Born on October 17, 1949, in São Paulo, Brazil, Sônia Rosa is a singer and songwriter that found huge success in Japan, eventually moving to there to capitalize on her fame. She was born into a wealthy family and, at the age of 6, began to play the guitar. Influenced by the music of João Gilberto, she became a popular bossa nova singer in her teens. Sônia Rosa released her debut album, A Bossa Rosa de Sônia, in 1967, which was a success, selling over two million copies. With a good portion of those sales in Japan, she set her sights on that country, moving there shortly before she began work on her next album. On her sophomore release, Sensitive Sound of Sônia (1970), she was backed by the Sadao Watanabe Quartet. Sônia Rosa’s catalog features predominantly bossa nova music but she has added elements of traditional Japanese music into her sound. In the 1970s, she worked with Yuji Ohno, creating themes for television shows and commercials. Sônia Rosa stepped away from the music industry in the late 1980s to focus on her family. She returned to recording with 2006’s Depois do Nosso Tempo, which was produced by Miko DJ Taro.
