Maria Bethânia (BR)

About

Also known as: Maria Beth, Maria Bethania, Maria Bethânia Vianna Telles Veloso, Maria Bethãnia

Few Brazilian singers carry a stage presence quite like Maria Bethânia. The Bahia born MPB icon launched herself onto the national scene in 1964 with the Rio show "Opinião", and her very first single, the protest song "Carcará" in 1965, turned her into a star almost overnight. Over a career spanning nearly five decades, she has released 50 studio albums and sold more than 26 million records, making her one of the ten best selling music artists in Brazil and the most awarded artist in the history of the Brazilian Music Awards. Her sound evolved considerably over the years. The 1970s brought gold certified albums like Pássaro da Manhã and Álibi, the latter shifting over a million copies, while 1993's As Canções Que Você Fez Para Mim became the year's biggest selling album in the country. She was part of Doces Bárbaros, the supergroup she formed with Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil and Gal Costa, and she later recorded with Cuban legend Omara Portuondo. Rolling Stone Brasil ranked her the fifth greatest voice in Brazilian music in 2012.