CéU
Encyclopedia
Céu whose full name is Maria do Céu Whitaker Poças, is a Brazil
ian singer-songwriter
whose first American
album was released on the Six Degrees Records
label in April 2007. She was born in São Paulo
, Brazil on April 17, 1980, into a musical family, her father being a composer
, arranger
and musicologist. It was from her father that she learned to appreciate Brazil's classical music
composers, particularly Heitor Villa-Lobos
, Ernesto Nazaré and Orlando Silva.
By age fifteen she had decided to become a musician
and by her late teens she had studied music theory
, as well as the violão (nylon-stringed Brazilian guitar
). Her songs reveal her many influences, which include samba
, valsa, choro
, soul
, rhythm and blues
, hip hop
, afrobeat
and electrojazz music.
As Céu herself explained, "I have a passion for Black culture, from Jazz
divas to Afro beat. Everything comes from Africa
. With Samba, I have a very strong connection to the old school that we call 'Samba de raiz' (Root Samba). I am a vinyl
listener, so I tried to bring some of that to the CD, mixing it with modern things like rap or even 'Brega
', which is the newest thing in Brazil."
In particular, she cites as influences the music of Billie Holiday
, Ella Fitzgerald
, Lauryn Hill
, and Erykah Badu
, as well as the Brazilian Jorge Ben.
Céu was performing onstage with major artists and exploring the repertoire of the marchinhas (turn-of-the-century carnival music) by her late teens. Soon after that she relocated temporarily to New York City, where she had a chance meeting with fellow Brazilian musician Antonio Pinto
, who became her flat mate while he was going through some financial difficulties. She later learned that he was actually a distant cousin, and their relationship was renewed when he teamed up with lead producer Beto Villares, composer of the musical score for the movie O Ano em que Meus Pais Saíram de Férias
(2007) to help her record her album. Pinto, who produced Céu's song "Ave Cruz" is the composer of the musical score for two Oscar Nominated films, Central Station (film) (1999) and City of God (2002).
Originally issued in 2005 on the São Paulo-based Urban Jungle
, Céu was picked up by Six Degrees/Starbucks/Hear Music in the US and UK, JVC in Japan and Harmonia Mundi in France and in the Netherlands. Céu received a Latin Grammy nomination for “best new artist” of 2006 and a Grammy nomination for "Best Contemporary World Music Album." of 2007. She is also riding high on a wave of international success in France, where the influential Les Inrockuptibles recognized her as one of the top 5 musical revelations of 2005, Holland, and Italy, as well as in Canada, where she was recently the fourth highest-selling artist for the Archambault chain of music shops while simultaneously holding the number 32 slot on the pop charts.
Debut album in the U.S. with Six Degrees Records as the first international artist on Starbucks' Hear Music Debut Series. Her album was received with critical praise from NPR's Morning Edition, The Associated Press, Reuters, and many more, hailing her as "…a fresh new face in the Brazilian music scene." Her album has sound scanned over 110,000 copies to date, making her the biggest selling Brazilian artist of 2007. Céu reached unprecedented chart numbers for a Brazilian female artist—1 on Billboard's Heatseekers (New Artist) Chart, 57 on the Billboard Hot 100 and 1 on Billboard's World Music charts. In 2008, Céu received a Grammy nomination for “Best Contemporary World Music Album” of 2007 for her debut album Céu. In 2009, her critically acclaimed second album Vagarosa
reached #2 on the US Billboard's World Music charts. The album has since been nominated for a 2010 Latin Grammy for Best Contemporary Brazilian Pop Record.
In 2010, Céu was invited by Herbie Hancock
to record a version of "Tempo de Amor" for The Imagine Project
album.
In 2011, she contributed a version of the track "It's a Long Way" in collaboration with Apollo Nove and N.A.S.A.
for the Red Hot Organization's
most recent charitable album "Red Hot+Rio 2." The album is a follow-up to the 1996 "Red Hot+Rio." Proceeds from the sales will be donated to raise awareness and money to fight AIDS/HIV and related health and social issues.
