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.
What Can I Do
Maysa Lyrics
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Feelin` safe in your embrace
Shine, sunshine
Kiss you warmly on your face
This is the place where I am free
There is no where else I`d rather be
[Chorus]
Hypnotised by your charms
Every touch means so much
Boy, you blow my mind
I love what you do for me
(I love what you do, I love what you do)
What you do for me, baby
Close your eyes
And I`ll creep into your dreams
Through your mind, weave a secret on your soul
All that you dream, I`m dreamin` too
No one else could take the place of you
(I want to be)
[Chorus]
I love what you do for me
Close to you`s where I want to be
Baby, baby, baby, baby (Oh)
[Chorus until fade]
The song "I Want You" by Maysa is a love song that speaks about the desire to be with the one you love. The first verse talks about feeling safe and joyful when held in the arms of the person you love. The second talks about sharing dreams and secrets with that special someone. The chorus emphasizes the hypnotic and charming effect this person has on the singer, and every touch feels meaningful. The song ends with the singer repeating that being close to this person is where she wants to be.
Overall, this song is a tribute to the power of love that can make you feel alive and free when you are with the person you love. It talks about how their touch, charm, dreams, and secrets can influence and enhance each other's lives. The singer expresses gratitude for what this person does for her and how he makes her feel, touching upon the blissful, hypnotizing sensation of being in love.
Line by Line Meaning
Smile, like a happy child
I feel pure joy and happiness when I'm with you, and it shows on my face.
Feelin` safe in your embrace
Being in your arms makes me feel secure and protected.
Shine, sunshine
Your presence brings light and happiness into my life.
Kiss you warmly on your face
I deeply love and cherish you, and want to show you affection.
This is the place where I am free
With you, I can be myself and feel free from any judgments or fears.
There is no where else I`d rather be
Being with you is the only place I want to be, both physically and emotionally.
Than here in your arms
Being in your arms is my favorite place in the world.
Hypnotised by your charms
Your personality and character have me captivated and under your spell.
Every touch means so much
Even the smallest physical contact with you has a great impact on me emotionally.
Boy, you blow my mind
You amaze and surprise me constantly with your words and actions, and I'm in awe of you.
I love what you do for me
I deeply appreciate and cherish all that you do for me.
Close your eyes
Let yourself relax and trust me to be with you in your dreams.
And I`ll creep into your dreams
I want to be a part of your subconscious and be with you even in your sleep.
Through your mind, weave a secret on your soul
I want to make a deep and unforgettable connection with you that will last forever.
All that you dream, I`m dreamin` too
I share your hopes and dreams, and want to be a part of making them a reality.
No one else could take the place of you
You are truly irreplaceable in my heart and in my life.
I want to be
I deeply desire to be with you, and to make a lasting connection with you.
Close to you`s where I want to be
My ultimate happiness and contentment comes from being close to you and being with you.
Baby, baby, baby, baby (Oh)
There is no one else in the world that I want to be with and love besides you.
Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: BULL, MAUNICK
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind