Astrud Gilberto

Astrud Gilberto was a Brazilian singer, born in Salvador da Bahia in 1940 and died in 2023. Her soft, instantly recognizable voice remains closely associated with bossa nova, whose distinctive sound she helped introduce to audiences around the world.

She rose to international fame in the 1960s with her performance of “The Girl from Ipanema”, recorded with Stan Getz and João Gilberto. The song became a worldwide hit and won the Grammy Award for Record of the Year.

Astrud Gilberto went on to pursue a career blending bossa nova, jazz and Brazilian music, developing the gentle vocal style that became her signature. She performed numerous standards, including “Corcovado”, “Água de Beber” and “The Shadow of Your Smile”, and remains one of the most iconic voices of bossa nova.