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
whose first American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
album was released on the Six Degrees Records
Six Degrees Records
Six Degrees Records is an independent record label noted for its catalog of recordings from international musicians and vocalists. It has been described by the journalist and producer Derek Beres as "one of the most groundbreaking labels of the past decade."...
label in April 2007. She was born in São Paulo
São Paulo
São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...
, Brazil on April 17, 1980, into a musical family, her father being a composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, arranger
Arranger
In investment banking, an arranger is a provider of funds in the syndication of a debt. They are entitled to syndicate the loan or bond issue, and may be referred to as the "lead underwriter". This is because this entity bears the risk of being able to sell the underlying securities/debt or the...
and musicologist. It was from her father that she learned to appreciate Brazil's classical music
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
composers, particularly Heitor Villa-Lobos
Heitor Villa-Lobos
Heitor Villa-Lobos was a Brazilian composer, described as "the single most significant creative figure in 20th-century Brazilian art music". Villa-Lobos has become the best-known and most significant Latin American composer to date. He wrote numerous orchestral, chamber, instrumental and vocal works...
, Ernesto Nazaré and Orlando Silva.
By age fifteen she had decided to become a musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
and by her late teens she had studied music theory
Music theory
Music theory is the study of how music works. It examines the language and notation of music. It seeks to identify patterns and structures in composers' techniques across or within genres, styles, or historical periods...
, as well as the violão (nylon-stringed Brazilian guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
). Her songs reveal her many influences, which include samba
Samba
Samba is a Brazilian dance and musical genre originating in Bahia and with its roots in Brazil and Africa via the West African slave trade and African religious traditions. It is recognized around the world as a symbol of Brazil and the Brazilian Carnival...
, valsa, choro
Choro
Choro , traditionally called chorinho , is a Brazilian popular music instrumental style. Its origins are in 19th century Rio de Janeiro. In spite of the name, the style often has a fast and happy rhythm, characterized by virtuosity, improvisation, subtile modulations and full of syncopation and...
, soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
, rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
, hip hop
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
, afrobeat
Afrobeat
Afrobeat is a combination of traditional Yoruba music, jazz, highlife, funk and chanted vocals, fused with percussion and vocal styles, popularised in Africa in the 1970s. Its main creator was the Nigerian multi-instrumentalist and bandleader Fela Kuti, who gave it its name, who used it to...
and electrojazz music.
As Céu herself explained, "I have a passion for Black culture, from Jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
divas to Afro beat. Everything comes from Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
. With Samba, I have a very strong connection to the old school that we call 'Samba de raiz' (Root Samba). I am a vinyl
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
listener, so I tried to bring some of that to the CD, mixing it with modern things like rap or even 'Brega
Brega (music)
Brega is a genre of Brazilian popular music. The name, originally pejorative and discriminatory in nature , has since somewhat lost this meaning. Historically, the greatest singers of the genre are from northeastern and northern Brazil; two of its biggest icons historically were Reginaldo Rossi...
', which is the newest thing in Brazil."
In particular, she cites as influences the music of Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday was an American jazz singer and songwriter. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and musical partner Lester Young, Holiday had a seminal influence on jazz and pop singing...
, Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Jane Fitzgerald , also known as the "First Lady of Song" and "Lady Ella," was an American jazz and song vocalist...
, Lauryn Hill
Lauryn Hill
Lauryn Noelle Hill is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress.Early in her career, she established her reputation as a member of the Fugees. In 1998, she launched her solo career with the release of the commercially successful and critically acclaimed album, The Miseducation of...
, and Erykah Badu
Erykah Badu
Erica Abi Wright , better known by her stage name Erykah Badu , is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Her work includes elements from R&B, hip hop and jazz. She is best known for her role in the rise of the neo soul sub-genre, and for her eccentric, cerebral musical...
, as well as the Brazilian Jorge Ben.
