Juliana Vasconcellos Mendes, known professionally as Juliana Areias, was born on February 7, 1975, in São Paulo, Brazil. She is a singer who began her musical journey at a young age, inspired by the Bossa Nova movement and mentored by journalist Ruy Castro. In her early career, she moved to Switzerland at 21 to pursue singing and songwriting. Areias performed at major music festivals such as the Montreux Jazz Festival and Auckland Festival. She collaborated with Brazilian poet and composer Márcio Catunda on multiple albums between 1997 and 2010. In 2015, Areias released her debut album, Bossa Nova Baby, which was funded through a crowdfunding campaign. The album featured jazz musicians and received airplay across Australia, Brazil, Europe, and the United States. She performed at notable venues like the Sydney Opera House and Perth International Jazz Festival.
