Goodbye to Claudette Soares, voice of Brazilian bossa nova

Brazilian music loses one of its most recognizable performers. Claudette Soares died in Sao Paulo on the night of Friday 13 November, at the age of 91, following a sudden illness. The news was released by his staff through a statement on social media. The singer had already felt unwell the previous day, so much so that she had to give up some promotional appointments. His death came on the day of the release of O mundo é rumim para quem não sabe esperar, his last album and the first entirely composed of unreleased songs. Three days earlier he had listened to the album with some friends, saying he was experiencing one of the happiest periods of his life. A detail that makes the message published by her team even more significant: "This is how we want to remember her".

a career spanning over seventy years

Born in Rio de Janeiro on October 31, 1935, Claudette Soares took her first steps in music when she was still very young, participating in the radio programs for new talents of Rádio Nacional. In the 1950s she approached baião, earning the nickname "Princesinha do Baião" thanks to Luiz Gonzaga, before becoming one of the voices linked to the birth and affirmation of bossa nova. In 1960 he took part in the show A noite do amor, do smile e da flor, alongside figures such as João Gilberto, Nara Leão and Roberto Menescal. Three years later he performed Garota de Ipanema, the famous piece by Antônio Carlos Jobim and Vinícius de Moraes. Having moved to Sao Paulo in 1964, she continued a career dotted with albums and collaborations, achieving great success in 1971 with De tanto amor, which remained in the Brazilian hit parade for 56 weeks. In the following years he continued to perform and publish new works, crossing musical genres and seasons without losing the connection with his roots. In 2000 she celebrated fifty years of activity with a live album and, even after reaching the age of eighty, she remained on stage. She loved to joke about her height, just 1.49 metres, calling herself "the smallest singer in Brazil": a joke that became part of her character and the memory left to the public.

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