Céu was performing onstage with major artists and exploring the repertoire of the marchinhas (turn-of-the-century carnival music) by her late teens. Soon after that she relocated temporarily to New York City, where she had a chance meeting with fellow Brazilian musician Antonio Pinto
Antonio Pinto
Antonio Pinto may refer to:*António Pinto , Portuguese long-distance runner*Antonio Pinto , Brazilian composer of film music...
, who became her flat mate while he was going through some financial difficulties. She later learned that he was actually a distant cousin, and their relationship was renewed when he teamed up with lead producer Beto Villares, composer of the musical score for the movie O Ano em que Meus Pais Saíram de Férias
O Ano em que Meus Pais Saíram de Férias
The Year My Parents Went on Vacation is a 2006 Brazilian drama film directed by Cao Hamburger. The screenplay, which took four years to be completed, was written by Hamburger, Adriana Falcão, Claudio Galperin, Anna Muylaert and Bráulio Mantovani....
(2007) to help her record her album. Pinto, who produced Céu's song "Ave Cruz" is the composer of the musical score for two Oscar Nominated films, Central Station (film) (1999) and City of God (2002).
Originally issued in 2005 on the São Paulo-based Urban Jungle
Urban Jungle (record label)
Urban Jungle is an independent record label and artist management company founded in São Paulo, Brazil, inspired by the local Brazilian urban music scene, it has been releasing albums and representing artists like Céu, Curumin and Télépathique worldwide....
, Céu was picked up by Six Degrees/Starbucks/Hear Music in the US and UK, JVC in Japan and Harmonia Mundi in France and in the Netherlands. Céu received a Latin Grammy nomination for “best new artist” of 2006 and a Grammy nomination for "Best Contemporary World Music Album." of 2007. She is also riding high on a wave of international success in France, where the influential Les Inrockuptibles recognized her as one of the top 5 musical revelations of 2005, Holland, and Italy, as well as in Canada, where she was recently the fourth highest-selling artist for the Archambault chain of music shops while simultaneously holding the number 32 slot on the pop charts.
Debut album in the U.S. with Six Degrees Records as the first international artist on Starbucks' Hear Music Debut Series. Her album was received with critical praise from NPR's Morning Edition, The Associated Press, Reuters, and many more, hailing her as "…a fresh new face in the Brazilian music scene." Her album has sound scanned over 110,000 copies to date, making her the biggest selling Brazilian artist of 2007. Céu reached unprecedented chart numbers for a Brazilian female artist—1 on Billboard's Heatseekers (New Artist) Chart, 57 on the Billboard Hot 100 and 1 on Billboard's World Music charts. In 2008, Céu received a Grammy nomination for “Best Contemporary World Music Album” of 2007 for her debut album Céu. In 2009, her critically acclaimed second album Vagarosa
Vagarosa
Vagarosa is the second album of Brazilian singer/songwriter Céu. It was produced by Urban Jungle in 2009. Released by Six Degrees Records in the USA/UK/Germany and by Universal Music in Brazil.-Track listing:# Sobre o Amor e Seu Trabalho Silencioso...
reached #2 on the US Billboard's World Music charts. The album has since been nominated for a 2010 Latin Grammy for Best Contemporary Brazilian Pop Record.
In 2010, Céu was invited by Herbie Hancock
Herbie Hancock
Herbert Jeffrey "Herbie" Hancock is an American pianist, bandleader and composer. As part of Miles Davis's "second great quintet," Hancock helped to redefine the role of a jazz rhythm section and was one of the primary architects of the "post-bop" sound...
to record a version of "Tempo de Amor" for The Imagine Project
The Imagine Project
The Imagine Project is an album by Herbie Hancock released on June 22, 2010. The album, which was recorded in many locations throughout the world and features collaborations from various artists, was complemented by a documentary about the recording process. Hancock's interpretations of these songs...
album.
In 2011, she contributed a version of the track "It's a Long Way" in collaboration with Apollo Nove and N.A.S.A.
