Brazilian singer Gal Costa aka Maria da Graça Costa Penna Burgos’ career began in 1965 with the release of her debut single, under her real name. Soon after its release she changed her name to Gal Costa and began working with the likes of Gilberto Gil, Caetano Veloso, and his sister Maria Bethânia.
Along side those artists, Gal went on to became a key figure in ‘Tropicália’, one of Brazils most iconic cultural movements, that emerged in 1968. ‘Tropicalia' mixed psychedelics, avant-garde electronic experiments, samba, funk and soul with rock ’n’ roll from the UK and USA – most notably, The Beatles. It was a powerful movement in social and political terms, so much so that Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil were arrested and exiled to the UK in 1969.
Gal Costas ‘Pontus de Luz’ was sampled by Kaytranada on his ‘Lite Spots’ track and is one of our favourite Brazilian tracks of all time:
