Rita Lee Jones de Carvalho (bornRita Lee Jones; 31 December 1947 – 8 May 2023), known professionally asRita Lee,[a] was a Brazilian singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, writer, television presenter and activist. Widely regarded as the most influential female figure inBrazilian rock and one of the country's greatest musical innovators, she sold over 55 million records, making her thebest-selling Brazilian female artist of all time and the fourth overall.
Lee's career was marked by continual reinvention and a fearless blending of genres. Beginning with thepsychedelic rock ofOs Mutantes (1966–1972), she later exploredTropicália,glam rock,disco,new wave,pop rock,bossa nova,electronic music andacoustic styles, creating a pioneering hybrid of international and national influences.[1] After leadingTutti Frutti (1973–1978), whose 1975 albumFruto Proibido is regarded as the cornerstone of Brazilian rock and was ranked byRolling Stone Brasil among the greatest albums inBrazilian music history,[2] she achieved her greatest commercial success in the late 1970s and 1980s with a series of albums—Rita Lee (1979),Rita Lee (1980),Saúde (1981) andRita Lee e Roberto de Carvalho (1982)—that dominated the charts and solidified her as a national icon. From 1976 onward she worked almost exclusively with multi-instrumentalist and composer Roberto de Carvalho, her lifelong romantic and creative partner and father of their three children.
Throughout her sixty-year career, Lee's lyrics—often laced with sharp irony and feminist themes[3]—produced enduring hits including "Ovelha Negra", "Agora Só Falta Você", "Mania de Você", "Chega Mais", "Doce Vampiro", "Lança Perfume", "Baila Comigo", "Saúde", "Banho de Espuma", "Flagra", "Erva Venenosa" and "Amor e Sexo". Avegan and outspoken advocate foranimal rights,women's rights and theLGBT community, she was nicknamed the "Queen of Brazilian Rock" and "Patron Saint of Liberty". She is the recipient of twelveBrazilian Music Awards, theLatin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award (2022), theAPCA Grand Critics' Prize for Popular Music (2016), and Brazil'sOrder of Cultural Merit (2003) andOrder of Rio Branco (2023).
Lee retired from touring in 2012 but continued releasing music, books and occasional collaborations until 2021. Diagnosed withlung cancer that year, she died in May 2023 atage 75.
Rita Lee Jones was born on 31 December 1947 inSão Paulo, the youngest daughter of Charles Fenley Jones (1904–1983), a Brazilian-born dentist of American descent—hisConfederate ancestors fromAlabama andTennessee had settled inSanta Bárbara d'Oeste after the American Civil War—and Romilda Padula (1904–1986), a pianist of Italian origin fromMolise.[4][5] Her two older sisters were Mary Lee and Virgínia Lee Jones; their father gave all three daughters the compound middle name "Lee" in honor of Confederate generalRobert E. Lee.[6] Although her parents initially intended to name her Bárbara afterSaint Barbara, at the baptism they chose Rita to honour her maternal grandmother Clorinda, who was known as Rita.[7]
Lee grew up in the middle-classVila Mariana neighbourhood, where she lived until the birth of her first child. She later described the area as holding many of her fondest memories.[8] She attended the French-BrazilianLiceu Pasteur, becoming fluent in Portuguese, English, French, Spanish, and Italian. In 1968 she briefly enrolled in theSocial Communication course at theUniversity of São Paulo alongside the future actressRegina Duarte, but dropped out the following year.[9][10]
In her teens Lee began writing songs and performing. She first sang in public with Tulio's Trio,[13] then formed an all-female vocal group, the Teenage Singers, who appeared at school parties. In 1964 they merged with a male trio, the Wooden Faces,[14] to create the Six Sided Rockers; the band soon changed its name to Os Seis and released a single.[12] After three members left, Lee and brothersArnaldo andSérgio Dias Baptista continued as Os Bruxos. In 1966, shortly before their television debut onO Pequeno Mundo de Ronnie Von (TV Record), presenterRonnie Von—prompted by a suggestion from producer Alberto Helena Júnior inspired by the science-fiction novelO Império dos Mutantes byStefan Wul—proposed the name Os Mutantes. The trio immediately adopted it.[15]
Os Mutantes in 1969; from left: Arnaldo Baptista, Lee and Sérgio Dias.Os Mutantes in 1971
For six years, Lee was a core member of the pioneeringtropicalista bandOs Mutantes, alongsideArnaldo Baptista andSérgio Dias. She contributed lead vocals, flute, and percussion, while occasionally playing synthesizer, banjo, and autoharp. Lee also experimented with unconventional sound sources, such as a pest-control spray pump to create effects in the track "Le Premier Bonheur du Jour", and served as the group's primary lyricist.[16] In 1967, Os Mutantes backedGilberto Gil at the III Festival de Música Popular Brasileira onTV Record, performing his composition "Domingo no Parque".[17]
The band released six studio albums between 1968 and 1972. Theirself-titled debut (1968) is widely regarded as a landmark ofBrazilian music, blendingpsychedelia, tropicalismo, andavant-garde elements to produce enduring hits including "A Minha Menina", "Dom Quixote", "Balada do Louco", "2001 (Dois Mil e Um)", and "Ando Meio Desligado". Lee married bandmate Arnaldo Baptista in 1968; the couple separated in 1972, with their divorce finalized in 1977.[16]
