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Brazilian vocalist Gal Costa was a fundamental presence in the Tropicalia movement on the 1960s, then went on to be a treasured performer who exemplified her country's joyful approach to music for decades afterward.

She got her start at a young age as a singer and violão player. Working in a record store, she spent long hours listening to music, especially that of João Gilberto. She became acquainted with Caetano Veloso in 1963 and the next year, when he was invited to organize a Brazilian popular music show at the opening of Salvador's Teatro Vila Velha, Costa was asked to perform. The show, called Nós, por Exemplo, featured Caetano, his sister Maria Bethânia, Gilberto Gil, and Costa. It proved a success and was performed again two weeks later with the addition of Tom Zé. The success was even bigger, and the group (without Tom) soon presented another show, Nova Bossa Velha, Velha Bossa Nova.

In September 26, 1965, the group opened the show Arena Canta Bahia, at São Paulo's Teatro de Arena. At the end of that year, Costa met her idol João Gilberto, who asked her to sing while he accompanied her; after listening to her on several songs, he declared, "Girl, you sing beautifully. Someday I will return to record an album only with you." Also in that year, she appeared on Bethânia's first album, singing "Sol Negro" (Caetano Veloso). In 1966, she recorded a single for RCA and interpreted the Gilberto Gil/Torquato Neto song "Minha Senhora" at TV Rio's I FIC. In 1967, Costa recorded her first LP, together with Caetano (also his first LP), on Domingo. In 1968, she recorded two tracks on the LP manifesto Tropicália: Ou Panis Et Circensis that became her first hits, "Mamãe Coragem" and "Baby." Also in 1968, she achieved great popularity at TV Record's IV FMPB (São Paulo) when she won first place for "Divino Maravilhoso" (a song penned by Gilberto Gil and Caetano Veloso).

In the next year, she recorded her first individual LP for Philips, Gal Costa. She then began a busy schedule of performances throughout Brazil and that same year recorded another self-titled effort for Philips. In 1970, she performed in England and, returning the next year to Brazil, recorded the LP Legal. In 1971, she had success in the show Deixa Sangrar and joined João Gilberto and Caetano in a live TV Tupi performance. In 1972, her show A Todo Vapor was recorded live on a double album, and she performed with Gil and Caetano at several venues. In 1973, she performed at the MIDEM in Cannes, France, and recorded the LP Índia, after the show by the same name. In 1976, she recorded the album Os Doces Bárbaros with Caetano, Gil, and Bethânia, also performing a series of shows with them under the same name; she also recorded the solo album Gal Canta Caymmi. She recorded four more albums in the '70s. In the '80s, she gained international exposure, touring Japan, France, Israel, Argentina, the U.S., Portugal, Italy, and elsewhere. In 1984, she performed in the show O Sorriso do Gato de Alice (and title of her 20th album), which was awarded by APCA and received the Shell Prize. In 1997, she commemorated 30 years of her career with the CD and video Acústico MTV (BMG), with many special guests. In 1998, Polygram released 30 Anos de Barato, a three-CD box set. The double-disc Gal Canta Tom Jobim: Ao Vivo appeared in 1999.

Costa continued to be a viable and active artist in the 21st century, issuing new recorded material even as repackaging of her previous work hit the market. Gal Boss Tropical was released in 2002 by Abril, followed by Hoje: 2005 from Trama Records three years later. 2006 saw the appearance of Gal Costa Live at the Blue Note from DRG. In 2011, she reunited with Caetano Veloso for an album titled Recanto, worked with his son Moreno and Kassin on 2013's Estratosférica, duetted with fellow Brazilian legend Maria Bethânia on 2018's A Pele do Futuro, and on 2021's Nenhuma Dor, worked with another of Velosos's sons, Zeca. That was the last new album issued during her lifetime; she passed in early November of 2022. ~ Alvaro Neder

Jorge Drexler is a globally recognized singer/songwriter from Uruguay. His sound is rooted in his country's traditional music (candombe, murga, milonga, tango) as well as samba, bossa nova, pop, jazz, ambient electronic experiments, and even EDM. Though his recording career began in the early 1990s, he didn't experience mainstream success until 2004 when "Al Otro Lado del Río" was used during the closing credits in Walter Salles hit film The Motorcycle Diaries and won the Oscar for "Best Original Song." 2006's deeply introspective 12 Segundos de Oscuridad reflected the end of a marriage. It was nominated for a Grammy, as was 2008's live Cara B, which contained more unreleased songs than hits. 2010's lighthearted Amar la Trama was recorded in front of a studio audience and received four Latin Grammy nominations. 2014's Top Ten Bailar en La Cueva marked an experimental turn toward dance music and EDM. 2017's Salvavidas de Hielo went in the opposite direction: each song explored a lone physical characteristic of an acoustic guitar -- from strings to wooden box to tuning pegs. After a five-year break from recording, Drexler returned with Tinta y Tiempo in 2022.

