In her fifty-year-long career, Brazilian singer Gal Costa has built up an impressive record of achievements. Born in Salvador, she has released thirty studio albums, performed all over the world, and for decades she has been one of the icons of Tropicália, a movement that blends traditional Brazilian culture with foreign artistic influences. Costa, born as Maria da Graça Costa Penna Burgos, fell in love with the power of music while working in a record shop. The bossa nova pioneer João Gilberto became one of her heroes. She released her self-titled debut album in 1969 and it became a classic thanks to the combination of a typical Brazilian style and many North American and psychedelic influences. Now, nearly fifty years on, Costa is still experimenting. Last year she released the album Estratosférica on which the now 70-year-old singer works with screeching guitars and rock drums, once again proving that she has moved far away from her bossa nova comfort zone.
