Diana

Nicknamed ‘the Love Singer of Brazil,’ Diana – born Ana Maria Siqueira Iorio in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on June 2, 1948 – was a Brazilian pop singer and songwriter associated with the Jovem Guarda genre, which was light and uplifting music inspired by American and British rock and roll from the 1950s and 1960s. She released her first single, “Confia Em Mim,” in 1968 but didn’t score her first major success until the release of “Ainda Queima a Esperanca” in 1971, which became the seventh best-selling single of 1972. The song was included on her CBS Records debut album, Diana, which was released in 1972. Her next album, Uma Vez Mais, was released in 1973 and ended up being her final album for CBS. Signing to Polydor Records, she scored more chart hits between 1974 and 1976 with “Foi Tudo Culpa do Amor,” “Lero-Lero,” “Sem Barulho,” and “Uma Nova Vida.” Switching labels again, she released Diana – her third self-titled album - for RCA Records in 1978. However, her popularity faded, and her singles and albums no longer sold like they had in the early ‘70s. She did release several singles in the 1980s - plus the Pra Sempre album (1989) - but she eventually left the music business. She reemerged in 2010 under the stage name Dianah, but it didn’t help revive her career. Diana died from a suspected heart attack on August 21, 2024, at the age of 76.