Born on September 21, 1964, in Montevideo, Uruguay, Drexler was born into a Jewish family that fled persecution in Germany. He studied to become an otolaryngologist (ear, throat, and nose doctor) like his parents, but ultimately chose to pursue a passion for music. Drexler made his full-length album debut with La Luz Que Sabe Robar (1992), followed by Radar (1994). In hopes of furthering his career, he went to Spain in 1995 upon the invitation of legendary singer/songwriter Joaquín Sabina, who showed him around the Madrid music scene and helped him secure an international recording contract.

Drexler was so impressed with Madrid that he chose to make his permanent residency there. He formed a band with Spanish musicians to cut new material as well as re-record songs from his first two albums. Released internationally as Vaivén (1996), it was the first of his four albums for Virgin España. The highlights of Vaivén, along with those of its three follow-ups -- Llueve (1998), Frontera (1999), and Sea (2001) -- were later compiled on La Edad del Cielo (2004).

Switching labels to Dro Atlántic, Drexler's career reached new heights of success with the critically acclaimed Eco in 2004. The album's great international success was largely due to the Oscar-winning song "Al Otro Lado del Río," which was prominently featured during the closing credits of the Walter Salles film The Motorcycle Diaries. Drexler became the first Uruguayan to win an Academy Award. Eco was so successful it was re-released with bonus material as Eco² the following year. That artist revealed that 2006's anguished, introspective 12 Segundos de Oscuridad was made as a form of therapy to process the end of a marriage. The set was nominated for a Grammy. Two years later he issued the double length live offering Cara B. In true Drexler fashion, it offered a twist: It was made up of mostly unreleased material. It too received a Grammy nomination. In 2010, he released the lighthearted Amar la Trama. It went Top Five in Spain and was nominated for four Latin Grammys.

Drexler spent most of 2011 and 2012 touring. In 2013 he completed composing songs for an album he decided to record in Colombia with co-producers Carlos Campón and Sebastián Merlín. The resulting 11 track set was titled Bailar en la Cueva and issued in March of 2014. Its songs featured guest appearances by Caetano Veloso, Ana Tijoux, Bomba Estéreo, and Eduardo Cabra of Calle 13. It peaked at number seven on the Latin Pop Albums chart and took home two Latin Grammys: Recording of the Year and Best Songwriter Album. It was also nominated for a Grammy award in the Best Latin, Urban, or Alternative Rock category as well.

After a long period of international touring, Drexler got restless for the studio. He became obsessed with the guitar, not only the instrument, but also the materials of its physical construction as music-making devices. Working in studios in Mexico City and Madrid, Drexler dove deep into sonic exploration, using the guitar as the heartbeat of his emerging songs. He utilized loads of effects: samples, loops, beats, etc., but all were created by guitars or its various elements -- strings, wood, the metal resonator cone of a dobro, and both the tension hoop and the Mylar skin of a banjo. In April 2017, Drexler was among the first speakers in the first edition of TED en Español, part of the TED 2017 conference in Vancouver, Canada. His talk, focused on the interconnection of local cultural expressions, added to those offered in Latin American media and political culture by personalities such as the Mexican-American journalist Jorge Ramos and the Colombian activist Ingrid Betancourt. Drexler's album of guitar experiments titled Salvavidas de Hielo was released that September. Despite the experimental nature of the recording process, the record's songs bore his indelible, accessible singer/songwriter signature. It was nominated for a Grammy in the category of Best Latin Rock, Urban or Alternative Album. It also took home Latin Grammys including best Singer/Songwriter album, as well as Song of the Year and Record of the Year for the single "Telefonia."

Drexler toured Latin America, Europe, and the U.S. in support until he was sidelined by the COVID-19 pandemic. As a songwriter, he shared a Latin Grammy for C. Tangana's and Andrés Calamaro's "Hong Kong," 2021's Song of the Year. He also assisted Brazilian singer/songwriter Marisa Monte by singing a duet on her hit single "Vento Sardo."

2022's Tinta y Tiempo marked Drexler's return to recording. Two charting pre-release singles -- "Tocarte," another collaboration with Tangana and video single "Cinturón Blanco" -- led to Carlos Campós-produced tracks that also included duets with Rubén Blades, Israeli singer Noga Erez, and fellow Uruguayan singer Martín Buscaglia. ~ Jason Birchmeier