While still with Os Mutantes, Lee recorded two solo albums featuring backing from her bandmates.Build Up (1970), her debut, included several songs co-written with Arnaldo; it originated as the setlist for a private corporate event organized by the Fenit company in São Paulo.[18] The album yielded her first solo single, "José", a Portuguese-language cover ofGeorges Moustaki's "Joseph" (previously recorded byNara Leão). Her second effort,Hoje É o Primeiro Dia do Resto da Sua Vida (1972), was credited solely to Lee because Os Mutantes had already released an album that year, and their Philips contract prohibited additional releases under the band name. Os Mutantes performed and recorded the material, but only Lee appeared on the cover and received billing.[16]
Tensions arose from the dissolution of her marriage and disagreements over the band's shift towardprogressive rock. Lee was expelled from Os Mutantes by Arnaldo in 1972. Accounts of the departure vary, with some early reports suggesting she left voluntarily. Lee later described the moment in her 2016 autobiographyRita Lee: uma autobiografia:
My exit from the group happened in the classic style of "the groom is the last to know"—in this case, the bride. After spending the day out, I arrived at rehearsal to find a tense, heavy atmosphere. One would look away, another stared at the ceiling, fiddling with their instrument and such. Finally, Arnaldo broke the ice, took the floor, and informed me—not in these exact words, but the meaning was the same—that I was the corpse at this funeral. "We've decided that from now on, you're out of Os Mutantes because we're going in a progressive-virtuoso direction, and you don't have the chops as an instrumentalist." A spit in the face would have been less humiliating. Instead of falling to my knees, crying and begging forgiveness for being born a woman, I made a silent, elegant exit. I left the room in dramatic fashion, packed my bags, grabbed Danny (the dog), and adiós.[19]
In a 2007 interview, Arnaldo confirmed: "I kicked Rita out of Os Mutantes."[20]
Lee briefly formed thefolk-rock duo Cilibrinas do Éden with guitaristLúcia Turnbull. The pair performed only once, at thePhono 73 festival; a recording of the set surfaced commercially more than 35 years later.[21][22] The duo soon disbanded, and Lee assembled thehard-rock bandTutti Frutti with lead guitarist Luis Sérgio Carlini and bassist Lee Marcucci. In addition to vocals, she played piano, synthesizer, harmonica, and guitar.[16]Philips Records signed the group but insisted on billing them as "Rita Lee & Tutti-Frutti".[23] An initial album was recorded but shelved by the label for being "too alternative" and facing censorship issues.[24]
The band returned to the studio and releasedAtrás do Porto Tem uma Cidade in June 1974.[16] Influenced by theblues-rock of theRolling Stones and theglam aesthetics ofDavid Bowie, the album spawned successful singles "Mamãe Natureza" (Lee's first original composition after Os Mutantes), "Pé de Meia", and "Menino Bonito".[25] Producer Marco Mazzola, hired without the band's consent, heavily altered arrangements—particularly on "Menino Bonito"—prompting widespread dissatisfaction.[26] Frustrated byPhonogram's interference, Lee exited the label.[27] In January 1975, Tutti Frutti opened theHollywood Rock festival; the performance marked Turnbull's final appearance with the group.[28]
Lee in 1972
In June 1975,Som Livre issuedFruto Proibido, widely considered Lee's masterpiece and a cornerstone ofBrazilian rock. Driven by hits such as "Agora Só Falta Você", "Esse Tal de Roque Enrow", and "Ovelha Negra", the album sold over 200,000 copies, peaked at number 7 onIBOPE's weekly Brazil albums chart, and ranked as the 12th best-selling record in the country for the year.[29][30][note 1] This success earned Lee the moniker "Queen of Brazilian Rock",[33] with its tracks dominating radio playlists and enabling Tutti Frutti to mount Brazil's first nationwide rock tour, covering major capitals fromnorth tosouth.[34] The trek concluded at the1976 Saquarema Festival, where the band headlined the final night.[35]
Entradas e Bandeiras followed in 1976, yielding singles "Coisas da Vida", "Corista de Rock", and "Com a Boca no Mundo", alongside "Bruxa Amarela" (co-written byRaul Seixas andPaulo Coelho). Lee was absent during mixing, resulting in a guitar-heavy sound dominated by Carlini.[16] That year, she began a romantic and eventual professional partnership with musician Roberto de Carvalho.[36]
In August 1976, while pregnant with her first child and living with Carvalho, Lee was arrested formarijuana possession. She maintained that she had ceased drug use due to her pregnancy and that the substances belonged to visitors.[37] The incident, occurring underBrazil's military dictatorship, was widely viewed as an attempt to exemplar youth culture.[38] Shaken and facing financial strain, Lee released the provocative single "Arrombou a Festa" (co-written with Paulo Coelho) in March 1977, critiquing the contemporaryMPB scene;[36] it sold over 200,000 copies.[39] Her son Roberto (Beto Lee) was born that month, followed by João in 1979 and Antônio in 1981.[40]
After house arrest ended, Lee joined Gilberto Gil for the Refestança Tour, visiting eight capitals in October–November 1977. A live album documented the collaboration.[41] In 1978, Tutti Frutti issuedBabilônia, producing hits "Jardins da Babilônia", "Agora é Moda", "Eu e Meu Gato", and the futuristic "Miss Brasil 2000".[42] Internal conflicts led to the band's dissolution; Carlini, who had trademarked the name, departed with it. Lee reformed the lineup for the Rita Lee & Cães e Gatos show—named for rehearsal disputes—yielding one of Brazil's earliestbootleg recordings, now a collector's item.[16]
Partnership with Roberto de Carvalho and commercial peak (1979–90)
Lyrics to the song "Papai Me Empresta o Carro" (1979), banned by the Federal Censorship Board.
