May East

Origin

São Paulo, SP

Genres

new wave, technopop, mpb, ambient music

Instruments

vocal, sintetizador

Biography

May East, stage name of Maria Elisa Capparelli Pinheiro, is an Anglo-Brazilian singer, songwriter, educator, and urban planner who began her career in the vibrant Brazilian music scene of the 1980s. She gained national prominence as the lead singer of the band Gang 90 e as Absurdettes, one of the pioneering groups of the new wave movement in Brazil, known for hits like "Perdidos na Selva" and for mixing pop and poetic references.

In her solo career, May East sought to expand her musical boundaries by moving between different sonic aesthetics. On albums like Remota Batucada and Tabaporã, the artist experimented with the fusion of traditional Brazilian rhythms with electronic music, synthesizers, and ambient music influences, engaging with contemporary artistic currents and collaborating with important producers such as Nelson Motta.

Over the years, her artistic production and ecological activism deeply intersected, reflecting her involvement with environmental issues and international ecovillages. In addition to her legacy in Brazilian music alongside names from the 80s avant-garde, she has consolidated a prominent international career as an urban planner, sustainability educator, and writer.