N.A.S.A. (musical group)
N.A.S.A. is a hip hop music duo, consisting of L.A.-based producers Squeak E. Clean and the Brazilian DJ Zegon. N.A.S.A. stands for North America/South America and, in addition to the two principals, includes approximately three dozen other artists from both coasts of the U.S...
for the Red Hot Organization's
Red Hot Organization
Red Hot Organization is a not-for-profit, 501 3, international organization dedicated to fighting AIDS through pop culture.Since its inception in 1989, over 400 artists, producers and directors have contributed to over 15 compilation albums, related television programs and media events to raise...
most recent charitable album "Red Hot+Rio 2." The album is a follow-up to the 1996 "Red Hot+Rio." Proceeds from the sales will be donated to raise awareness and money to fight AIDS/HIV and related health and social issues.
Trivia
- Céu (céu) means "sky" and "heaven" in PortuguesePortuguese languagePortuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
.
- Booking Agency: Loop Productions (Europe) - The Agency Group (USA, Australia, Japan)
- The song "Malemolência" was featured on the soccer game FIFA 08FIFA 08FIFA 08 is the 2008 installment of EA Sports' series of football video games. Developed by EA Canada, it is published by Electronic Arts worldwide under the EA Sports label. It was released on all popular gaming formats in September 2007 in Europe, Australia, and Asia, and in October 2007 in North...
.
- StarbucksStarbucksStarbucks Corporation is an international coffee and coffeehouse chain based in Seattle, Washington. Starbucks is the largest coffeehouse company in the world, with 17,009 stores in 55 countries, including over 11,000 in the United States, over 1,000 in Canada, over 700 in the United Kingdom, and...
has promoted her album in its coffeehouses through its Hear Music Debut CD seriesHear MusicHear Music, also known as StarCon is the brand name of Starbucks' retail music concept and record label. Hear Music began as a catalog company in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in 1990 before being purchased by Starbucks in 1999.-Concept:...
. She is the first international artist chosen by Starbucks for promotion.
- Céu performed at the opening ceremony of the 2007 Pan American Games
- In 2008 Céu formed the São Paulo collective "Sonantes" with Brazilian musicians and producers Rica Amabis, Gui Amabis, Pupillo, Dengue.
- Céu is one of the rare Brazilian artists who has performed at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts FestivalCoachella Valley Music and Arts FestivalThe Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival is a three-day annual music and arts festival, organized by Goldenvoice and held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, in the Inland Empire's Coachella Valley...
(2010)
Discography
- 2005 - CéU (#57 Billboard 200/#1 Billboard World Music/#4 Top Independent Albums/#1 Top Heatseekers)
- 2007 - Remixed EP (digitally released only)
- 2009 - VagarosaVagarosaVagarosa is the second album of Brazilian singer/songwriter Céu. It was produced by Urban Jungle in 2009. Released by Six Degrees Records in the USA/UK/Germany and by Universal Music in Brazil.-Track listing:# Sobre o Amor e Seu Trabalho Silencioso...
(#2 Billboard World Music)
Awards and nominations
- 2006 Latin Grammy nomination for “Best New Artist” of that year.
- 2007 Grammy nomination for “Best Contemporary World Music Album (Vocal or Instrumental)”Grammy Award for Best Contemporary World Music AlbumThe Grammy Award for Best Contemporary World Music Album was an honor presented to recording artists between 2004 and 2011 for quality contemporary world music albums...
of that year for her debut album Céu. - 2010 Latin Grammy nomination for “Best Brazilian Pop Album".
Sources
- Official Web Site
- "CéU's Brazilian Melting Pot", Morning Edition (National Public Radio), 13 April 2007, NPR.org
- Biographical Sketch at SixDegreesRecords.com
- "Singer Ceu brings sexy back to Brazilian music" (Reuters report)
- "CéU: From Brazil with Love", World Cafe (National Public Radio), 30 April 2007, NPR.org