By 1979, Lee and Carvalho formed a prolific songwriting and performing duo, transitioning toward radio-friendlypop while retainingrock edges.[36][43] Their debut joint album, simply titledRita Lee (1979), featured hits "Mania de Você", "Chega Mais", and "Doce Vampiro",[16] selling 800,000 copies.[44] The 1980 follow-up—informally known as theLança Perfume album—included "Lança Perfume", "Baila Comigo", "Nem Luxo, Nem Lixo", "Ôrra Meu", "Shangrilá", and "Bem-Me-Quer". Widely regarded as an indelible milestone in Brazilian music and, to this day, the most recognisable work of Lee's career,[16] it sold one million copies in Brazil and 200,000 in Argentina, charted in France, Israel, Japan, and the United States (reachingBillboard's top 70), and ranked as the 7th best-selling album in Brazil for 1981.[45][46][47][31] Then-Prince Charles publicly named Lee his favorite singer.[48]
Saúde (1981), marked by censorship over lyrics deemed contrary to "good morals" and featuring the return of Lúcia Turnbull on backing vocals and brass arrangements, included the nationwide chart-toppers "Banho de Espuma" and "Saúde".[16][49] It sold 400,000 copies in pre-orders alone amid an industry slump, consolidating Lee as a "champion in record sales."[46]
The duo's next release,Rita Lee e Roberto de Carvalho (1982), celebrated femininity, female anatomy, and women's experiences in songs such as "Cor de Rosa Choque", "Só de Você", "Vote em Mim", "Barata Tonta", and the number-one single "Flagra".[16][49] The album remains Lee's best-selling, exceeding three million copies and placing 3rd on the Brazilian year-end chart for 1983.[50][31] In December 1982, Lee previewed the forthcoming tour with a performance forTV Globo's year-end specialO Circo atGinásio do Ibirapuera before 20,000 spectators;[51] the full arena tour the following year used the same production and drew 500,000 attendees across Brazil—the largest by any domestic artist at the time—concluding with 25,000 people atMaracanãzinho in Rio de Janeiro.[52][53][54]
During her record-breaking tours, Lee performed in various arenas and gyms, including theGinásio do Ibirapuera and theMineirinho.
Bombom (1983) was again targeted by censorship and had sales to minors under 18 prohibited.[55] Following the deaths of both her parents and a difficult personal period involving alcohol and drugs, Lee adopted a darker, more cinematic tone onRita e Roberto (1985). She pioneered the music-video-album concept in Brazil by producing ambitious, narrative-driven clips for every track; in December 1985, TV Globo broadcast a primetime special featuring nine of these videos—directed by Roberto Talma,Nelson Motta,Tizuka Yamasaki, Herbert Richers Jr., and Jorge Fernando—in which Lee portrayed tragicomic characters such as Gloria Frankenstein. Although critically praised, the album's somber atmosphere interrupted her streak of massive radio hits and sold a comparatively modest 500,000 copies.[56][57] Lee subsequently left Som Livre, signed withEMI, and regained strong radio and chart presence withFlerte Fatal (1987), led by the single "Pega Rapaz".[16]
Flerte Fatal was followed by the farewell-to-arenas tour (1987–1988), which ended in Europe and the United States,[58][59] and byZona Zen (1988), containing "Livre Outra Vez" and "Independência e Vida". During this period Lee underwent surgery for vocal-cord nodules and facial injuries after a car accident. The duo closed the decade with the self-titled 1990 album, which included "Perto do Fogo" (co-written withCazuza).[55]
Overall, between 1979 and 1985, Lee scored seven number-one singles on Brazilian radio: "Mania de Você", "Chega Mais", "Baila Comigo", "Saúde", "Banho de Espuma", and "Flagra".[49]
In 1991, Lee temporarily parted professionally from Carvalho and launched the successful acoustic Bossa 'n Roll Tour, releasing the pioneering live album of the same name—one of the first major unplugged records in Brazil, recorded several years before theAcústico MTV phenomenon and eventually selling 400,000 copies.[60][61] She returned tostraightforward rock with the 1993 albumRita Lee and hostedMTV Brasil'sTVleezão.[16][62]
The couple reunited onstage in 1995 for the A Marca da Zorra Tour.[16] That same year, while opening for the Rolling Stones atMaracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Lee appeared dressed as theVirgin Mary, recited theHail Mary, and performed "Todas as Mulheres do Mundo". The song's irreverent yet ultimately empathetic portrayal of women from all walks of life provoked nationwide controversy and led theArchdiocese of Rio de Janeiro to declare her excommunicated, stating that the act had "offended the religious feelings of the majority of the population."[63] The couple married officially in December 1996, and Lee began to use the name Rita Lee Jones de Carvalho.[16]
