Gal Costa

Origin

Salvador, BA

Also known as

Maria da Graça Costa Penna Burgos, Gau

Years Active

1964–2022

Genres

MPB, tropicália, bossa nova, psychedelic rock, samba, pop, soul

Instruments

vocals, acoustic guitar

Biography

Born in Salvador, Bahia, Gal Costa was one of the most versatile and influential figures in Brazilian music. Encouraged by her mother, who played classical music during pregnancy to foster a musical soul, Gal rose to prominence in the mid-1960s as a cornerstone of the Tropicália movement. Alongside close friends and collaborators like Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil, she revolutionized the Brazilian sound by blending traditional bossa nova with psychedelic rock and avant-garde influences. Her technical mastery and crystal-clear soprano voice allowed her to navigate seamlessly from the radical experimentalism of the 1960s to the mainstream pop and MPB success of the 1980s.

Throughout her career spanning over five decades, she remained a provocative and evolving artist. In the 1970s, her iconic 'Fa-tal' and 'Índia' shows defined a generation's aesthetic, while her 1980s collaborations with artists like Tim Maia and her interpretations of Chico Buarque's work cemented her status as a national diva. She was the highest-ranked Brazilian singer on Rolling Stone's list of the 200 greatest singers of all time. Even in her later years, she continued to innovate, collaborating with younger generations of musicians on acclaimed albums like 'Recanto' and 'Estratosférica'. Gal passed away in 2022, leaving an unparalleled legacy as 'The Muse of Tropicalismo'.

Discography

• Gal e Caetano Velloso – Domingo (1967)
• Gal Costa (1969)
• Gal (1969)
• Legal (1970)
• -Fa-Tal- (Gal A Todo Vapor) (1971)
• Live In London '71, Vol. 2 (Ao Vivo) (1971)
• Índia (1973)
• Caetano Veloso, Gal Costa, Gilberto Gil – Temporada de Verão (Ao Vivo na Bahia) (1974)
• Cantar (1974)
• Caetano, Gal, Gil, Bethânia – Doces Bárbaros (1976)
• Gal Canta Caymmi (1976)
• Caras & Bocas (1977)
• Água Viva (1978)
• Gal Tropical (1979)
• Aquarela Do Brasil (1980)
• Fantasia (1981)
• Minha Voz (1982)
• Baby Gal (1983)
• Profana (1984)
• Bem-Bom (1985)
• Caetano e Gal Costa – London, London (1986)
• Lua de Mel Como o Diabo Gosta (1987)
• Antonio Carlos Jobim, Gal Costa – Rio Revisited (1987)
• Plural (1990)
• Gal Costa (1992)
• Placido Domingo, Wynton Marsalis, Sarah Chang, Gal Costa, Denyce Graves, Antonio Carlos Jobim – Concert For Planet Earth: Rio de Janeiro 1992 (1992)
• O Sorriso do Gato de Alice (1993)
• Mina D'Água do Meu Canto (1995)
• Acústico MTV (1997)
• Aquele Frevo Axé (1998)
• João Bosco, Gilberto Gil, os Novos Baianos, Timbalada, Netinho, Banda Cheiro do Amor, Banda Eva, Elis Regina, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Marina Lima, Zizi Possi, Gal Costa, Maria Bethânia – Colors Brazil - Masters Of The Brazilian Music (1998)
• Gal Costa Canta Tom Jobim Ao Vivo (1999)
• T.S.O. Do Filme Gabriela (1999)
• Minha Voz, Minha Vida (2000)
• De Tantos Amores (2001)
• RCA 100 Anos de Música (2001)
• Bossa Tropical (2002)
• Duetos (2002)
• Todas as Coisas e Eu (2003)
• Gal Canta Caetano (2004)
• Hoje (2005)
• Divino Maravilhoso - Gal Costa Interpreta Caetano Veloso (2005)
• Divino Maravilhoso - Gal Costa Interpreta Caetano Veloso (CD 1) (2005)
• Divino Maravilhoso - Gal Costa Interpreta Caetano Veloso (CD 2) (2005)
• Gal Costa Ao Vivo (2006)
• Live At The Blue Note, Recorded May 19, 2006 (2007)
• Doces Barbaros 1 (2007)
• Doces Barbaros 2 (2007)
• Recanto (2011)
• Recanto Ao Vivo (2013)
• Gilberto Gil & Gal Costa – Live in London '71 (2014)
• Estratosférica (2015)
• Gil, Nando & Gal – Trinca de Ases (2017)
• Estratosférica Ao Vivo (2017)
• A Pele Do Futuro (2018)
• A Pele do Futuro Ao Vivo (2019)
• Nenhuma Dor (2021)
• As Várias Pontas de uma Estrela: Ao Vivo no Coala (2025)
• Buenos Aires (En Vivo) (2025)
• Ao Vivo no Teatro Castro Alves (Feat. Luiz Meira) (2026)