Google Doodle Celebrates Jovelina Pérola Negra's 78th Birthday
In the 1980s, Jovelina Pérola Negra's deep, swinging voice and delicate improvisations changed Brazil's samba dance scene. Today's Doodle, painted by Rio de Janeiro-based guest artist La Minna, commemorates the 78th birthday of the singer-songwriter.
Pérola Negra was born Jovelina Faria Belfort in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and grew up in the Belford Roxo area singing and dancing samba. Jovelina Pérola Negra (meaning "black pearl" in Portuguese) was offered by a friend since it complemented her beautiful skin and fine voice.
Pérola Negra worked as a housemaid and attended Império Serrano, a renowned samba school in Rio de Janeiro, until she was 40 years old. She sung at neighborhood samba gatherings known as pagodes in Rio de Janeiro's working-class neighborhoods on a regular basis.
Pérola Negra gained the opportunity to record her debut album, Raca Brasileira, with other newly found performers when a local producer noticed her at a pagode. The vocalists all sang the Partido Alto subtype of samba, a style that allows for vocal improvisation and crowd singalongs. Pérola Negra contributed her singing and compositional talents to three Raca Brasileira tunes. It was a huge hit, and Negra was recruited by RGE to create her debut solo album.
Pérola Negra's self-titled debut album received critical acclaim. The musical arrangements backed up her emotive voice with a cavaquinho, a Portuguese stringed instrument that looks like a ukulele and is shown in today's Doodle. In her peak, she recorded four additional solo albums, experimenting with diverse genres such as slower-paced samba-canço and obtaining a platinum record. Pérola Negra performed in Angola, France, and Japan before dying of a heart attack at the age of 54.
The Brazilian Ministry of Culture awarded Pérola Negra the Order of Cultural Merit in 2016. A community center located in the Pavuna neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro was also named in her honor. Today, her music can be found on streaming platforms and in record stores all over the world.
Happy 78th birthday, Jovelina Pérola Negra!
source - Google Doodle
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