At the 9thSharp Brazilian Music Awards, Lee swept three categories in one night—Best Pop/Rock Female Singer, Best Pop/Rock Album (A Marca da Zorra), and Best Live Show ("A Marca da Zorra"). Accepting the awards, she remarked:
Deep down, for me who has always had my work heavily criticized, it feels really good to finally be recognized.[64]
The following year, before the release ofSanta Rita de Sampa, she was the ceremony's principal honoree alongsideFernanda Montenegro. The tribute featured performances byCaetano Veloso ("Agora Só Falta Você"), Gilberto Gil ("Jardins da Babilônia"),Ney Matogrosso ("Bandido Corazón"),Zélia Duncan ("Lá Vou Eu"),Fernanda Abreu ("Dançar Pra Não Dançar"), andJoyce (who performed the tribute song "Minha Gata Rita Lee").[65] Her 1998Acústico MTV, featuring guest appearances byCássia Eller ("Luz del Fuego"),Paula Toller ("Desculpe o Auê"),Titãs ("Papai, Me Empresta o Carro"), andMilton Nascimento ("Mania de Você"),[66] sold 650,000 copies—her highest album sales sinceRita Lee e Roberto de Carvalho (1982)—and has been ranked byRolling Stone Brasil andCorreio Braziliense among the best entries in the series.[67][68][69]
Compilation albumsPara Sempre andNovelas (2001–2002) followed, the latter collecting her telenovela themes.[74] Lee joinedGNT'sSaia Justa (2002) alongsideFernanda Young andMarisa Orth.Balacobaco (2003) sold 550,000 copies behind the hit "Amor e Sexo" and marked her return to major commercial success with a studio album of entirely new material—her first major seller since the late 1980s.[75][76] In 2004, she performed for over 200,000 at São Paulo'sVale do Anhangabaú during the city's 450th-anniversary celebrations.[77]
In 2007 Biscoito Fino released the three-DVD box setBiograffiti, directed by Roberto de Oliveira. The three thematic volumes (Ovelha Negra,Baila Comigo, andCor de Rosa Choque) are built around extensive interviews Lee gave for the project, interwoven with rare archival footage. She revisits her departure from Os Mutantes, stating there was no chance of a reunion "unless the money is really good, then I might change my mind," and reflects on her distance from drugs and her self-described "square grandma" phase ("If being square means being a mix ofGrandma Duck andDercy Gonçalves, then tell the people I'm in"). Each disc closes with a previously unreleased song later included on her upcoming album.[78][79]
In 2010, Lee launched the Etc... Tour, which debuted in Belo Horizonte and featured several hits that had long been absent from her setlists.[80][81] The production visited numerous Brazilian cities—including São Paulo,[81] Porto Alegre,[82] and Rio de Janeiro[83]—and extended to Buenos Aires with a performance at theTeatro Gran Rex.[84]
Lee performing on the Etc... Tour, May 2011
On 21 January 2012, during the opening night of a new season atCirco Voador in Rio de Janeiro, Lee announced her retirement from live performances, citing physical fragility. She clarified on Twitter: "I'm retiring from shows, but never from music."[85] Her intended farewell concert took place the following week at the Projeto Verão festival in Aracaju, Sergipe. During the show, she publicly criticised the military police for their aggressive handling of the audience.[86] Charged with contempt of authority, she was briefly detained after the performance to provide a statement but was soon released.[87][88] Lee later described her remarks as having been made "in the heat of the moment" and condemned the police response as "brutal and unnecessary."[89]
That same year, she participated in theCarnival parade of the São Paulosamba school Águia de Ouro, whose 2012 theme celebrated Tropicália. Other figures from the movement, including Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil, joined the procession alongside veteran singersWanderléa,Cauby Peixoto, and Angela Maria. Lee paid homage to the actressLeila Diniz.[90]
After a nine-year hiatus from recording new studio material—her previous album having beenBalacobaco (2003)—Lee releasedReza (2012). It became one of the most consumed records in Brazil that year,[55] with its lead single quickly overtakingMichel Teló's "Ai Se Eu Te Pego" to become the most-downloaded track on iTunes Brazil.[91] The following month, the song entered the soundtrack of the TV Globo telenovelaAvenida Brasil.[92]
In November 2012, Lee returned to the stage for a one-off appearance at the Green Move Festival in Belo Horizonte, sharing the bill with Titãs andJota Quest. During the performance, she briefly lowered her trousers and turned to the audience, generating considerable media controversy.[93] In January 2013, she performed at the concert commemorating the 459th anniversary of São Paulo in Vale do Anhangabaú, declaring: "I'm not leaving here," in reference to her native city.[94]
