1. A Brazilian MPB singer and s… Read Full Bio ↴There are two artists who use this name:
1. A Brazilian MPB singer and songwriter
2. A Grammy-nominated American jazz singer
1. Maysa Figueira Monjardim Matarazzo (June 6, 1936, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – January 22, 1977, Niterói, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), better known as Maysa Matarazzo or simply Maysa, was a Brazilian singer, songwriter and actress, being one of the first female songwriters of Brazil and one of the precursors of the genre samba-canção. She had great success in the 1950s and 1960s, known especially for her pessimistic, hopeless, melancholic and dramatic lyrics and interpretations, very characteristic of her image and career. She is also associated with bossa nova music, but is widely known as a torch song (música de fossa) interpreter.
Maysa's grandfather was Alfeu Adolfo Monjardim de Andrade e Almeida, the 1st Baron of Monjardim, and wife Laurinda Luísa Pinto Pereira. Maysa showed talent at a young age and by twelve had written a samba song, which later became a hit from her first album. She married André Matarazzo Filho, a member of a wealthy and traditional São Paulo family in 1954 at the age of 18 and two years later had a son, Jayme Monjardim. Jayme would later be known as a television director. In the late 1950s she formed a successful bossa nova group and also did television work relying on her magnificent pair of gorgeous green eyes.
Her tour to Buenos Aires first projected bossa nova beyond Brazil's borders but was not without controversy. The tour was a great success and extended to Chile and Uruguay, but Maysa had an affair with the show's producer, Ronaldo Bôscoli, a journalist and composer linked romantically to bossa nova's muse Nara Leão. This led not only to a break between Nara and Ronaldo, but also to a fracture in the bossa nova movement. Nara supported Carlos Lyra's nationalist vertent of the bossa nova movement, to the detriment of Boscoli's more orthodox approach, emphasizing form rather than content in bossa nova compositions. Nara also began courting older composers of traditional sambas, such as morro composers Zé Kéti and Cartola. She also became an idol of the protest song genre against the military dictatorship in Brazil. Nara's pocket show "Opinião" marked the start of a series of protest musical shows, which both in Rio and São Paulo distracted the public from the main themes of "the love, the smile and the flower", typical of the bossa nova years. So Maysa became "persona non grata" both to the bossa-novistas and the protest singers and her career faltered. She reacted by marrying Spaniard music producer Miguel Anzana, with whom she moved to Spain and began a series of presentations not only in Spain, but also Portugal, Italy and France.
Her personal life, already tumultuous, became even more chaotic leading to her being called "the Janis Joplin of Bossa Nova". But she later made a come back with one of the first notable shows in Rio's "Canecão" venue, the equivalent of Carnegie Hall in NYC. Maysa also played the Olympia in Paris to a full house twice and enjoyed considerable success in Europe. She is still considered the best Brazilian "torch song" (fossa) musician, rivaled only perhaps by Nora Ney as interpreter and Dolores Duran as composer. Upon her return to Brazil, Maysa continued to blend her old unique "broken love affair" trademarks with the more current festival style and occasional bossa nova hits. In the 1970s Maysa tapped her actress side and acted on a few telenovelas in Brazil. She also composed the soundtrack for a Rede Globo telenova just as the TV network became the powerhouse of Brazilian soap operas. She appeared more in peace with herself in latter years but died in a car crash in 1977, on the Rio-Niterói bridge, which connects the cities of Rio de Janeiro and Niterói over the Guanabara Bay.
In January 2009, 32 years after her death, a miniseries about her life was broadcast on Brazilian television and spanned two new books about one of Brazil's most charismatic divas. Maysa's style influenced the following generations of Brazilian female singers and composers, with great ascendancy in the works of Angela Ro Ro, Simone, Cazuza, Leila Pinheiro and Fafá de Belém.
2. Maysa Leak (born August 17, 1966) is an American jazz singer better known by her mononym Maysa. She is well known by fans of smooth jazz both for her solo work and for her work with the British band Incognito.
After receiving her degree from Morgan State University, Maysa headed to Southern California to perform with Stevie Wonder’s female backup group Wonderlove, While with Wonder, Maysa was a vocalist on the Jungle Fever soundtrack and performed on numerous television shows including The Arsenio Hall Show, Oprah and The Tonight Show.
It was during an over-the-telephone audition in the early 90s, that Maysa become a member of the acclaimed British jazz/funk/R&B band Incognito and in 1992 she relocated to London and recorded Tribes, Vibes & Scribes, featuring the hit single "Don't You Worry 'Bout A Thing." Since then, Maysa has appeared on over seven Incognito recordings.
Maysa recorded her self-titled debut in 1995, followed by her second album All My Life in 2000, Out of The Blue in 2002, Smooth Sailing in 2004, Sweet Classic Soul in 2006, and now Feel The Fire, 2007. In 2008, Metamorphosis peaked at No.1 on Billboard's Top Contemporary Jazz top 100 chart and no.13 on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. In 2010, "A Woman in Love", Maysa 8th Solo cd debuted at No.1 on the Contemporary Jazz Charts. Maysa's 9th solo album,Motions of Love, released in November 2011, debuted at No. 1 on Billboards Contemporary Jazz Charts and Number 7 on the R&B charts.
Maysa has also collaborated with well-known jazz performers like Gerald Veasley, Rick Braun, Will Downing, Jason Miles' Soul Summit, Rhythm Logic, Jonathan Butler and Pieces of a Dream.
In 2009, Maysa won the very first new Soul Train Award named for the brand's new owners, CENTRIC. The Cenric Award : Soul Approved /Underground.
Maysa Leak was a spokesperson for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a disease that can be fatal to premature babies. She appears in RSV PSA commercials, with her son Jazz, sponsored for the March of Dimes.
In 2013, Maysa received her first Grammy nomination in the "Best Traditional R&B Performance" award category for the song "Quiet Fire" from her album Blue Velvet Soul.
Grateful
Maysa Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
On a cloudy day
You are the rainbow
After a sweet pool rain
I can't believe
All the joy you bring
You are the very reason why i sing
You mean the World to me
You see the best in me
For that i'm gratefull
You are my eye when i can't see
You're my strength when i am weak
You're everything i need
For that i'm gratefull
When i feel lost
You help me find my way
After the darkest night
You are the light of day
dodaduduum
You found the perfect voice to sing
You are the voice of Music
The sweatest voice inside my head
You mean the World to me
You're the very air i breath
You see the best in me
For that i'm gratefull
You are my eye when i can't see
You're my strength when i am weak
You everything i need
For that i'm grateful
You are the Music 's perfect melodie
Soft and sweet
Wonderfull harmonie
Thats what you are to me
Your life shines all around
Follow you
Follow you all my life
All my life
The lyrics to Maysa's song Grateful express deep appreciation and gratitude towards a special someone who brings joy, light, hope, and strength into the singer's life. The song is a beautiful tribute to a person who is the singer's world, the very air she breathes, the voice of music, and her source of inspiration. The sun, the rainbow, the light of day, and the sweetest melody are all metaphors used to describe the person's impact on the singer's life. The lyrics suggest that the person has a profound understanding of the singer's potential and sees the best in her even when she can't see it herself. The singer acknowledges that without this person, she would be lost and weak, but with their support, she can find her way and be strong. The song conveys a powerful message of gratitude, love, and appreciation for the person who makes life worth living, and it inspires listeners to reflect on the people in their lives who bring them joy and hope.
Overall, Maysa's song Grateful is a touching and heartfelt tribute to a person who means the world to the singer. The song uses poetic language and metaphors to express the depth of the singer's appreciation and gratitude towards this person. Through the lyrics, the singer acknowledges the positive impact that this person has had on her life, and she expresses a profound sense of joy, hope, and love that this person brings into her world.
Line by Line Meaning
You are the sun
You bring light, warmth, and life to my world
On a cloudy day
Even when things are dark and gloomy, you still bring light to my life
You are the rainbow
You bring beauty, color, and hope to my life
After a sweet pool rain
Even in the aftermath of hardships, you remain a symbol of comfort and beauty
I can't believe
I am so overwhelmed with gratitude and amazement at all that you do for me
All the joy you bring
You fill my life with happiness and positivity
You are the very reason why i sing
You bring so much beauty and inspiration to my life, and I can't help but express it through music
You mean the World to me
You are the most important thing in my life, and everything I do revolves around you
You're the very air i breath
You are vital to my existence and well-being
You see the best in me
You have a unique ability to recognize and appreciate my true self and talents
For that i'm gratefull
I am so thankful for all that you do and for the positive impact you have on my life
You are my eye when i can't see
You offer guidance and clarity when I am feeling lost or confused
You're my strength when i am weak
You provide me with the courage and resilience I need to face challenging times
You're everything i need
You are the one constant in my life that gives me hope, happiness, and fulfillment
When i feel lost
When I am unsure of my path in life or feeling directionless
You help me find my way
You guide me towards the right path and help me recognize what I truly want and need in life
After the darkest night
Even in the most difficult and painful times
You are the light of day
You bring hope, positivity, and light to my life even in the darkest of times
You found the perfect voice to sing
You help me find my true voice--the voice that brings joy and inspiration to others
You are the voice of Music
You embody everything that is beautiful and inspiring about music
The sweatest voice inside my head
You are my inner voice, my source of inspiration and creativity
You are the Music's perfect melodie
You are the embodiment of everything that is beautiful and harmonious about music
Soft and sweet
You have a gentle, calming presence that soothes and comforts me
Wonderful harmonie
You bring together the different parts of my life in a way that is beautiful and meaningful
That's what you are to me
You are everything I could ever wish for in a person--beautiful, inspiring, and essential to my life
Your life shines all around
Your presence and positive energy have a ripple effect on everyone around you
Follow you
I will always look up to you and aspire to be like you
Follow you all my life
I am committed to living a life guided by your example and your positive influence
Contributed by Lucas D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.