From the Collection: Fio da Memoria by Luisa Maita

Luisa Maita
Fio da Memoria
Cumbancha

Luísa Maita is a shapeshifter. When the music begins, she closes her eyes and turns a moment into an out of body experience, her body twisting and swaying into the night; a sentiment that matches her voice. The Brazilian singer-songwriter takes the fiery passion of a tango, blends it into ASMR sensuality and contorts it all into some of the most innovative bossa nova and samba blended into música popular brasileira (contemporary elements like electronic music or neo soul).

Fio Da Memoria is proving ground for morphing heritage with innovation. The result is a wonderful landscape of mystery, beauty, sensuality, and reflection.

Named after the Antonio Carlos Jobim song ‘Ana Luísa,’ Maita was born to a Syrian-Muslim musician father and a mother of European Jewish descent. She grew up embedded with deep musical roots and surrounded by the entertainment world, claiming a string of advertising jingles at the age of 7 and lent her voice to political campaign songs.

In 2010, she released her debut album as a solo artist. Lero-Lero (meaning “an informal conversation”) that gained critical praise and attention for her expressive creativity. The success of the album landed her a North American tour with stops at NPR’s “Tiny Desk Concert” and KCRW’s “Morning Becomes Eclectic.”

Exploring and experimenting as a singer-songwriter, her music crossed over into American cinema when two of her songs were part of the 2014 Academy Award-winning film Boyhood.

And what started as a contribution in the 2009 promotional video to host the Olympics, it helped Brazil win the 2016 Olympic bid. She later performed during the closing ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics and the opening ceremony of the 2016 Rio games.

Then came her second release, Fio da Memória. Here Maita embraces a more electronically influenced nuance. The album propels her into multi-dimensional worlds between the past and the future. In between there is a balance where her voice stabilizes soft conversations, powerful percussive drives, and exploring new worlds.

“Ela” is delicate, bringing tone and volume into perspective. A Fender Rhodes electronic piano or something similar meanders about sometimes deep in communication while other times notes twinkling through the night sky. It is the most contemplative of the album.

It’s the power of the opener that really gets me. “Na Asa” is entrancing through the hypnosis of Maita’s subtle ASMR whisperings under a Massive Attack beat. The song is so confident and gripping, that you would gladly follow her into the unknown.

“Now come inside
Now fly open
Now come”

Each song is a new adventure, a bold journey in sound and space. Maita designs bold new paths on “Ole,” creating a new language based on the foundations of Portuguese. Bossa nova rhythms is a roadmap to the soul as her songwriting spins delusion into the feelings that everything is so familiar. The smoke and mirror is just as entrancing.

The title track is a deep dive within. You can feel the trails of longing in her voice and the brooding electronics paired with percussive intentions. There are so many subtleties in the music and composition that flow in this song and throughout, it pays respect to the founders of Brazilian jazz legends and how they pushed beyond traditionalism while creating a creative landscape. Maita’s is under the soft glow of neon and musical haze.

And in the heat of the night when everything is transparent, Maita’s music provides the soundtrack to late night realities.