1989

Born into a middle class family from Espírito Santo (SE), she moved with her parents to Rio de Janeiro at the age of two. Nara Leão started having guitar lessons in her teens with Carlos Lyra and Roberto Menescal. According to some music critics, bossa nova was born in Nara's apartment in Copacabana, where she held jam sessions. In the late 50's, Nara Leão worked as reported for a newspaper during the day and performed at night, singing with her small voice and accompanying herself on the guitar.

She made her professional debut in 1963, in the musical "Pobre Menina Rica", by Vinicius de Moraes and Carlos Lyra. In the same year, she recorded two tracks of the album "Depois do Carnaval", by Carlinhos Lyra: "Marcha da Quarta-feira de Cinzas" (C. Lyra/ V. Moraes) and "Promessas de Você" (C. Lyra/ N.L. Barros). In the following year, she recorded her first LP, "Nara", provoking a great polemic due to its repertoire which included not only bossa nova tunes, but also several samba tunes written by the so-called "favela comosers" like "Diz que Fui por Aí", by Zé Kéti and Hortênsio Rocha, "Luz Negra", by Nelson Cavaquinho and Amâncio Cardoso, and "O Sol Nascerá", by Cartola and Elton Medeiros.

At the end of 1964, during the military dictatorship, Nara performed in the show "Opinião", together with Zé Kéti and João do Vale, one of the most important protest manifestations against the military regime. Soon after, Nara made the record "Opinião de Nara", which included the songs "Opinião" and "Acender as Velas", by Zé Kéti, "Sina de Caboclo" (João do Vale) and "Chegança" (Edu Lobo/ Vianinha). In the following year, she invited the newcomer Maria Bethânia, from Bahia, to replace her in the show. Thus, one could say that Nara was responsible for the discovery of this great singer as well as for re-launching long forgotten musicians, such as João do Vale and Zé Kéti.

In 1966, at the TV Record Music Festival, she performed the song "A Banda", by Chico Buarque, which shared the first place with "Disparada", sang by Jair Rodrigues. Years later, she joined the tropicalist movement, and took part in the recording of the album "Tropicália ou Panis et Circensis", regarded as the symbol of tropicália.

In the following years, Nara spent a period in France, where she resumed her bossa nova repertoire and recorded two bossa nova LPs. She played a few shows and performed with other musicians, besides recording in Japan.

Endowed with a talent for spotting new composers, Nara launched several songwriters by lending her voice to songs that were turned into big hits, like "Pedro Pedreiro", "Olê Olá" (both by Chico Buarque), "Maria Moita" (Carlos Lyra/ Vinicius), "Corisco" (Sergio Ricardo/ Glauber Rocha), "Esse Mundo É Meu" (Sergio Ricardo), "Maria Joana", "Pede Passagem" (Sidney Miller), "Recado" (Casquinha/ Paulinho da Viola), "Coisas do Mundo, Minha Nega" (Paulinho da Viola), "João e Maria" (Sivuca/ Chico Buarque), "Com Açúcar, com Afeto" (Chico Buarque), "Apanhei-te Cavaquinho" (Ernesto Nazareth/ Nara Leão). She also recorded basically all of the bossa nova classics.