Adriana Calcanhotto is a well known Brazilian singer/composer. While her songs are most often categorized as belonging to the MPB (Brazilian Pop) genre, the fact that some of them have gone on to be remixed by Zouk DJs has earned her an honorary place on the Zouk Artist Directory.
Her father, a jazz drummer, accompanied Elis Regina in her early career, and influenced Calcanhotto’s taste for music. She started her professional career in 1984 in Porto Alegre playing and singing at small bars then moved to Rio, where she was invited to sing at similar venues.
Adriana’s first album, Enguiço, was released in 1990. It included only one original composition, the title track, while the rest of the album consisted of covers of well known MPB songs. The album spawned her first hit, a cover of Caetano Veloso’s Naquela Estação, which became successful largely due to it being included in the soundtrack of the primetime soap Rainha da Sucata, one of the most successful soaps in the history of Brazilian television.
1992 saw the release of “Senhas”, which included the hits Mentiras and Esquadros and was followed by a successful national tour.
In 1994, she released “A Fábrica do Poema,” considered by many to be her most poetic album. On it she collaborated such lyricists as Wally Salomão and Antonio Cicero, while the album included the hits Metade and Inverno. This was followed by “Maritmo,” a concept album intended as the first part of a trilogy having water as a main theme.
At the turn of the millennium, Adriana experienced the peak of her career with the release of the album Público in 2000. Her first live album/dvd, “Público” was recorded in a voz-e-violão (voice and guitar) style, in which there was no band, only Calcanhotto playing her acoustic guitar. The album included a cover of the staple torch song Devolva-me, made famous by the duo Lilian & Renato back in the 1960s. This album was followed by her first greatest hits compilation, “Perfil.” Another album of new material wouldn’t be released until 2002, when the singer released “Cantada”.
After the release of “Cantada” album, Adriana took on the persona of Adriana Partimpim, an alias the singer claims to have used as a child. Adriana Partimpim released her self-titled “debut” in 2004, an album of covers featuring essentially traditional children’s songs, but which also included familiar pop songs made to resemble children’s songs. A live cd/dvd combo of the show was also released the following year.
Her most recent album, Maré, was released in early 2008 and featured a guest appearance by the singer’s personal friend, Marisa Monte as well as a cover of Marina Lima’s song Três. This was followed by a tour of Brazil, Europe, Japan and the United States. Adriana has chronicled her adventures on tour in the book “Saga Lusa” (Portuguese Saga). The book was released on October 28 in Rio de Janeiro.
On October 23, 2009, Adriana performed in front of an adoring crowd at the Museum of Civilization in Gatineau, Quebec, Canada. A free performance presented by the Embassy of Brazil.
Adrianna Calacanhotto’s music was featured in the third episode of the Zouk Nation Podcast.
