Gal Costa

Gal Maria da Graça Costa Penna Burgos (born Maria da Graça Costa Penna Burgos; 26 September 1945 – 9 November 2022), known professionally as Gal Costa (Brazilian Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈgaw ˈkɔstɐ] ), was a Brazilian singer of popular music. Twelve-times Brazilian Music Awards winner, she was one of the main figures of the tropicalia music scene in Brazil in the late 1960s and appeared on the acclaimed compilation Tropicália: ou Panis et Circencis (1968). She was described by The New York Times as "one of Brazil's greatest singers."

Early life

Gal Costa was born Maria da Graça Costa Penna Burgos on 26 September 1945, in the city of Salvador, the capital of the state of Bahia, Brazil. Her mother, Mariah Costa Penna, separated from her father, Arnaldo Burgos, after discovering he had a second family in another city. Arnaldo Burgos died when Gal was 14 years old.

At the age of 10, Gal befriended sisters Sandra and Andréia Gadelha, the future spouses of singer-songwriters Gilberto Gil and Caetano Veloso, respectively. They gave her the nickname Gau, later spelled as Gal. At 14, she first listened to João Gilberto's "Chega de Saudade" on the radio and became interested in Bossa Nova. She then went on to work as a clerk in Salvador's main record store to get closer to music. At 18, she was introduced to Caetano Veloso by Andréia Gadelha, becoming close friends.