¶ Elza Soares: The voice of the millenium
¶ Introduction
Elza Soares, born Elza Gomes da Conceição on June 23, 1930, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, is an iconic singer whose extraordinary talent, unmatched artistry, and fearless commitment to social and political activism have made her a true national treasure. Fondly known as "A Diva da Música Popular Brasileira" (The Diva of Brazilian Popular Music), Elza's life and career have been marked by both triumphs and hardships, but she has always managed to rise above challenges and use her voice to inspire change and advocate for justice.
¶ Early life
Elza's journey to musical stardom began at a young age. Growing up at what today is Vila Vintém, one of the many impoverished neighborhoods of Rio de Janeiro, Elza was one of the 10 children of a humble couple. Her mother, Rosária Maria da Conceição, was a washerwoman. Her father, Avelino Gomes, was a factory worker and guitarist. From a young age Elza had to support her parents to bring the family some income. Nevertheless, she used to say she had a happy childhood and was surrounded by music. While helping her mother wash clothes, Elza developed her own singing techniques, and one of them was “scat-singing”, globally popularized by Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald.
¶ Child marriage
At the age of 12, Elza married Lourdes Antônio Soares, 10 years her senior. He tried to abuse her and her father forced the marriage in order to safeguard her honor. There are different versions about the duration of their marriage. According to one version, her husband died in 1951 with tuberculosis. Another version says he died in 1959, when she was already trying to be a singer.
In any case, their relationship was violent, marked by abuse, poverty and his opposition to her artistic career.
Elza had her first child, Carlinhos, at 14 years old. Her second child, Mundinho, died with pneumonia when he was still a toddler. Elza had four other children during this marriage, and another one later, in her second relationship.
¶ Career beginnings
In 1953, Elza had her eldest son sick and afraid of losing him due to the lack of food and medicines, she made her first public appearance on a popular TV show for amateur singers - something like “The Voice”. The show paid a small cache for the winners. Elza won it but before she was humiliated because of her looks by the TV presenter, who turned out to be one of the most popular Brazilian composers - Ary Barroso (“Aquarela do Brasil”).
He was surprised by her poor outfit and, condescending, asked: “Which planet do you come from, my dear?”, to which she replied: “The same planet of yours, Mr. Ari - planet hunger”. Ari Barroso announced, mesmerized by her performance: “A star is just born”.
The TV show did not open doors immediately, but Elza joined a small band that played in clubs and popular parties. She suffered racism many times in her career, beginning in the 1950’s, when black singers were not allowed on the stage of some venues.
I’m not a samba singer, I’m a Brazilian singer who rejects labels: I am samba, I am funk, I am jazz, I am electronic music… I’m a singer, and that’s it!
¶ Career take-off
At the end of the 1950’s, Elza was singing on the radio and night clubs and called the attention of key figures in the artistic scene in Rio, although she didn’t have many contacts and was still living far, in the outskirts. In 1960 she recorded her first record “Se Acaso Você Chegasse”, which was a success due to its mix of samba, jazz and afro-Caribbean rhythms - not the typical bossa-nova at the time. This work is one of the biggest classics in Brazilian music. Despite racism and many obstacles, Elza finally started being a popular singer, praised by her voice and unique style.
¶ The first turning point
In 1962, Elza, already popular, was invited by the FIFA to be the “godmother” of the Brazilian soccer team during the World Cup in Chile. This changed her life forever because there she met the love of her life (in her own words in 2018), the footballer Mané Garrincha.
He was a womanizer despite being married, and was at his peak. Brazil won the World Cup, Garrincha was covered in glory and Elza was a celebrated singer.
Back to Brazil, he left his wife (and several children) to live with Elza. The sexist society of the time and his close circle rejected their union and year after year their careers started to resent. Elza was considered a “homewrecker” and faced hostilities and death-threats. Their house was machine-gunned by military agents; the right-wing dictatorship regime (1964-1985) saw Elza as a “bad influence”. The couple had to exile in Italy in 1969.
Elza and Garrincha were together for 17 tumultuous years. The passionate relationship was marked by domestic violence and his alcoholism. It took Elza decades to address their situation at that time as domestic and gender violence. She didn’t like to talk about the subject and blamed alcohol for Garrincha’s violent behavior. During the last decade, she became an advocate against gender violence, being loud and clear about the non-tolerance of it.
