Roberta Sá at Canecão

By Maíra Amorim, Contributing Reporter

RIO DE JANEIRO – Her trademark smile and sweet yet powerful voice are conquering Brazil. Her name is Roberta Sá and she will be playing at Canecão on September 3 and 4 (Thursday and Friday) to launch the DVD “Pra Se Ter alegria” (To Be Happy).

The DVD was recorded in April on a memorable night at Vivo Rio with a crowd that sang along during the entire show and didn’t get tired when Roberta had to repeat the songs. The DVD is not yet in stores but promises to be a very emotional and lively record of the singer’s career so far.

Roberta was born in Natal, in Rio Grande do Norte, and moved to Rio when she was nine years old. At the age of 18 she went on an exchange trip to Missouri, where she began taking singing lessons. Back in Rio, she started a journalism course and kept up with the music lessons.

Her first public appearance was in 2002, on the TV show “Fama” (Fame), the Brazilian equivalent of American Idol. However, although the show was successful, the participants and winners do not generally achieve as much popularity as in the US. Roberta was eliminated in the fourth week and the best thing to come out of the show was the opportunity to meet Felipe Abreu, who later became her manager. He insisted that she record a demo.

That demo arrived in the hands of sopa opera writer Gilberto Braga, who liked Roberta’s voice and asked her to record “A Vizinha do Lado” (Next-Door Neighbor) by Dorival Caymmi. The song went on to become part of the soundtrack to the soap “Celebridade” (Celebrity), and introduced her to the Brazilian public.

In 2005 she released her first album, “Braseiro”, which was praised by critics as a heartfelt declaration of love to Brazilian music. From “Braseiro” came hits like “Ah, Se Eu Vou” (Oh, If I Go) and, of course, new versions of samba classics such as “Pelas Tabelas” (Chico Buarque) and “Valsa da Solidão” (Paulinho da Viola).

Her second album was released in 2007. “Que Belo Estranho Dia Pra Se Ter Alegria” (What a Beautiful, Strange Day to be Happy) catapulted her into the limelight. It sold more than 50,000 copies and won two awards from the APCA (Paulista Association of Arts Critics) for Best Singer and Best Album.

This album is a collection of delicate, beautiful and powerful songs like “Interessa?”, “Alô Fevereiro”, “Laranjeira” and “Girando na Renda”, among others. The latter is a duet with Pedro Luís, from PLAP and Monobloco, who also happens to be Roberta’s husband and director of her DVD.

At Canecão, Roberta will no doubt charm the audience with her beauty, grace and distinctive voice. You can listen to her songs at the official website.

Roberta Sá at Canecão
September 3 (9:30PM) and September 4 (10PM)
Canecão – doors open at 8:30PM
Avenida Venceslau Braz 215, Botafogo – Tel.: 2543-4957
Tickets from R$60 to R$240