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.
Honey Bee
Maysa Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You can't imagine the way I feel
When we're close enough to kiss
I been around for a little while
Never found anything like this
You take me high as an airplane
With your smile shining bright like the sun
Said you keep buzzing around my way
Chorus 1:
Honey Bee
Why are you so sweet to me?
I cannot see
Anything but my Honey Bee
Verse 2:
I like the way that we intersect
In our own little paradise
I like the way that you read my head
I don't have to tell you twice
Love is the way that you make me feel
And it's just what I need the most
What could be better than you and me
Who knew heaven was so close?
Chorus 2:
Honey Bee
I love the way you hugging me
Nothing is as sweet
As the honey from my Honey Bee
Verse 3:
Who can know
Your love comes If we take it slow
And I like the way your honey flows
And then we'll treasure all of the years we know
We will treasure love
Honey Bee
Don't you ever fly from me
I would not be
Any good without my Honey Bee
Honey Bee
Never fly away from me
Where would I be without my Honey Bee?
Honey Bee
Don't fly away, don't fly away from me.
The song "Honey Bee" by Maysa is a sweet and romantic love song about the intense love she feels for her partner. In the first verse, she describes the way she feels when she is close to them and how they make her feel higher than an airplane. She also mentions that she has never found love like this before, solidifying the idea that this person is unique and special to her. In the chorus, Maysa sings about the sweetness of her "Honey Bee," exemplified by the way they treat her, and how she sees nothing but them.
In the second verse, Maysa talks about how they intersect and how her partner knows her so well that she doesn't have to tell them twice what she is feeling or needing. She describes how love makes her feel and how it's the most important thing to her. She also mentions that she never knew heaven was so close, indicating how her partner has brought her to a new and higher level of happiness. In the third verse, she talks about treasuring the love they have and taking it slow to make it last a lifetime. She pleads to her lover, her "Honey Bee," to never fly away from her because she wouldn't be any good without them.
Overall, the song showcases the beauty and intensity of love and how it can turn your world upside down. The lyrics convey a sense of joy, devotion, and commitment to a significant other. The use of the metaphor of a "Honey Bee" represents the sweetness, loyalty, and hard work that goes into a healthy and lasting relationship.
Line by Line Meaning
You can't imagine the way I feel
My emotions for you are unexplainable
When we're close enough to kiss
Our intimacy is strong and undeniable
I been around for a little while
I've experienced love before
Never found anything like this
But nothing compares to what we have
You take me high as an airplane
Your love and presence lifts me up
With your smile shining bright like the sun
Your happy disposition brings light to my life
Said you keep buzzing around my way
You make consistent efforts to be with me
I can tell that you are the one
It's clear that you're the person I want to be with
Honey Bee
A term of endearment for my lover
Why are you so sweet to me?
I'm amazed by how kind and caring you are
I cannot see
My attention is only on
Anything but my Honey Bee
You, my sweet and beloved partner
I like the way that we intersect
Our relationship is uniquely special
In our own little paradise
We create a happy, peaceful world for ourselves
I like the way that you read my head
You understand me deeply without me having to say anything
I don't have to tell you twice
You listen to me and respond accordingly
Love is the way that you make me feel
Your love brings me warmth and happiness
And it's just what I need the most
It's the thing I desire and want the most
What could be better than you and me
Our relationship is perfect as it is
Who knew heaven was so close?
Our romance feels heavenly and idyllic
I love the way you hugging me
Your embrace brings comfort and safety
Nothing is as sweet
There's no greater pleasure
As the honey from my Honey Bee
Than the love from you, my dearest partner
Who can know
It's difficult to predict
Your love comes If we take it slow
Our love will flourish if we let it grow naturally
And I like the way your honey flows
I appreciate the way you express yourself
And then we'll treasure all of the years we know
We'll cherish the time we have together
We will treasure love
Our affection for each other is invaluable
Don't you ever fly from me
Please don't leave me
I would not be
I can't imagine living
Any good without my Honey Bee
Without you, my life would be incomplete
Never fly away from me
Please always stay with me
Where would I be without my Honey Bee?
I couldn't imagine living without you
Don't fly away, don't fly away from me.
Please remain by my side forever
Contributed by Dominic K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.