Zélia Duncan

Zélia Duncan
Duncan live with Os Mutantes on 25 January 2007.
Background information
Birth name	Zélia Cristina Gonçalves Moreira
Born	(1964-10-28) October 28, 1964 (age 52) Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Genres	MPB, samba, pop, rock
Occupation(s)	Singer, composer, songwriter
Instruments	Vocals, acoustic guitar
Years active	1981–present
Associated acts	Os Mutantes
Website	zeliaduncan.com.br/

Zélia Duncan (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈzɛliɐ ˈdũkɐ̃], 28 October 1964), born Zélia Cristina Gonçalves Moreira, is a Brazilian singer and composer.

Zélia was born in Niterói, in the state of Rio de Janeiro. She moved with her family to Brasília, where she lived for 16 years. She started her professional career in 1981 after she won a contest organized by the Fundação Nacional de Artes (National Foundation of Arts). When she was 22 years old, she returned to Rio. Using the name "Zélia Cristina", she first performed as a soloist in Botanic in Rio de Janeiro. In 1990 she launched the LP "Outra Luz" ("Another Light"), and she began performing in cities like São Paulo, Florianópolis, and Porto Alegre and participating in tv shows.

In late 1991, she accepted an offer to go play in the United Arab Emirates. She stayed there for 5 months, returning to Brazil in May 1992. It was in this year that she recorded a track in the songbook of Dorival Caymmi, and she also adopted the name Duncan, the maiden name of her mother. In 1994, she launched her first CD, Zélia Duncan, and two years later she recorded Intimidade (Intimacy), which made her spend a season in Europe and Japan.

In 2006, Zélia was invited to join the tour of the psychedelic rock band Os Mutantes, replacing Rita Lee as the vocalist. The tour was a success and Duncan became a full member of the band. In 2007, however, she decided to leave the band to continue her solo career. In 2008, she released a CD and DVD of the shows she performed with Simone Bittencourt de Oliveira in 2006 and 2007. The title of the CD and DVD was Amigo é a Casa (Friend is the House). Simone and Zélia performed shows in three Portuguese cities—Figueira da Foz, Oporto, and Lisbon.