Nara Leão

Nara Lofego Leão (; January 19, 1942 – June 7, 1989) was a Brazilian bossa nova and MPB (popular Brazilian music) singer and occasional actress. Leão was married twice, to Ruy Guerra and subsequently Carlos Diegues, both film directors.

Life Leão was born in Vitória, Espírito Santo. When she was twelve, her father gave her a guitar since he was worried about her being shy. Her teachers were popular musician and composer Patricio Teixeira and classical guitarist Solon Ayala. As a teenager in the late 1950s, she became friends with a number of singers and composers who took part in Bossa Nova's musical revolution, including Roberto Menescal, Carlos Lyra, Ronaldo Bôscoli, João Gilberto, Vinicius de Moraes, and Antônio Carlos Jobim. There are even voices that claim that it was in her room in her parents' home in Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro, that the new music was born in the fifties. By 1963, after singing as an amateur for a few years, she became a professional and toured with Sérgio Mendes.

In the mid-1960s, the institution of military dictatorship in Brazil led her to sing increasingly political lyrics. Her show, Opinião, reflected her political beliefs, and she had largely switched to political music by this point. In 1964 she even spoke against bossa nova as a movement, calling it "alienating." In 1968 she appeared on the album Tropicália: ou Panis et Circenses, performing "Lindonéia."

She later left Brazil for Paris and in the 1970s abandoned music to focus on her family. She returned to music later, and when she discovered in 1986 that she had an inoperable brain tumor, she increased her productivity as much as possible. She died in 1989.

Nara's sister was Danuza Leão, a model and socialite who was also a newspaper columnist and occasional TV commentator.

Discography 1989: My Foolish Heart 1987: Meus Sonhos Dourados 1986: Garota de Ipanema 1985: Nara e Menescal - Um Cantinho, Um Violão 1984: Abraços E Beijinhos e Carinhos Sem Ter Fim... Nara 1983: Meu Samba Encabulado 1982: Nasci Para Bailar 1981: Romance Popular 1980: Com Açúcar, Com Afeto 1979: Nara Canta en Castellano 1978: Debaixo Dos Caracóis Dos Seus Cabelos 1977: Meus Amigos São Um Barato 1974: Meu Primeiro Amor 1971: Dez Anos Depois 1969: Coisas do Mundo 1968: Nara Leão 1967: Vento de Maio 1967: Nara 1966: Liberdade, Liberdade 1966: Manhã de Liberdade 1966: Nara Pede Passagem 1966: Show Opinião 1965: Cinco na Bossa 1965: O Canto Livre de Nara 1964: Opinião de Nara 1964: Nara