Born Claudia Cristina Leite Ignatus on July 10, 1980 in Sao Goncalo, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Claudia Leitte was a well known and quite popular axé style singer, who got her start with the band Babado Novo in 2001. She paid her early dues by singing children's songs, and eventually moved to bar and club work. She turned professional as a teen, and worked with a spate of different smaller axé groups before joining Babado. With that group, she was part of the release of five hit albums, beginning with Babado Novo in 2003, and ending with Ver-Te Mar in 2007, which was a live album. As the frontwoman for Babado Novo, Leitte won a number of awards, including the 2007 Best Brazilian Female Singer, which was presented by GloboRadio. 2008 saw the dawn of Leitte's solo career, and it was kicked off officially by a performance at Copacabana Beach, which was to be recorded and filmed for a CD and DVD release. The resulting album, Live in Copacabana, was promoted as her debut album, and hit store shelves nationwide later that year. ~ Chris True