Leila Maria

Brazilian singer and songwrite. After a period working as an invited singer of Paulo Moura’s band (late Brazilian well-known conductor and clarinetist), she signed with the label GPA to record an album. Vom Kopf Bis Fuss (From Head to Feet) released in 1997 was very well received by public and critics. The CD introduced the singer and songwriter with her unique style and daring arrangements.

The phonographic crisis that, in Brazil, led the great recording companies to sign with artists only for the quantity of sales, not for the quality of the productions, reduced the options for artists like Leila Maria. Still it wasn’t a problem for her and Leila kept on working in the axle Rio/São Paulo, up to securing her name as a great interpreter. Leila always had the respect and the sympathy of the musicians, many of them being established names in our music. One is Ed Motta, singer, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and producer who invited her to share with him one of the songs of his album Dwitza (Universal). Ed Motta has said in interviews that, for him, Leila is “one of the biggest living singers in the world”.

b.: April 15, 1956 - Rio de Janeiro, RJ