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Gal Costa | |
|---|---|
_(cropped_2).jpg) Costa in the 1970s | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Maria da Graça Costa Penna Burgos (1945-09-26)26 September 1945 |
| Died | 9 November 2022(2022-11-09) (aged 77) |
| Genres | MPB,tropicália,psychedelia,rock,bossa nova,samba |
| Occupation | Singer |
| Years active | 1964–2022 (her death) |
| Labels | |
| Website | galcosta |
Gal Maria da Graça Costa Penna Burgos (bornMaria da Graça Costa Penna Burgos; 26 September 1945 – 9 November 2022), known professionally asGal Costa (Brazilian Portuguese pronunciation:[ˈgawˈkɔstɐ]ⓘ),[1] was a Brazilian singer ofpopular music. Twelve-timesBrazilian Music Awards winner, she was one of the main figures of thetropicalia music scene in Brazil in the late 1960s and appeared on the acclaimed compilationTropicália: ou Panis et Circencis (1968).[2] She was described byThe New York Times as "one of Brazil's greatest singers."[3]
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Gal Costa was born Maria da Graça Costa Penna Burgos on 26 September 1945, in the city ofSalvador, the capital of the state ofBahia, Brazil.[4][5] Her mother, Mariah Costa Penna, separated from her father, Arnaldo Burgos, after discovering he had a second family in another city.[3] Arnaldo Burgos died when Gal was 14 years old.[6]
At the age of 10, Gal befriended sisters Sandra and Andréia Gadelha, the future spouses of singer-songwritersGilberto Gil andCaetano Veloso, respectively. They gave her the nicknameGau, later spelled as Gal.[7] At 14, she first listened toJoão Gilberto's "Chega de Saudade" on the radio and became interested inBossa Nova.[citation needed] She then went on to work as a clerk in Salvador's main record store to get closer to music.[8] At 18, she was introduced to Caetano Veloso by Andréia Gadelha, becoming close friends.[6]
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While early in her career, she performed as Maria da Costa, producer Guilherme Araújo claimed she needed astage name. He jokingly said "Gal: Guilherme AraújoLimited" and she agreed to use this respelling of her nickname.[9] She would later change her name to incorporate "Gal" as well as put Costa as her final surname.[10] Gal debuted her professional career on the night of 22 August 1964 at the concertNós, por exemplo (We, For Example), where she performed alongside Veloso, Gil,Maria Bethânia andTom Zé, among others. The concert inaugurated the Vila Velha Theatre in her hometown. During the same year, she also performed inNova Bossa Velha, Velha Bossa Nova (New Old Wave, Old New Wave), at the same place and with the same singing partners. She then left Salvador to live in the house of her cousin Nívea inRio de Janeiro, following in the footsteps of Bethânia, whose concertOpinião (Opinion) had become a huge hit there.[citation needed]
Gal's first professional recording happened on Bethânia's debut album, released in 1965. It was the duet "Sol Negro" (Black Sun) written by Bethânia's brother, Caetano Veloso. She then released her first singles throughRCA Records, "Eu vim da Bahia", written by Gil, and "Sim, foi você", written by Veloso. The following year, Gal met Gilberto personally and participated in TV Rio's 1st International Music Festival, performing "Minha Senhora", written by Gil andTorquato Neto. It failed to captivate the Festival's audience.[citation needed]
Gal's first albumDomingo was released in 1967 throughPhilips Records. It was also Veloso's debut. Gal stayed on the label, which later becamePolyGram, until 1983. One song released from this album, "Coração Vagabundo", became a huge hit. The same year, Gal also performed two songs on the 2nd International Music Festival, which was then hosted byRede Globo. They were "Bom Dia", written by Gil andNana Caymmi, and "Dadá Maria", written by Renato Teixeira. The latter was performed with Sílvio César at the Festival and with Teixeira on the recording.[citation needed]
In 1965, Costa began to record inedited songs from Gilberto Gil and Caetano Veloso.[11] In 1968, Gal became a part of thetropicália movement. Tropicalia is a mix ofSamba,Bossa Nova and modern genres like rock and beat.[12] She recorded four songs onTropicália: ou Panis et Circenses. They were "Mamãe coragem", written by Veloso and Torquato Neto, "Parque industrial", by Tom Zé, "Enquanto seu lobo não vem", by Veloso, and "Baby", also by Veloso. The latter became one of Costas' best-known songs.[11] The same year, she participated in the 3rd International Music Festival, performing "Gabriela Mais Bela", written byRoberto andErasmo Carlos. In November, she participated inRede Record's 4th Music Festival, performing the song "Divino Maravilhoso", by Gil and Veloso. The song also became a nationwide hit and a classic song of popular music. WhenGilberto Gil andCaetano Veloso were living in exile inLondon, she would visit them and keep performing their music, but stayed in Brazil.[2]
In 1969, Gal released hereponymous solo debut album,[2] which included "Baby" and "Divino Maravilhoso". The album is considered a Tropicalismo classic, balanced between Brazilian stylizations and North American psychedelic influences. It also featured Gal's third and fourth solo hits,Jorge Ben Jor's "Que pena (Ele já não gosta mais de mim)" and Veloso's "Não identificado", respectively. In the same year, she recorded her second solo album, titledGal, featuring the hits "Meu nome é Gal", by Roberto and Erasmo Carlos, and "Cinema Olympia", by Veloso. The album served as the basis for the repertoire of the concertGal!
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Her next album,Legal, was not as far from the mainstream as its predecessor, and a live album the following year again balanced smooth Brazilian sounds with heavy rock. In 1973, the cover of Costa's albumÍndia was censored — it focuses on her redbikini bottom.[7][13] Gal has recorded songs composed by a number of Brazil's most popular songwriters such asTom Jobim, Ben andErasmo Carlos. In the 1970s, she was one of the integrants of theDoces Bárbaros, the others being Veloso, Gil andMaria Bethânia.[11] For years, a reunion was hoped for this emblematic group in theBrazilian popular music.[11] In 1982, the single "Festa Do Interior" from the double albumFantasia became her biggest ever hit, going multi-platinum by the end of the year. In 1994, Gal performed the songBrasil,topless.[7][14][15] She recorded songs in Portuguese, Spanish and English.[citation needed]
Gal Costa is portrayed bySophie Charlotte in the 2023 biographical filmMeu nome é Gal.[16]
In 2011, Costa received theLatin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.[5]
In 2023,Rolling Stone ranked Costa at number 90 on its list of the 200 Greatest Singers of All Time.[17]
Gal wasbisexual. She dated singerMarina Lima in the 1990s.[18] She had one adopted son, Gabriel.[19][3]
Gal died inSão Paulo on 9 November 2022, at the age of 77.[20][3] The cause of death was not shared; she had been recovering from an extraction of a nodule of her nasal cavity and had canceled her show at thePrimavera Sound.[11] A publicviewing of her body was held at theLegislative Assembly of São Paulo on 11 November.[21] Costa was interred in the Third Order of Carmel Cemetery in the district ofConsolação of São Paulo.[22] Multiple Brazilian celebrities paid tribute to her following her death including then President-electLula da Silva,Maria Bethânia,Caetano Veloso, andGilberto Gil.[23][24] She was also honored posthumously at the2022 Latin Grammy Awards.[25]
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | O Mandarim | [27][28] | |
| 2017 | O Nome Dela é Gal | Biography docu-series produced byHBO Latin America[29] |
