Famous Brazilian Composers

Antônio Carlos Jobim was a Brazilian pianist, guitarist, composer, arranger, singer, and songwriter. He is credited with popularizing a style of samba called bossa nova by merging it with jazz with the help of American artists in the 1960s. He played an important role in creating the bossa nova style and is referred to as the father of bossa nova.

João Gilberto was a Brazilian guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is best remembered as a pioneer of bossa nova and is sometimes referred to as the father of bossa nova. In 1965, his collaborative album Getz/Gilberto received three Grammy Awards including Album of the Year. In 2001, he was made an inductee of the International Latin Music Hall of Fame.

Caetano Veloso is a Brazilian singer, guitarist, composer, political activist, and writer. Since his involvement in a musical movement called Tropicalismo in the 1960s, Veloso has remained a creative influence in Brazil. One of the best-selling performing artists of his generation, Caetano Veloso has received two Grammy Awards and nine Latin Grammy Awards so far in his illustrious career.

Eumir Deodato is a Brazilian composer, pianist, record producer, and arranger. He is best known for his 1973 instrumental Also Sprach Zarathustra (2001), which won the Grammy Award under the Best Pop Instrumental Performance category in 1974. It also peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Seu Jorge is a Brazilian actor, songwriter, and musical artist. He is credited with renewing Brazilian pop samba and his musical work has attracted praises from several internationally-recognized musicians including David Bowie and Beck David Hansen. Seu Jorge is also known for his acting performance in films like The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou and City of God. 

Heitor Villa-Lobos was a Brazilian composer, conductor, cellist, and classical guitarist. He is widely believed to be "the single most significant creative figure in 20th-century Brazilian art music." He was a prolific composer with over 2,000 orchestral, chamber, instrumental, and vocal works to his name. His music continues to be popular today, even six decades after his death. 

Michel Teló is a Brazilian actor and singer-songwriter. He achieved international success in 2008 when his song Ai Se Eu Te Pego peaked at number one on many Latin American and European charts. The song was made popular by world-renowned footballers like Cristiano Ronaldo. It also earned him Song of the Year award at the 2013 Billboard Latin Music Awards.

Vinicius de Moraes was a Brazilian poet, essayist, playwright, lyricist, musician, singer, and diplomat. His compositions and lyrics played important roles in the introduction and popoularization of bossa nova music. Vinicius de Moraes is best remembered for his collaborations with popular musicians like Antônio Carlos Jobim. His play Orfeu da conceição was adapted into an Oscar-winning film titled Black Orpheus.

Milton Nascimento is a Brazilian singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. Over the course of his illustrious career, Nascimento has received five Grammy Awards. In 1997, he won the award under the Best World Music Album category.

Amon Tobin is a Brazilian composer, electronic musician, and producer. Tobin is renowned for his unusual methodology in music production and sound design. His music has been featured in many popular films including The Italian Job.

Chico Buarque is a Brazilian singer, guitarist, songwriter, composer, poet, playwright, and writer. He is best known for creating music that includes economic, cultural, and social reflections on Brazil. In 2010, he received the São Paulo Prize for Literature. In 2019, Chico Buarque was honored with the prestigious Camões Prize. 

Tim Maia was a Brazilian musician and songwriter best remembered for his ironic, iconoclastic, humorous, and outspoken musical style. Counted among the greatest icons in Brazilian music, Tim Maia is credited with pioneering sambalanço and introducing soul music in the Brazilian musical scene.  

Eliane Elias is a Brazilian singer, pianist, composer, and arranger. Her album Made in Brazil earned her the Grammy Award for Best Latin Jazz Album in 2016. In 2022, Eliane Elias’ album Mirror Mirror won the Grammy Award under the Best Latin Jazz Album category.

Jorge Ben Jor is a Brazilian musician renowned for his characteristic style that fuses funk, samba, bossa nova, and rock with lyrics that blend satire and humor with often esoteric subject matter. Many of his songs, such as Mas Que Nada and Chove Chuva, have been interpreted by famous artistes like Sérgio Mendes, Caetano Veloso, Marisa Monte, and Miriam Makeba.

Heitor Pereira is a Brazilian composer best known for composing music for the famous Despicable Me franchise. He has also worked with world-renowned musicians like Elton John, Jack Johnson, and Rod Stewart. In 2006, Heitor Pereira received a Grammy Award under the Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying a Vocalist category.

Rita Lee is a Brazilian singer, writer, and composer. Lee achieved popularity as a member of the famous band, Os Mutantes. Over the years, she has become a popular figure in Brazilian entertainment, having sold over 60 million albums and participating in animal rights campaigns. Rita Lee published her self-titled autobiography in 2017, the best-selling non-fiction book of the year.

