Céu

Céu proved to one of the more internationally appealing singers to break out of Brazil around the time of her 2005 debut, ultimately winning both Latin Grammy and Grammy nominations for Best New Artist and garnering interest across Europe, North America, and finally Asia. Her delivery style weds iconic Brazilian phrasing and nuance with her airy, slightly smoky alto; it is married to a highly original mix that seamlessly juxtaposes post-tropicalia samba, valsa, choro, soul, reggae, hip-hop, and jazz. Beginning with 2012's Caravana Sereia Bloom, electronica was subtly added and took an increasingly dominant role in performances and singles. 2016's globally celebrated Tropix wed all of the above with electro and jazz, cementing her reputation as an innovator. She won a Latin Grammy for Best Portuguese Language Contemporary Pop Album and four Prêmio Multisho awards in Brazil, including Album Recording of the Year.

She was born Maria do Céu Whitaker Poças in São Paulo; however, she bills herself as simply Céu. (In Portuguese, céu can mean either sky or heaven, depending on the context; more specifically, the word comes from the Latin word caelu and refers to the infinite space overhead, including the sky as well as the cosmos.) She grew up in a musical family; her father is a composer, arranger, and musicologist