In 1976 the couple had a son, Garrincha Jr, who died in a car crash in 1986. Garrincha died some years before, in 1983, poor and sick, and not in a worse situation because the only one who supported him was Elza, despite they were not married anymore.
¶ Success and ostracism
Elza was undoubtedly the queen of samba, a unique artist, but with a complex personal life always kept under scrutiny. She had some international career, with concerts in the United States and Europe, but during the 1970’s she started being put aside by the record labels. She nearly gave up her artistic career, but Caetano Veloso, one of the biggest names in Brazilian music didn’t allow that, by inviting Elza to record the single “Língua” with him in 1984. It was not a huge success but put Elza back on the map.
¶ The second turning point
Elza’s big comeback was in 2002, when record labels didn’t want to invest in a new repertoire for her and preferred to re-edit her previous recordings. So, at the age of 70, she rejuvenated her career with an independent release, "Do Coccix até o Pescoço," a contemporary album featuring funk and electro influences, with songs about hot topics, like racism. It was a huge success and had an alternative distribution, being sold on newsstands.
This record set a new path in Elza’s career. During the last 20 years, she knew how to keep herself relevant, by mingling with the new generations of songwriters, rappers, DJs, musicians in general. She got influenced by modern rhythms without caring for labels and never renouncing her artistry. Elza became a very complete artist while keeping her peculiar voice. More and more, she advocated for the majority-minority chunk of the population: black women, LGBTQ+ and people from impoverished communities.
¶ Death
Elza passed away, peacefully, of natural causes, at her home in Rio surrounded by her beloved family and friends, at the age of 91. She sang until the end.
¶ Legacy
As the years pass, Elza Soares' name will continue to be remembered and celebrated. Her music will continue to resonate with audiences, and her advocacy will inspire future generations to take a stand against injustice. She will forever be remembered as a true icon of Brazil, a voice for the marginalized, and a beacon of hope for a more inclusive and equitable world.
¶ Discography
- Se Acaso Você Chegasse (Odeon, 1960)
- A Bossa Negra (Odeon, 1961/Universal 2003)
- O Samba é Elza Soares (Odeon, 1961)
- Sambossa (Odeon, 1963)
- Na Roda do Samba (Odeon, 1964)
- Um Show de Elza (Odeon, 1965)
- Com A Bola Branca (Odeon, 1966)
- O Máximo em Samba (Odeon, 1967)
- Elza, Miltinho e Samba (Odeon, 1967)
- Elza, Miltinho e Samba Vol.2 (Odeon, 1968)
- Elza Soares e Wilson das Neves (Odeon, 1968)
- Elza, Carnaval & Samba (Odeon, 1969)
- Elza, Miltinho e Samba Vol.3 (Odeon, 1969)
- Samba & Mais Sambas (Odeon, 1969)
- Elza Pede Passagem (Odeon, 1972/EMI, 2004)
- Sangue, Suor e Raça (Odeon, 1972)
- Aquarela Brasileira (Odeon, 1973)
- Elza Soares (Tapecar, 1974)
- Nos Braços do Samba (Tapecar, 1974)
- Lição De Vida (Tapecar, 1976)
- Pilão + Raça = Elza (Tapecar, 1977)
- Senhora da Terra (CBS, 1979)
- Elza Negra, Negra Elza (CBS, 1980)
- Somos Todos Iguais (Som Livre, 1985)
- Voltei (RGE, 1988)
- Trajetória (Universal Music, 1997)
- Carioca da Gema (1999)
- Do Cóccix Até O Pescoço (Maianga/Tratore, 2002)
- Vivo Feliz (Tratore, 2004)
- Beba-Me (Biscoito Fino, 2007)
- A Mulher do Fim do Mundo (Circus, 2015)
- Elza Canta e Chora Lupi (2016)
- Deus é Mulher (Deckdisc, 2018)
- Planeta Fome (Deckdisc, 2019)
- Elza Soares & João de Aquino (Deckdisc, 2021)
- No Tempo da Intolerância (Deckdisc, 2023)
Sources:
Biography “Elza”, by Zeca Camargo (2017)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elza_Soares
https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elza_Soares
https://especiais.g1.globo.com/pop-arte/musica/2022/elza-soares-a-mulher-que-cantou-ate-o-fim/
https://pan-african-music.com/en/elza-soares-god-is-a-woman/
TV interview, Roda Vida, 2002: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ko447IATMk&t=96s