Cibelle

Brazilian singer/ songwriter Cibelle emerged in the late '90s as one of the leading voices of the "São Paulo Scene"—a stylish blend of classic samba and bossa nova with downtempo electronica production—and soon grew into a quirky, engaging artist in her own right.

Born in São Paulo in 1978, Cibelle Cavalli Bastos took to music early, enrolling in music school at the age of six, where she received a solid grounding in voice and piano before moving on to other instruments. As a teen she had caught the modeling/ acting bug, and was recruited by the Ford modeling agency. She did several television commercials as well as a brief stint on Brazilian MTV before she decided to return to music full-time.

Cibelle began singing at local clubs and jam sessions around São Paulo in her late teens and early 20s. It was at one of these jam sessions that she first met Yugoslavian ex-patriat and visionary producer Suba, who recruited her to sing several tracks on his groundbreaking São Paulo Confessions album. That 2000 release also featured Bebel Gilberto and was the defining document of the emerging Brazilian electronica movement. After Suba's unfortunate and untimely death in 1999, Cibelle appeared on Suba—Tributo, and a series of guest appearances on other artists' records, including bossa nova singer Celso Fonseca's debut Natural.

In 2003 she released her self-titled debut, which showcased both her sultry vocals and smart songwriting. A collaboration with producer Apollo 9, Cibelle was a critical success and a new step in the evolution of Brazilian electronica, with a lusher, fuller sound than anything previously recorded.

She followed up this impressive debut with her 2004 About a Girl EP, and 2006's full length Electric Shine of Dried Leaves, which featured duets with Seu Jorge and Devendra Banhart. Currently based in London, Cibelle continues to record and tour widely. —Tom Pryor