Céu

Bio:

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Welcome to the official MySpace for CéU! While this profile is not managed by CéU herself, it can hopefully be a way to connect with other admirers, keep up to date on upcoming performances, and be a part of an online network of information. Please feel free to share your thoughts on her music, all comments are forwarded to her!!
Urbanjungle

There are good reasons for the depth and complexity of CéU's songs. She was born into a musical family in the artistically diverse city of São Paulo; her father, a locally renowned composer, arranger and musicologist, taught her at a young age to appreciate the music of Brazil's great classical composers, including Heitor Villa-Lobos, Ernesto Nazaré and Orlando Silva. By age 15 she had decided to become a singer, and pursued music studies in lieu of a college education; trained on the violão (a nylon-stringed Brazilian guitar) and in music theory, she was performing onstage with major artists and exploring the repertoire of the marchinhas (turn-of-the-century carnival music) by her late teens. Soon after that she relocated temporarily to New York City, where she had a chance meeting with fellow Brazilian musician Antonio Pinto, who became her flat mate while he was going through some financial difficulties. She later learned that he was actually a distant cousin, and their relationship was renewed when he teamed up with lead producer Beto Villares to help her record her album. Pinto, who produced CéU's song "Ave Cruz" is the composer of the musical score for two Oscar Nominated films, Central Station (1999) and City of God (2003.)

Originally issued in 2005 on the São Paulo-based Urban Jungle label Jungle and Beto Villares’ Ambulante Discos, CéU was picked up by Six Degrees/Starbucks/Hear Music in the US and UK (in partenrship with WhatMusic), by LCL in Canada, JVC in Japan and Oplus in France and in the Netherlands. CéU has a Latin Grammy nomination for “best new artist” of 2006 and just received a Grammy nomination for "Best Contemporary World Music Album." of 2007. She is also riding high on a wave of international success in France, where the influential Les Inrockuptibles recognized her as one of the top 5 musical revelations of 2005, Holland, and Italy, as well as in Canada, where she was recently the fourth highest-selling artist for the Archambault chain of music shops while simultaneously holding the number 32 slot on the pop charts.
Debut album in the U.S. with Six Degrees Records as the first international artist on Starbucks' Hear Music Debut Series. Her album was received with critical praise from NPR's Morning Edition, The Associated Press, Reuters, and many more, hailing her as "…a fresh new face in the Brazilian music scene." Her album has sound scanned over 90,000 copies to date, making her the biggest selling Brazilian artist of 2007. CéU reached unprecedented chart numbers for a Brazilian female artist -- 1 on Billboard's Heatseekers (New Artist) Chart, 57 on the Billboard Hot 100 and 1 on Billboard's World Music charts. In 2008, CéU received a Grammy nomination for “Best Contemporary World Music Album” of 2007 for her debut album CéU.

..Céu's labels around the world:..
Céu's album was produced by São Paulo based label Urban Jungle Records (urbanjungle.com.br) and has been released around the world in partnership with:
..USA/UK/Germany.. - Six Degrees Records-sixdegreesrecords.com
..Canada.. - LCL Music - fusion3.com
..Japan.. - JVC Music - jvcmusic.co.jp

..Booking Agency:..
North America: jeremyholgersen@theagencygroup.com
Europe: Loop Production/Enzo - www.looproductions.com


Watch "Sonâmbulo" live: Watch "Lenda" acoustic performance live: The video below is from her TV performance with the Amsterdam Symphony Orchestra.

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Member Since:

June 10, 2006

Members:

..Band Members..

When CéU formed her band she was looking for young, fresh musicians from different musical backgrounds. She ended up selecting a group of musicians whose average age was just twenty-five. However their age is no reflection on the enormous combined talent of the group.

Their influences range from Fela Kuti to Miles Davis, from The Roots to Massive Attack, from M'shell Ndogeocello to Portishead, as well as Brazilian composers such as Tom Jobim, Baden-Powell, Egberto Gismonti among others.

Click the video below for an introduction to the band:

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Lucas Martins - Bass and Guitar
Lucas comes from the funk, soul and hip-hop tradition. His style is very pure and melodic.

Bruno Buarque - Drums and Percussion
A gifted percussionist and drummer, Bruno belongs to the new generation of Brazilian musicians that are exploring the roots of Brazils indigenous music. He's also a member and producer of the body percussion group "Barbatuques" who use the body as a percussion instrument.

DJ Marco - Decks
DJ and hip-hop producer Marcos outstanding skills with the turntables, have earned him great respect in the Brazilian hip-hop scene.

Guilherme Ribeiro - Keyboards
Guilherme has a classical trainning but a jazz sensibility. He represents the new generation of Brazilian jazz musicians.

Influences:

Clementina, Dorival, Fela Anikulapo, Bob, Moacir Santos, Lee Perry, Sarah Vaughan, Nelson Cavaquinho, Villa-Lobos, Jurassic 5, Baden Powell, Clara Nunes, Funkadelic, Cymande, Mala Rodriguez, Seu João do bandolim, Nara, Ella, What What, Lauryn Hill, Monsueto, Erykah Badu, Zumbi, Timão, Roberto Carlos, Jorge Ben, Os Gemeos, M.I.A, Tom Jobim, Rachelle Ferrell, Milo Manara, Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, One Self, Chico Science, Nação Zumbi, Ultraje a Rigor, Wyclef,Tony Allen, A Tribe Call Quest, Jackie Mittoo, Jackson do Pandeiro, King Tubby, João Gilberto, Beastie Boys, B-Negão, Me'shell Ndegeocello, The Roots, Cartola, Dila, Wilson das Neves, Chico Buarque, Geraldo Pereira, Lupicinio Rodrigues, vô Firmino, Joseph Campbell, Mafalda...

Sounds Like:

Céu

Record Label:

Urban Jungle/Ambulante w/ Six Degrees, O+ and more