1960

Born in Belém, Leila Pinheiro started playing the piano at the age of 10. At 20 she dropped out of medical school and starred in the show "Sinal de Partida". In that same year Leila moved to Rio de Janeiro, where she made her first independent album, "Leila Pinheiro" (1983). Two years later, she won the "Best New Artist" award with the song "Verde" (Eduardo Gudin /José Carlos Costa Netto), at a music festival sponsored by a TV network. In 1987, Leila Pinheiro signed up a deal with Polygram and released the album "Olho Nu", which made her win the Best Performer Award at the Yamaha World Festival in Japan. Amassing awards, Leila recorded two more albums, including the CD "Bênção, Bossa Nova", a special tribute to the 30th anniversary of bossa nova. The disc was produced by Roberto Menescal and specially geared to the Japanese market, turning into a big hit both in Japan and Brazil. Since then, Leila has been regarded as a bossa nova specialist, particularly after her 1994 CD "Isso É Bossa Nova". Two years later, she recorded a totally different album, "Catavento e Girassol", which included compositions by Guinga and Aldir Blanc.

By the end of the 90’s, Leila Pinheiro performed with Ivan Lins in the United States and participated in a tribute concert to Tom Jobim at the Carnegie Hall, in New York. She also released the CD "Na Ponta da Língua", whose tracks were written by new composers, and toured Brazil in 1999 and 2000.