Maria Rita took the MPB world by storm in 2003 with her debut album, winning all kinds of awards and crossing over abroad in light of her mammoth success. The beautiful and beautiful-sounding young lady is the daughter of one of Brazil's most (if not the most) legendary vocalists, the late Elis Regina, and if that alone weren't enough to make her a star in waiting, her father is César Camargo Mariano, one of the country's top arrangers, producers, and pianists, and her namesake is Rita Lee, yet another MPB legend. Add to that a close musical partnership with Milton Nascimento, who penned "A Festa," the opening track of her debut album, and you can see why the MPB world was eagerly awaiting her recording debut.nnBorn September 19, 1977, in São Paulo, Rita began singing professionally at age 24. Her debut album, Maria Rita, released domestically in late 2003 and internationally in 2004, spawned two big hits, the aforementioned "A Festa" and "Cara Valente." On the heels of the album's blockbuster success -- both critical and commercial -- Rita released a similarly self-titled DVD that captured her 2004 live performance at Bourbon Street in São Paulo. Among the awards won by Rita in 2004 were Latin Grammys for Best New Artist and Best MPB Album. Rita's second album, Segundo (2005), was even more popular than her first (selling over 700,000 copies in Brazil alone), if not as critically acclaimed. A live DVD, Segundo ao Vivo, followed in 2006. Rita's third album, Samba Meu (2007), was a change of style: a collection of acoustic sambas. It landed at number 10 on the Brazilian charts and achieved platinum sales status.nn She followed it with a tour that took her to England, which resulted in the audio/video document Samba Meu: Ao Vivo in 2008. It also sold platinum and received a nomination for best new artist at the BBC Radio 3 Awards for World Music. After a two-year break, Rita re-emerged with Elo. Backed by power trio of Tiago Costa (pianist), Sylvinho Mazzucca (acoustic bass) and Cuca Teixeira (drums), she interpreted songs by Chico Buarque, Caetano Veloso, Rita Lee and Djavan; many of its selections were actually chosen by fans. The album proved a warm for the challenge of Viva Elis, a tribute tour/theater piece in which she sang her mothers songs. The tour was so successful it actually helped her album, which peaked at number nine and achieved platinum status. This set was also followed by the live Redescobrir (from the Viva Elis tour) in 2012. Rita's commitment to samba was by now total. 2014's Coração a Batucar was a hardcore samba outing and the public loved it; the album hit the top spot on the Brazilian charts, was certified platinum, and is regarded as her masterpiece. Her subsequent live album, Coração a Batucar: Edição Especial, also topped the charts and went platinum. She followed it in 2016 with the concert video O Samba Em Mim: Ao Vivo na Lapa. ~ Jason Birchmeier