In April 2013, Lee gave a rare in-depth interview toMarie Claire magazine, identifying aging as the greatest remaining taboo for women and stating: "To age with dignity, a woman must let go. It's very complex."[95] In March 2014, she ceased dyeing her trademark red hair and embraced her natural grey, explaining: "I want to be anonymous."[96]
In my day, they said women couldn't wear pants. So I went ahead and wore them. Then they told me that to play rock you had to have balls. Well, with my uterus and ovaries, I went out and played rock anyway. They also said women weren't allowed to talk about sex and pleasure. So I went ahead and made songs about it.[97]
In 2014 the musicalRita Lee Mora ao Lado, adapted from Henrique Bartsch's book of the same name and starringMel Lisboa, premiered in São Paulo.[98][99] Lee attended one of the performances; the sight of the singer in the audience moved Lisboa to tears.[100] Lisboa later won the Quem Prize for Best Theatre Actress and received a congratulatory video message from Lee during her acceptance speech.[101]
In 2015 a comprehensive box set containing twenty remastered albums from her discography, together with a disc of rarities, was released.[102] The following year her autobiographyRita Lee: uma autobiografia appeared throughGlobo Livros.[103] In an interview withQuem, Lee declared that her greatest luxury was "giving love to animals and having a vegetable garden."[104] The book moved over 200,000 copies—roughly seventy times the average Brazilian print run—received widespread critical acclaim, and earned her theAPCA Prize for Biography/Autobiography/Memoir in Literature as well as the Grand Critics' Prize in Popular Music for her overall contribution.[97][105]
In 2023 Lee published a second autobiographical volume,Rita Lee: outra autobiografia (Globo Livros), in which she openly detailed her 2021lung-cancer diagnosis and subsequent treatment.[109]
In January 2011—one year before announcing her retirement from live performances—Lee began work on the albumBossa 'n Movies. Intended as a sequel to her 1991 live albumRita Lee em Bossa 'n Roll, it was to feature Portuguese-language versions, written by Lee herself, of famous movie themes reinterpreted in bossa nova style. However, she prioritized the original-songs albumReza (2012) and setBossa 'n Movies aside after recording vocals for just two tracks.
One of them, "Voando (Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu)"—Lee's Portuguese version ofDomenico Modugno andFranco Migliacci's Italian song "Volare"—was premiered by Globo'sFantástico program on 9 June 2024, thirteen years after recording. The single was released the following day, credited to Lee and Roberto de Carvalho, who served as musical producer, arranger, and sole performer on guitar, bass, programming, and keyboards.[110] It won the2025 Brazilian Music Award in the Audiovisual Project category.[111]
Aside from her musical career, Lee had a comedy program calledRadio Amador on Brazilian radio for nine months in 1986. That same year, Lee wrote three children's books and appeared in Brazilian movies and TV shows. In 1990, she started her own talk show, calledTvLeeZão (a play on "televisão", the Portuguese word for television), onMTV Brasil. From 2002 to 2004, she hosted the Brazilian cable TV talk showSaia Justa. In 2005, she and her husband started a new talk show, calledMadame Lee. She worked as actress in the 1989 filmBetter Days Ahead and made a briefcameo in the 2002 filmDurval Discos. In 2008–09, she performed a new show calledPic Nic Tour. In 2010, she performed another new show calledEtc...Tour, revisiting some forgotten songs from her long career. In 2011, she began to produce and record two new albums. The first one had then new unreleased songs, and the second one is calledBossa'n Movies where she continued the project started withBossa'n Roll in 1991 andBossa'n Beatles (Aqui, ali, em qualquer lugar).
In 2011, she contributed the track "Pistis Sophia" to theRed Hot Organization's most recent charitable album,Red Hot+Rio 2. The album was a follow-up to the 1996Red Hot + Rio. Proceeds from the sales were donated to raise awareness and money to fightAIDS and related other health and social issues.[citation needed]
Lee was married to Mutante Arnaldo Baptista from 1968 to 1972. In 1976,MPB singerNey Matogrosso introduced her to guitarist Roberto de Carvalho, whom she married, and they had three children:Beto Lee, João Lee, and Antônio.
