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Artist
Maria João
12+ albums
jazzfemale vocalistsportuguesePortugal1ja
about
Maria João Monteiro Grancha was born in 1956, in Lisbon. Whilst growing up, Maria never thought about becoming a singer. In her teenage years she used to practice Aikido and she swam a lot in order to get rid of some of the overwhelming energy she possessed. Her passion for sports began at age 17, when she had already been expelled from 5 different schools. Her love for sports gave her a black belt at Aikido and she also becomes a swimming teacher. Aged 27, when she was training to be a lifeguard, she realised that she had the potential to become a professional singer. When the gymnasium where she worked as a swimming teacher closed, a friend suggested that she attend the Hot Club of Lisbon Jazz School. Maria João knew nothing about jazz but she decided to go to an audition at the Hot Club out of curiosity. Despite having no musical background, and no knowledge of written music, Maria João's audition was successful and from then on she began to learn how to sing. In 1983 João learnt to "listen" and progressed rapidly. She sang songs by Billie Holiday, Elis Regina, Ella Fitzgerald and Betty Carter. She soon began performing with a band of her own. Her debut was at the opening of a restaurant where she forgot everything she had rehearsed and had toimprovise. The gig was a huge success, and her career began to take off. She recorded a record with Jorge Palma before going on to work on solo projects. In 1984 she became the presenter of the Portuguese Television Jazz Show
