Born	(1982-04-27) April 27, 1982 (age 42) São Paulo, Brazil
Genres	MPB, Latin jazz, world
Occupation(s)	Singer, songwriter
Instrument	Vocals
Labels	Cumbancha
Website	www.luisamaita.com

Luísa Maita (Portuguese pronunciation: [luˈizɐ]) is a Brazilian singer-songwriter known for her mix of traditional Brazilian samba, bossa nova, and MPB along with modern electronic sounds.^[1][2] Her debut album was released in the US and Europe on the label Cumbancha^[3] and in Brazil by Oi Música in May 2010.

Biography

Maita was born in São Paulo, Brazil on April 27, 1982, into a musical family. Her father, Amado Maita, was a composer and musician and her mother, Myriam Taubkin, is a singer and music producer.^[4] Her name derives from a song by the bossa nova pioneer Antonio Carlos Jobim, whom her parents also named her two sisters after.^[5] The samba was present in Luisa's early days because of the experiences of her father in Bixiga, a working-class neighborhood in São Paulo famous for its culture, food, and music.^[6][7]

As a child at home, Maita started singing samba, bossa nova, and her father's compositions, and at the age of seven began recording jingles. In 2001, Maita founded her first band, Urbanda, with Morris Picciotto,^[1] but eventually left to pursue a solo career.^[8] Maita sang in a 2009 promotional video directed by Fernando Meirelles for the 2016 Olympics bid,^[9] wrote two songs for Virginia Rosa's album Samba a Dois (2006),^[10] and wrote "Beleza" with Rodrigo Campos for Mariana Aydar's second album,^[8] which was one of the best songs of 2009 according to Rolling Stone Brazil magazine.^[11]

In 2010, Maita released her first solo album, Lero-Lero on Cumbancha. She says the title means "an informal conversation".^[8] Maita wrote a number of the songs, with others arranged by string expert Paulo Lepetit and bassist Rodrigo Campos, who both perform on the album.^[8][4] Cumbancha also released a remixed version of Lero-Lero in the same year, entitled Maita Remixed.^[12][8]

In November 2010, Maita made her first North America tour.^[13][14][4] During the tour, she appeared on NPR's Tiny Desk Concert^[15] and KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic show.^[16] In Brazil, the album appeared in lists of the best albums of 2010, including in the magazines Veja^[17] and Rolling Stone Brasil.^[18]

In July 2011, Maita received the award for Best New Artist^[19] in the twenty-second edition of the Brazilian Music Award, and went on her first European tour, playing in festivals such as Nuits du Sud in France and Musicas do Mundo in Portugal. The 2014 coming-of-age film Boyhood, directed by Richard Linklater, featured two of Maita's songs, including "Lero-Lero".^[20]

Maita's second solo album, Fio da Memória, or "threads of memory", was released by Cumbancha in 2016.^[21]

Genre and influences

Lero-Lero combines influences from alternative pop, downtempo electronica, MPB (música popular brasileira), samba, and bossa nova all on an acoustic base.^[3] The overall sound of her album Fio da Memória was inspired by the bustle of the city in São Paulo.^[7] Maita cites Billie Holiday, Chet Baker,^[3] Michael Jackson, Sade, Kid Cudi, and Nana Vasconcelos as inspirations for her music.^[22] As a child, her parents introduced her to João Gilberto, Nana Caymmi, Vinicius de Moraes, Milton Nascimento, Edu Lobo, and Baden Powell.^[1] Some of the rhythms in her album are drawn from the Afro-Brazilian martial art capoeira.^[5]

Discography

• Lero-Lero (Oi Música, Cumbancha, 2010)
• Maita Remixed (Cumbancha, 2010)
• Fio da Memória (Cumbancha, 2016)^[23]

Awards

• 2011 – Best New Artist at the Brazilian Music Awards (the Brazilian equivalent of the Grammy)^[24]

References

1. Slater, Russ (July 1, 2010). "Luisa Maita offers up a fresh mix of samba, bossa nova and MPB". Sounds and Colours. Retrieved November 15, 2012.
2. Adams, Jordan. "Modern Threads: Brazil's Luísa Maita on Her New Record". Seven Days. Retrieved August 8, 2019.
3. Jeff Tamarkin (April 1, 2010). "Jeff Tamarkin, "Luisa Maita to Release Debut Album on Cumbancha Discovery Label"". Shoutcastblog.com. Archived from the original on February 25, 2012. Retrieved November 15, 2012.
4. "Brazilliant! – The Boston Globe". Boston.com. November 7, 2010. Retrieved November 15, 2012.
5. "Luisa Maita: The New Voice Of Brazil". NPR. August 2, 2010. Retrieved November 15, 2012.
6. Editorial (October 18, 2016). "How Brazil's Political Protests Inspired Luisa Maita's "Fio de Memoria"". Bandcamp Daily. Retrieved August 8, 2019.
7. "Luísa Maita: Threads of Memory". read.tidal.com. October 24, 2016. Retrieved August 8, 2019.
8. "São Paulo singer Luísa Maita rises to become pride of Brazil". Wax Poetics. January 14, 2015. Retrieved August 8, 2019.
9. "Folha de S.Paulo - Mônica Bergamo - 16/10/2009". www1.folha.uol.com.br. Retrieved August 8, 2019.
10. "Folha de S.Paulo - Crítica/MPB: Virginia Rosa espalha ecletismo pelo samba - 29/12/2006". www1.folha.uol.com.br. Retrieved August 8, 2019.
11. Sabbre Agência. "Rolling Stone Brazil, "25 melhores músicas nacionais de 2009"". Rollingstone.com.br. Archived from the original on July 22, 2011. Retrieved November 15, 2012.
12. "Luísa Maita Maita Remixed". exclaim.ca. Retrieved August 8, 2019.
13. Pareles, Jon (November 5, 2010). "Luísa Maita at S.O.B.'s – Review". The New York Times. Retrieved November 15, 2012.
14. "Click Track – In concert: Luisa Maita at Bohemian Caverns". Blog.washingtonpost.com. November 5, 2010. Retrieved November 15, 2012.
15. Contreras, Felix (December 26, 2010). "Luisa Maita: Tiny Desk Concert". NPR. Retrieved November 15, 2012.
16. "Luísa Maita Live at KCRW on Morning Becomes Eclectic 11.18.10". Kcrw.com. Retrieved November 15, 2012.
17. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on April 26, 2012. Retrieved December 11, 2011.
18. Sabbre Agência (September 20, 2012). "Os 25 Melhores Discos Nacionais de 2010 – Rolling Stone Brasil". Rollingstone.com.br. Retrieved November 15, 2012.
19. "Conheça os vencedores | Prêmio da música brasileira". Premiodemusica.com.br. July 7, 2011. Archived from the original on September 13, 2012. Retrieved November 15, 2012.
20. Boyhood (2014) - IMDb, retrieved August 8, 2019
21. "Album Review: Luísa Maita – Fio Da Memória [Cumbancha, September 2016]". Rhythm Passport. August 30, 2016. Retrieved August 8, 2019.
22. Slater, Russ (September 5, 2010). "Five Records that Changed My Life – Luísa Maita". Soundsandcolours.com. Retrieved November 15, 2012.
23. "Luisa Maita | Album Discography | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved April 6, 2017.
24. ""São Paulo is a Sensation:" Luísa Maita is Setting Synths & Samba to the Sound of the City". Remezcla. September 8, 2016. Retrieved August 8, 2019.

External links

• Official web site
• Cumbancha artist's page