Lee is widely regarded as the greatest figure in the history ofBrazilian rock and its most successful artist, earning her the enduring title "Queen of Brazilian Rock".[116][46]
Critics and scholars credit her with fundamentally shaping the genre in Brazil at a time when rock was often dismissed by theMPB establishment as a foreign threat. As Thales de Menezes wrote inFolha de S.Paulo, she emerged "during a turbulent period when rock was viewed as a 'cultural villain' by major figures in Brazilian music and arts,"[44] yet ultimately became the voice that legitimised and nationalised the style.[117]
Academic Thiago Vieira (UNESP) emphasises her pivotal role in theTropicália explosion of 1967, noting that Lee and Os Mutantes "broke down the walls that separated Brazilian music from foreign music" through electric guitars, experimental language, and a libertarian attitude that extended far beyond sound. He describes her as the artist who brought "a rock attitude—not just the music, but a transgressive,underground mindset" while championing women's rights in a way that aligned with global counterculture yet remained unmistakably Brazilian.[118]
Musicologist Luiz Tatit observes that, from Lee onward, "love, marriage, and sexual desire began to be addressed from an uninhibited female perspective in Brazilian song, something no woman had done before."[119] José Antônio Barbosa (USP), in his study of the feminine universe in Lee's lyrics, highlights the candid discourse on female pleasure and autonomy that was unprecedented for a Brazilian female composer.[120] Feminist scholar Ana Karla Marcelino (UFPB) calls her "a remarkable representative of the fight againstpatriarchal ideology,"[121] while Fernando Pereira (Mackenzie Presbyterian University) argues that Lee placed everyday metropolitan femininity on the national agenda: the working woman, the divorced mother, the sexually liberated citizen.
Throughout her career Lee openly confronted taboos—abortion,homosexuality,drugs,divorce, and female desire—often facing censorship and political persecution under themilitary dictatorship. Her fearless public image and lyrics turned her into a symbol of emancipation, earning her both the nickname "black sheep of music" and recognition as one of the country's greatest artists.[122]
On 8 May 2025—two years after Lee's death—the documentaryRita Lee: Mania de Você premiered onHBO Max. Directed by Guido Goldberg and produced by Argentina's Mandarina Contenidos,[123] the film presents an intimate portrait of Lee's life and career through exclusive interviews, archival footage, and testimonies from family, musicians, and celebrities including Gilberto Gil and Ney Matogrosso. A highlight is the reading of a letter Lee wrote to her family shortly before her passing, reflecting on her journey and legacy.[124][125]
Less than two weeks later, on 22 May—the feast day ofSaint Rita of Cascia, which Lee had symbolically adopted as her "new birthday" and which São Paulo had officially designated as Rita Lee Day—the documentaryRitas opened in Brazilian cinemas.[126] Directed by Oswaldo Santana and co-directed by Karen Harley, the film eschews celebrity interviews and biographical narration in favor of Lee's own voice, drawn from her career-spanning interviews and self-filmed home videos. It offers a personal glimpse into her reclusive later years, showcasing her garden (tended by Roberto de Carvalho), miniature collection, paintings, pet marmosets, dog, and cats.[125][127] The film quickly became the most-viewed Brazilian documentary in cinemas this year, surpassing 33,000 admissions in its first weeks.[127]
In May 2023, the same month as Lee's death, a mural by artists Paulo Terra, Pedro Terra, and Eraldo Moura was inaugurated on Avenida Domingos de Morais inVila Mariana, the São Paulo neighbourhood where she spent her childhood.[128]
In June 2023, a rescued white-lipped pit viper (Trimeresurus insularis) from Indonesia—arriving at theInstituto Butantan in São Paulo on 14 June—was named "Rita Lee" in homage to the singer, inspired by her song "Doce Vampiro" and her advocacy for animal rights.[129]
In April 2024, the city ofJandira (in the metropolitan region of São Paulo) named a street in the Altos de Jandira neighbourhood after Lee, fulfilling a wish she had expressed years earlier.[130]
In May 2024, Parque Rita Lee—a 136,000 m² public space with sports facilities, playgrounds, and a splash pad—was inaugurated in theBarra da Tijuca neighbourhood of Rio de Janeiro, part of the repurposedOlympic Park.[131]
In June 2024, Praça da Paz in São Paulo'sParque Ibirapuera was renamed Praça da Paz – Rita Lee by MayorRicardo Nunes, in recognition of her deep connection to the park, which she often called her "enchanted forest."[132]
^Fruto Proibido (1975),Rita Lee (1980),Rita Lee e Roberto de Carvalho (1982),Bombom (1983),Rita Lee em Bossa 'n Roll (1991), and theAcústico MTV (1998) ranked 12th, 7th, 3rd, 46th, 5th, and 45th respectively on the year-end lists of best-selling albums in Brazil.[31] Although the Nelson Oliveira Pesquisa e Estudo de Mercado (NOPEM) only covers data from large retailers in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, it still represented 2/3 of the Brazilian phonographic market.[32]
^Carlos Estevez (2003). "Mutante cor-de-rosa choque". In Flora Süssekind; Tânia Dias; Carlito Azevedo (eds.).Vozes femininas: gêneros, mediações e práticas da escrita [Female Voices: Genres, Mediations, and Writing Practices] (in Brazilian Portuguese). Rio de Janeiro: 7Letras. pp. 419–423.ISBN9788575770269.
