Adriana Calcanhotto

Biography

Adriana da Cunha Calcanhotto (born 3 October 1965) is a Brazilian singer-songwriter. Her melancholic songs are often categorized in the MPB genre. She began her professional career in 1984 and released her first studio album in 1990. She is also a teacher and ambassador of the University of Coimbra in Portugal.

Childhood and family

Born from musician Carlos Calcanhotto (originally Calcagnotto) of Italian origin from Volpago del Montello, Veneto, and from a Brazilian dancer.

The first records (1988-1997)

Adriana's first album, called Enguiço×Enguiço1990 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Enguiço3:342Naquela estação4:443Caminhoneiro4:024Sonífera ilha4:425Disseram que eu voltei americanizada2:276Orgulho de um sambista4:547Nunca4:148Pão doce3:389Mortaes5:1110Injuriado3:17, was released in 1990 and consisted mostly of covers of well known MPB (Brazilian pop) songs, part of the repertoire she used to perform as a singer in restaurants and bars in Porto Alegre. It included only one original composition, the title track. It spawned her first hit, a cover of Caetano Veloso's Naquela Estação, which became successful thanks to it being included in the soundtrack of the successful 1990 telenovela Rainha da Sucata.
1992 saw the release of Senhas, which included the hits "Mentiras" and "Esquadros" and was followed by a successful national tour. In 1994, Adriana, sporting a new look (short black hair as opposed to the slightly longer bright blond haircut she'd had since the beginning of her career) released A Fábrica do Poema, considered by many to be her most poetic album. She collaborated with lyricists like Waly Salomão and António Cícero (brother and constant musical partner of fellow singer Marina Lima) and included the hits "Metade" and "Inverno". This was followed by Maritmo (a combination of the words marítimo (maritime) and ritmo (rhythm), a concept album intended as the first part of a trilogy having water as a main theme.

Height of success (1998-2003)

At the turn of the millennium, Adriana experienced the peak of her career with the release of the album Público×Público2000 · Album · LiveSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 15 tracks1E o mundo não se acabou2:532Mais feliz2:503Clandestino2:264Uns versos3:085Devolva-me2:266Remix século XX2:507O outro2:348Vambora5:029Vamos comer Caetano3:1010Esquadros4:1711Cariocas2:3412Medo de amar nº 33:5013Maresia4:1114Dona de castelo2:5215Remix século XX, o remix7:05 in 2000. Her first live album/DVD, Público was recorded in a voz-e-violão (voice and guitar) style, meaning there was no band, only the singer playing her acoustic guitar, an instrument which has followed her through her entire career. The album included a cover of the staple torch song Devolva-me, made famous by the duo Leno & Lílian back in the 1960s. This album was followed by her first greatest hits compilation, Perfil×Perfil2001 · Album · CompilationSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 13 tracks1Devolva-me2:372Mais feliz3:573Inverno4:394Mentiras2:585Esquadros3:086Cariocas3:157Vambora4:138Por isso eu corro demais2:549Maresia4:0910Metade3:2411Senhas3:3712Marina2:5413Naquela estação4:40 (the success of this album prompted her record company to make it a series, releasing compilations of the same title by such artists as Cássia Eller, Zélia Duncan and Djavan). Another album of new material wouldn't be released until 2002, when the singer released "Cantada×Cantada2002 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 15 tracks1Programa3:472Justo Agora3:453Pelos Ares3:244Eu Espero3:585Noite3:426Calor3:447Sobre a Tarde4:148Cantada (Depois de Ter Você)3:479A Mulher Barbada4:2210Sou Sua4:0811Intimidade (Sou Seu)3:1012Music / Impressive Instant4:0013Se Tudo Pode Acontecer3:4914Jornal de Serviço (Leitura em Diagonal das Páginas Amarelas)3:1715Ninar1:45". In the meantime, Adriana toured Europe and Japan (as she has done many times since).

Adriana Partimpim and Book (2004-2010)

After the release of that album, Adriana took on the persona of Adriana Partimpim, an alias the singer claims to have used as a child. Adriana Partimpim released her self-titled "debut" in 2004, an album of covers featuring essentially traditional children's songs, but which also included familiar pop songs made to resemble children's songs. Examples of such songs are the covers of Paula Toller's Oito Anos (a song Toller wrote for her own son, Gabriel) and Claudinho & Buchecha's Fico Assim Sem Você, which became a hit on adult radios. A live CD/DVD combo of the show was also released the following year. The album has Latin Grammy Award for Best Children's Album.
Maré, was released in early 2008 and features a guest appearance by the singer's personal friend, Marisa Monte as well as a cover of Marina Lima's song Três. She toured Brazil to promote the record, as well as once again touring Europe, Japan and the United States. Adriana has chronicled her adventures on tour in the book Saga Lusa (Portuguese Saga), in which she shares her memoirs of the Portuguese leg of her most recent tour. The book was released on October 28 in Rio de Janeiro.
On October 23, 2009, Adriana performed in front of an adoring crowd at the Canadian Museum of Civilization in Gatineau, Quebec, Canada in a free performance presented by the Embassy of Brazil.

Successful Tours

Since 2015, Calcanhotto had joined Universidade de Coimbra as a university ambassador, acting as visiting lecturer on song composition courses and as an artist-in-residence.

Alone and Wandering

Her album Errante×Errante31 March 2023 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Prova dos Nove2:292Larga Tudo2:513Quem te Disse?3:164Levou Para o Samba a Minha Fantasia3:215Era Isso o Amor?4:096Lovely2:457Jamais Admitirei3:158Reticências3:349Pra lhe Dizer4:5010Horário de Verão3:0911Nômade4:51 was chosen by the Associação Paulista de Críticos de Arte as one of the 50 best Brazilian albums of 2023.

Personal life

From 2021 to 2022, she dated actress Maitê Proença.