Bethânia 75
Check out our Bethânia-themed playlist in celebration of her life and art and the documentary short “Bethânia Bem de Perto - A Propósito de um Show”(Bethânia Up Close – Apropos of a Show) (1965), directed by Julio Bressane. READ MORE
Today we celebrate the 75th birthday of the Queen Bee of Brazilian music: Maria Bethânia.
Born in Santo Amaro, Bahia, Bethânia was the first of the four baianos to come to Rio de Janeiro,in 1965. She kicked off her career by replacing Nara Leão at the Opinião show, where she immortalized her interpretation of Carcará, an anthem of protest songs.
Averse to movements, Bethânia refused to participate in the Panis At Circensis record, a symbol of the Tropicalist movement. She led a solo path, but not a solitary one. She performed the songs of many artists, from protest songs to samba, becoming an unavoidable name in the history of music in Brazil.
10 years later, Maria Bethânia dreamt that she had to sing with Gil, Caetano and Gal again. With her friends, she assembled Os Doces Bárbaros, which would become one of the most important collaborations in Brazilian music. Her story was turned into samba in 2016, when Mangueira, her favorite samba school, became champions with the theme “Maria Bethânia; the girl with the eyes of Oiá”
We prepared a Bethânia-themed playlist in celebration of her life and her art. Below, a link to the documentary short “Bethânia Bem de Perto - A Propósito de um Show” (1965). Directed by Julio Bressane, the film reveals behind the scenes footage from the Opinião show, when the world discovered Bethânia.