^Gláucia Costa de Castro Pimentel, "Mutações em cena: Rita Lee e a Resistência Contracultural". Publ. UEPG Ci. Hum., Ci. Soc. Apl., Ling., Letras e Artes, Ponta Grossa, 11 (2): 7–20, December 2003. Availablehere.
^Fred Goés."Rita Lee: Lady Roque"(PDF) (in Brazilian Portuguese). Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora. Archived fromthe original(PDF) on 6 October 2018.
^"Rita Lee, entrevista" [Rita Lee, interview].Geraldo Mayrink (in Brazilian Portuguese). 8 November 2020. Retrieved29 November 2021.
^"Cilibrinas do Éden na Phono 73" [Cilibrinas do Éden at Phono 73].Muzicrave (in Brazilian Portuguese).Archived from the original on 14 November 2025. Retrieved14 November 2025.
^"Cilibrinas do Éden" (in Brazilian Portuguese). Museu Virtual do Disco de Vinil.Archived from the original on 30 August 2022. Retrieved14 November 2025.
^Facchi, Cleber (18 January 2024)."Cozinhando Discografias: Rita Lee" [Cooking Discographies: Rita Lee].Música Instantânea (in Brazilian Portuguese).Archived from the original on 22 February 2024. Retrieved14 November 2025.
^Nascimento, Roberto (18 December 2010)."Esse tal de Rock... ACERTOU" [That Rock Thing... HIT IT].Estadão (in Brazilian Portuguese).Archived from the original on 19 April 2023. Retrieved29 November 2021.
^abc"Listagens Nopem 1965–1999" [Nopem Listings 1965–1999].Nelson Oliveira Pesquisa e Estudo de Mercado (in Brazilian Portuguese). Archived fromthe original on 18 November 2025. Retrieved18 November 2025 – via Scribd.
^abcRodrigues, Julli (18 October 2019)."A segunda vez que Rita Lee arrombou a festa" [The second time Rita Lee crashed the party].Ouvindo Coisas (in Brazilian Portuguese).Archived from the original on 14 December 2020. Retrieved5 August 2023 – via Medium.
^Preto, Marcus (22 September 2008).""Não nasci para casar e lavar cuecas", revela Rita Lee" ["I wasn't born to get married and wash underwear," reveals Rita Lee].Rolling Stone Brasil (in Brazilian Portuguese).Archived from the original on 12 February 2025. Retrieved15 July 2019.
^Guido Goldberg (2024).Rita Lee: Mania de Você.Mandarina Contenidos (Documentary). HBO Max. Event occurs at 44:23. Retrieved15 November 2025.Then afterSaúde, cameRita Lee e Roberto de Carvalho—that's the album's name. It was Rita's first album with Roberto on the cover. [...] It was an album that easily sold 3 million copies, just like that...
^"Alegria irreverente de Rita Lee na Globo" [Rita Lee's irreverent joy on Globo].A Tribuna (in Brazilian Portuguese). 10 December 1982. p. 14. Retrieved20 November 2025 – via Coleção Digital de Jornais e Revistas da Biblioteca Nacional.
^"Brasília no tour de Rita Lee" [Brasilia on Rita Lee's tour].Correio Braziliense (in Brazilian Portuguese). 7 January 1983. p. 19. Retrieved15 November 2025 – via Coleção Digital de Jornais e Revistas da Biblioteca Nacional.
^"Rita lota e encanta o Maracanãzinho" [Rita sells out and delights the Maracanãzinho].Jornal do Brasil (in Brazilian Portuguese). 16 May 1983. p. 23. Retrieved20 November 2025 – via Coleção Digital de Jornais e Revistas da Biblioteca Nacional.
^"Rita Lee e Roberto Tour 87/88".Correio de Notícias (in Brazilian Portuguese). 18 December 1987. p. 18. Retrieved17 November 2025 – via Coleção Digital de Jornais e Revistas da Biblioteca Nacional.
^"Tour 87/88: Lee e Carvalho".Correio de Notícias (in Brazilian Portuguese). 5 November 1987. p. 16. Retrieved17 November 2025 – via Coleção Digital de Jornais e Revistas da Biblioteca Nacional.
^Mazzeo, Fernando; Sanchez, Fernando (1 November 2002)."Rita Lee".Rolling Stone Argentina (in Spanish). Archived fromthe original on 21 July 2017.
^Ribeiro, Teresa (2 June 1991)."As mutações de Rita Lee chegam à tela da MTV" [Rita Lee's mutations reach MTV's screen].Folha de S.Paulo (in Brazilian Portuguese). Archived fromthe original on 10 October 2014. Retrieved2 September 2013.
