Astrud Gilberto(1940 — 2023)
Astrud Gilberto
Brésil
6 min read
Brazilian-American singer born in 1940 and died in 2023, iconic figure of bossa nova. Her soft, understated voice on "The Girl from Ipanema" (1964) introduced this Brazilian style to the world.
Frequently asked questions
Key Facts
- Born in 1940 in Salvador de Bahia (Brazil), she grew up in Rio de Janeiro.
- In 1964, she recorded "The Girl from Ipanema" on the album *Getz/Gilberto*, alongside Stan Getz and João Gilberto.
- The album *Getz/Gilberto* won several Grammy Awards in 1965, including Album of the Year, launching her international career.
- Settled in the United States, she pursued a singing career and became an ambassador of bossa nova worldwide.
- She died in 2023, after a career spanning more than fifty years.
Works & Achievements
Legendary album merging jazz and bossa nova; won Album of the Year at the 1965 Grammys.
Her voice on this track makes it one of the most recorded songs in history; Grammy for Record of the Year.
Her first album as a lead artist, confirming her solo career.
Album with orchestral arrangements by Gil Evans, expanding her repertoire.
Record blending bossa nova and pop, reflecting her musical openness.
Collaboration with saxophonist Stanley Turrentine, between jazz and bossa nova.
Anecdotes
Astrud Gilberto was not a professional singer. In March 1963, in New York, she simply accompanied her husband João Gilberto to the recording session for the album "Getz/Gilberto." Since she was the only one in the group who spoke English well, she was asked to sing the English verses of "The Girl from Ipanema": an improvisation that would change her life.
The full version of the song lasted over five minutes, with a verse in Portuguese sung by João Gilberto. For the 45 RPM single intended for radio, producers cut the Portuguese part and kept mainly Astrud's soft voice in English: it was this shortened version that became a global hit.
In 1965, "The Girl from Ipanema" won the Grammy Award for Record of the Year. Overnight, this unknown 24-year-old woman became one of the most famous voices in the world, a symbol of bossa nova for the American public.
Astrud often recounted that she received only a modest session fee for this recording, with no percentage of the album's massive sales — a common situation at the time for artists with little contractual protection.
In the last part of her life, retired from the stage, Astrud Gilberto devoted herself to painting and became an committed activist for animal rights, publishing texts on her personal website to defend animal rights.
Primary Sources
Studio recording featuring Stan Getz, João Gilberto, Antônio Carlos Jobim, and guest vocalist Astrud Gilberto, who sings the English lyrics of "The Girl from Ipanema."
Astrud describes the recording session where, though not a professional singer, she was invited to sing in English because she was the only one in the group who was fluent in the language.
The single credits Astrud Gilberto on vocals, accompanied on saxophone by Stan Getz, in an edited version for radio broadcast.
Key Places
City in northeastern Brazil where Astrud Evangelina Weinert was born in 1940.
City where she grew up; Ipanema Beach inspired the song that made her famous.
In a New York studio in 1963, she recorded her vocals for *Getz/Gilberto*.
American region where she settled and spent the last part of her life, until her death in 2023.
