Olívia Byington | |
---|---|
Born |
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil |
December 24, 1958
Occupation(s) | Singer |
Years active | 1978-present |
Associated acts | Antena Coletiva |
Olívia Byington (born December 24, 1958) is a Brazilian singer.
Olívia started her career as a vocalist with the rock band, Antena Coletiva, with Jacques Morelembaum, at the end of the 1970s. She was immediately considered by the critic Sérgio Cabral as the "best singer of her generation". Her first record, "Corra o Risco", was recorded in 1978 with "Barca do Sol." The following year, Olívia reached the top of the hit parade with the song "Lady Jane".
Her third album, recorded in Cuba on the invitation of Silvio Rodríguez, broadened her horizons internationally. Olívia arrived in Lisbon in 1994, after many albums, shows, music... There, she performed in memorable concerts at the Maria Matos Theater, captivating an audience as yet unfamiliar with her work with her impressive vocal range and singing. Her style is so popular that it impresses with its sophistication, so erudite that it swiftly touches everybody's hearts.
The public and critics responded with such surprise that the following year Olívia went to Belém to perform in the great hall at the city's cultural center. She returned to Portugal for Expo 98 in Évora, Monsaraz, and Aveiro. Recently she performed at Lisbon's Aula Magna, and at Porto's Coliseu with the great Egberto Gismonti. As a matter of fact, Olívia has always been in the company of great names, such as Tom Jobim, Chico Buarque, Edu Lobo, Djavan, Wagner Tiso, Radamés Gnatali, and João Carlos de Assis Brasil.
In her career, Olívia has released several albums: Anjo vadio (1980), Identidad (1981), Para Viver um Grande Amor (1983), Música (1984), Encontro (1984) (Chiquinha Gonzaga Award), Melodia Sentimental (1986), Olivia Byington and João Carlos Assis Brasil (1990) and A Dama do Encantado (1997), the former in tribute to Aracy de Almeida. In 2003, she released Canção do Amor Demais, in which she re-recorded an anthological album first recorded in 1958 by Elizeth Cardoso, featuring songs by Tom Jobim and Vinicius de Moraes.