^Miranda, Claudia (9 May 1996)."Uma festa elegante e correta" [An elegant and proper party].Tribuna da Imprensa (in Brazilian Portuguese). p. 13. Retrieved20 November 2025 – via Coleção Digital de Jornais e Revistas da Biblioteca Nacional.
^Miranda, Claudia (9 May 1997)."Uma noite cheia de glamour" [A night full of glamour].Tribuna da Imprensa (in Brazilian Portuguese). p. 13. Retrieved20 November 2025 – via Coleção Digital de Jornais e Revistas da Biblioteca Nacional.
^"Acústico traz Rita 'DesLeegada'" [Unplugged features Rita 'DesLeegada'].Jornal do Brasil (in Brazilian Portuguese). 4 June 1998. p. 48. Retrieved17 November 2025 – via Coleção Digital de Jornais e Revistas da Biblioteca Nacional.
^Maia, Gustavo (1998)."Ovelha negra de cara limpa" [Ovelha negra with a clean face].IstoÉ (in Brazilian Portuguese). Terra. Archived fromthe original on 23 November 2001. Retrieved21 July 2017.
^Izel, Adriana (12 September 2017)."Acústico MTV volta à programação do canal com show de Shawn Mendes" [MTV Unplugged returns to the channel's programming with a performance by Shawn Mendes].Correio Braziliense (in Brazilian Portuguese).Archived from the original on 8 November 2017. Retrieved27 January 2023.
^"Semi-reclusa, Rita Lee quer fazer disco new age" [Semi-reclusive, Rita Lee wants to make a new age album].Folha de S.Paulo (in Brazilian Portuguese). 17 July 2000.Archived from the original on 21 January 2023. Retrieved21 January 2023.
^"Rita Lee namora Beatles e Mutantes" [Rita Lee dates both the Beatles and Os Mutantes].Folha de S.Paulo (in Brazilian Portuguese). 25 July 2003.Archived from the original on 25 February 2006. Retrieved2 September 2013.
^Bourroul, Beatriz (9 May 2023)."Rita Lee foi recordista em trilhas de novelas" [Rita Lee was a record holder for soap opera soundtracks].Revista Quem (in Brazilian Portuguese).Archived from the original on 9 May 2023. Retrieved16 November 2025.
^Alexandre Sanches, Pedro (19 March 2004)."Rita Lee ultrapassa estresse do sucesso de "Balacobaco"" [Rita Lee overcomes the stress of the success of "Balacobaco"].Folha de S.Paulo (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved22 November 2025.
^"Sob a chuva, 200 mil aplaudem Rita Lee" [In the rain, 200,000 people applaud Rita Lee].Folha de S.Paulo (in Brazilian Portuguese). 26 January 2004. Retrieved16 November 2025.
^"A careta Rita Lee" [Rita Lee's grimace].IstoÉ (in Brazilian Portuguese). 9 May 2007.Archived from the original on 23 November 2025.
^"Rita Lee".Rolling Stone Brasil (in Brazilian Portuguese). 3 October 2007.Archived from the original on 15 January 2025.
^Carlos, Helvécio (9 May 2023)."O mundo com Rita Lee sempre foi mais feliz" [The world was always a happier place with Rita Lee].Estado de Minas (in Brazilian Portuguese).Archived from the original on 10 May 2023.
^ab"Rita Lee apresenta 'Etc…' em SP" [Rita Lee presents 'Etc…' in São Paulo].CARAS (in Brazilian Portuguese). 22 September 2010.Archived from the original on 18 November 2025.
^Gonçalves, Joelma (31 January 2012)."Confira trechos da fala de Rita Lee durante show em SE" [See excerpts from Rita Lee's speech during show in Sergipe].G1 Sergipe (in Brazilian Portuguese).Archived from the original on 3 February 2012. Retrieved25 April 2023.
^Guilherme Samora (26 January 2023)."Rita Lee faz show no aniversário de São Paulo" [Rita Lee performs at São Paulo's anniversary].Revista Quem (in Brazilian Portuguese).Archived from the original on 11 October 2014. Retrieved10 May 2023.
^Branco, Fernando (20 November 2015)."Obra de Rita Lee será lançada em caixa de luxo" [Rita Lee's Work to Be Released in Deluxe Box Set].Tenho Mais Discos Que Amigos (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved21 April 2023.
^Valéria de Oliveira Gomes (2022)."Rita Lee: o querer feminino no rock and roll brasileiro" [Rita Lee: Female Desire in Brazilian Rock and Roll](PDF) (in Brazilian Portuguese). Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto. p. 31. Retrieved11 June 2023 – via Biblioteca Digital de Trabalhos de Conclusão de Curso.
^José Antonio Barbosa Alves dos Santos (2013)."As faces de Eva: o universo feminino no léxico de Rita Lee" [The Faces of Eve: The Feminine Universe in Rita Lee's Lexicon](PDF) (in Brazilian Portuguese). Universidade de São Paulo. p. 55. Retrieved26 November 2025 – via Biblioteca Digital de Teses e Dissertações da USP.
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