Zizi Possi

A classically-trained Brazilian vocalist whose diverse music makes room for samba, jazz, bossa nova, pop, and Latin influences, Zizi Possi was born as "Maria Izildinha Possi" in São Paulo, Brazil, on March 28, 1956. Raised by Italian immigrants, she began singing as a child and started taking piano lessons at five years old. Zizi Possi relocated to Rio de Janeiro during her early 20s and made her recording debut with "Pedaco De Mim," a track from Chico Buarque's self-titled release, in 1978. Later that year, she released her own album, Flor Do Mal, and then cemented her reputation as one of Brazilian's newest pop balladeers with her follow-up release, 1979's Pedaco De Mim. Working with producer Joao Augusto, she releasing a number of pop-oriented albums throughout the 1980s, then focused on a stripped-down, acoustic sound during much of the 1990s. 1997's Per Amore and 1998's Passione both proved to be career highlights, with Zizi Possi filling both records with Italian romantic songs. She later received three Latin Grammy nominations for her 1999 release, Puro Prazer, and record a memorable cover of the Beatles' "Yesterday" on her 2002 release, Bossa. Although she left the roster of Universal Music that same year, Possi remained active throughout the first two decades of the 21st century, recording music in Portuguese, English, and Italian while continuing to be heralded as a Brazilian pop heavyweight.