Marisa Monte (Brazil)

Marisa Monte one of the greatest Brazilian singers of all time – and the greatest of her generation. Throughout a career spanning 30 years, the singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer has blended samba and Música popular brasileira with pop, jazz and soul, all featuring her exquisite, operatically-trained voice.

Marisa de Azevedo Monte grew up in a musical environment in Rio de Janeiro. Her father, Carlos Monte, was cultural director at the Portela samba school and immersed her in Rio's samba tradition. When she was 18, she moved to Rome in order to study opera. There, she met Nelson Motta, a journalist who had been a central figure in Brazil’s groundbreaking MPB scene in the late 60s and early 70s. Halfway around the world, she discovered that her true love was contemporary Brazilian music.

She became a sensation in Brazil in the early nineties and got her global breakthrough with her second album, “Verde, Anil, Amarelo, Cor de Rosa e Carvão”, in 1994. For her 2000 release “Memórias, Crônicas, e Declaracões de Amor”, she was awarded her first of four Latin Grammys. She worked with greats such as Arto Lindsay, Arnaldo Antunes, Nando Reis, and Carlinhos Brown, expanding her stylistic range, pushing forward while digging deep into the roots of samba. Several successful collaborations and albums followed, both under her own name and with the Brazilian supergroup Tribalistas.

In 2021, Monte released “Portas”, her first studio album in a decade. It was recorded across four countries and is packed with creative arrangements, memorable songs, lush production details and old and new collaborators. It was a record made by an artist still in her creative prime – and the live recordings which were released in 2023 showed what an effortless, singular performer she is.

In 2024, Marisa Monte will perform at Oslo World for the very first time. Hits such as "Ainda Bem", "Já sei Namorar", "Amor I Love You" and "Velha Infância" are included in the repertoire, which will highlight important moments in a long and remarkable career. It will be the opening concert for this festival – we couldn’t wish for a better start.