LUISA MAITA - 'BIG HOME' - Live at Momo (London)

Born in 1982 in the Bela Vista neighbourhood of São Paulo, Luísa Maita has
always been surrounded by music.
It was a love of music that brought her parents together, helping them cross
the divide of their different family backgrounds. Luísa's father, Amado
Maita, was a working class musician of Syrian Muslim roots and her mother,
Myriam Taubkin, came from a wealthy family of European Jewish heritage, and
has been an important concert producer.
Luísa spent her early childhood in an area known as Bexiga, home to Italian
and Arab immigrants living alongside migrants from Brazil's musically rich
northeast. A microcosm of Brazil's history of cultural fusion, Bexiga is
famous for its bustling energy, food and music, and it is home to Vai-Vai,
São Paolo's most traditional samba school.

Luísa's home was constantly filled with visiting musicians, who came to hang
out and jam with her parents. Luísa sang a lot as a child. "My father liked
to play for us and I've been singing all his songs and samba and bossa nova
standards since I was very little."
The rhythms and energy of samba provides an essential underpinning.
Luísa was also enamoured with American music, especially Billie Holiday,
Chet Baker, Ray Charles, Michael Jackson, Prince and Stevie Wonder.

Luísa's parents divorced when she was a teenager and her mother married a
farmer and moved with the children to a rural area in the state of Minais
Gerais. Luísa developed an appreciation for the natural world and was
exposed to a completely different lifestyle. By the time she was seventeen,
however, Luísa moved back to São Paulo.

She started working at her uncle Benjamin Taubkin's record label, helping to
sell CDs at concerts and generally learning the ropes of the music business.
Luísa was also making an impression as the vocalist for the group Urbanda,
who released an album in 2003. In 2006, the Brazilian singer Virginia Rosa
recorded two of Luísa's compositions, and in 2009 popular singer Mariana
Aydar's version of a song co-written by Luísa was selected as "Song of the
Year" by Rolling Stone Brazil magazine.

Working with Rodrigo Campos and producer Paulo Lepetit, Luísa recorded a
demo which was given to the independent record label Cumbancha. As it
happens, Cumbancha president Jacob Edgar was a long time friend of Luísa's
uncle, but he had no idea his old friend's niece was such an amazing talent.
From the moment he heard the first notes of Lero-Lero, Edgar knew that Luísa
was the perfect fit for the label.

Lero-Lero is an album with a relaxed yet energizing spirit and reflects
Luísa's personal artistic expression and outlook. With obvious allegiances
to Brazilian samba and bossa nova, the songs also capture the influences of
jazz, pop, soul and electronica.

Luísa Maita demonstrates with Lero-Lero that she is one of Brazil's most
promising new singers.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Luisa Maita
• Brazil
• Samba
• Bossa Nova
• Taubkin
• Sao Paulo
• Lero Lero
• Cumbancha
• Live at Momo (London)
• Enchanted Tunes
• Laure Panerai