Claudette Soares

Claudette Colbert Soares (October 31, 1937) is a Brazilian singer from Rio de Janeiro. She made her radio debut at the age of 10 and appeared on several shows such as A Raia Miúda, Clube do Guri, and Salve o Baião!, where she earned the nickname “The Princess of Baião” after performing with the “King of Baião,” Luiz Gonzaga. During the 1950s, Claudette Soares participated in the program No Mundo do Baião alongside Ademilde Fonseca on Radio Tamoio and became a lounge singer at the renowned Hotel Plaza, replacing Silvinha Telles. There, Claudette Soares performed with jazz musicians like Luiz Eça, João Donato, Baden Powell, and Milton Banana. In the 1960s, she divided her time between hosting TV Excelsior’s Brasil 60 and singing Bossa Nova songs in several nightclubs around São Paulo. Her studio debut, É Dona da Bossa, came out in 1964 and was followed by the live album Primeiro Tempo 5x0 (1966), recorded with Taiguara e Jongo Trio. That same year, she took part in the first edition of the Festival Internacional da Canção with the song “Chorar e Cantar.” During the 70s, she married musician Júlio César Figueiredo and collaborated with singer Dick Farney on the albums Tudo Isso É Amor (1976) and Tudo Isso É Amor Vol. 2 (1977). After her divorce in 1990, she resumed her music career with Vida Real (1995), Claudette Soares Ao Vivo (2000), Claudette Soares & Leandro Braga (2002), and Foi a Noite (2007), a tribute to Tom Jobim and Silvinha Telles.