Cazuza was a Brazilian singer-songwriter remembered as one of the greatest exponents of Brazilian rock music. Over the course of his nine-year career, Cazuza sold over five million albums and achieved 18 Top 10 singles in Brazil. He died due to a septic shock triggered by AIDS at age 32. His life inspired the 2004 biopic Cazuza–O Tempo Não Pára.

Luiz Bonfá was a Brazilian composer and guitarist best remembered for his work in the 1959 romantic tragedy film Black Orpheus. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest exponents of the emotionally charged samba-canção style that preceded the arrival of João Gilberto's subdued bossa nova style. Bonfá also worked with American musicians like Quincy Jones and Frank Sinatra.

Carlinhos Brown is a Brazilian singer, record producer, and percussionist. He is best known for his characteristic musical style that fuses funk, soul, R&B, traditional Brazilian percussion, and reggae. Brown, who has won a couple of Latin Grammy Awards, is also known for his philanthropic activity. Carlinhos Brown has done much to improve the quality of living of his hometown.

Baden Powell was a Brazilian guitarist and composer best remembered for his versatality. He often combined classical techniques with swing and harmony and performed in many styles, including Latin jazz, Brazilian jazz, bossa nova, and samba. Apart from performing on stage and composing pieces for guitar, Baden Powell also collaborated with other popular musicians like American flautist Herbie Mann.

Luiz Gonzaga was a Brazilian singer, songwriter, and musician. He is counted among the most influential figures of Brazilian popular music in the 20th century. He has been credited with spreading the rich north-eastern musical genres throughout Brazil. His contribution to Brazilian music has been phenomenal. He received the Shell prize for Brazilian Popular Music in 1984. 

Laurindo Almeida was a Brazilian guitarist and composer. He was well versed in classical, jazz, and Latin music. Along with Bud Shank, he is considered one of the pioneers in the creation of bossa nova. In a career spanning over five decades, he made over a hundred recordings. He received Grammy Awards for both classical and jazz performances. 

Dominguinhos was a Brazilian composer, accordionist, and singer. He developed a unique style of popular music by combining elements from European, African, and Indian music with typical Brazilian music. He was deeply influenced by the music of Luiz Gonzaga, with who he also performed. He was the recipient of many awards, including the Latin Grammy in 2002.  

Aldir Blanc was a Brazilian author of journalistic vignettes and chronicles. He was also a lyricist. He co-composed many songs in collaboration with singer-songwriter João Bosco and guitarist Guinga. A psychiatrist by training, he once had a thriving medical practice that he quit to pursue writing and composing. He died during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. 

Moacir Santos was a Brazilian composer and multi-instrumentalist. He was also a music educator. Baden Powell, Bola Sete, and Wilson das Neves were some of his students. Santos was highly respected by his contemporaries in both Brazil and USA. As a composer, he often worked with Nara Leão, Roberto Menescal, and Sérgio Mendes.

Braguinha was a Brazilian songwriter and composer. He is best remembered for his marchinhas, songs sung during the Carnival of Brazil. Many of his marchinhas have become standards of popular music in Brazil. These songs have also been recorded by many well-known Carnaval singers such as Carmen Miranda.

Ciro Pessoa was a Brazilian singer-songwriter, lyricist, guitarist, and journalist. He was one of the founding members of the influential rock band Titãs. He developed an early interest in music and began to perform in local music festivals when he was just 12. Throughout his career, he formed numerous musical projects and also performed solo.  

Parrerito was a Brazilian singer, composer, and guitarist. He achieved national prominence after becoming a part of the famous musical act, Trio Parada Dura. He was part of the group from 1988 to 2006, during which he helped popularize the ensemble. Parrerito died in 2020 after testing positive for COVID-19.

Andréia de Olicar was a Brazilian singer, composer, and pastor. She is best remembered for her contribution to contemporary Christian music. Andreia de Olicar achieved popularity among evangelical gospel singers, who started recording her compositions. Songs from her extended play Sou Milagre have been sung in many evangelical events and churches since its release in 2014.

Supla is a musician who started his career as a drummer. He then established himself as a singer and formed a band named Zigue-Zague at age 17. After performing as the lead singer of the band for a few years, Supla went solo and has released many solo albums. Also an actor, Supla has performed in films and TV shows.

Deborah Blando is a Brazilian singer and composer. Blando has released six albums despite suffering from bipolar disorder, which has greatly hindered her career. She has also sold more than six million records worldwide and has achieved ten Top 10 singles and seven number one singles in Brazil.