Today we’d like to introduce you to Daniela Soledade.
Hi Daniela, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I was born and raised in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in a family of artists that were important contributors to Brazilian music. My grandfather, Paulo Soledade, was a composer of several hit songs, and composed with some of the most well-known artists in Brazil, including Bossa Nova’s main composers such as Antonio Carlos Jobim, Vinicius de Moraes, Fernando Lobo, among others. He also composed some of our classic children songs I grew up listening to in Brazil. They are part of a collection called “Arca de Noé” or “Noah’s Arc”. Many artists in Brazil have recorded his songs. He owned a night club called “Zum Zum” in Copacabana, which was one of the incubators of the Bossa Nova movement in the 60s. Because of his participation in this circle of composers, journalists, and artists in Rio, my family has some very interesting and funny stories to tell – stories that I often like to share in my live shows. My father, Paulinho Soledade, grew up in this musical environment and quickly knew he wanted to be a musician. He was emancipated when he was a teenager so that he could perform professionally in nightclubs in Rio. He took guitar lessons from Brazil’s most renowned guitarist, Baden Powell, who was very good friends with my grandfather. He went on the become a well known producer, arranger, bassist, guitarist and composer. He worked as a producer for Brazil’s main TV network, TV Globo, for many years, producing several shows for them. As he worked on his projects, many of them required the recording of kid voices, and when I was a kid I was in an out of studios, recording voices for the shows he was producing, jingles for commercials, back vocals for artists, and any projects in which I could be included. He also had a home studio, so I learned a lot from listening to him building tracks and arranging vocals. He has produced and performed in records by some of Brazil’s greatest artists, such as Gilberto Gil, Ivan Lins, João Donato, and many others.
The apple didn’t fall far from the tree, and I also was drawn to music from a very young age. I was always in choir in school, and always singing harmonies with my family or singing with records I liked. When I listened to songs in English, I would make the sounds of the words not knowing what was being said. My first instrument (besides my voice) was the flute, which I picked up when I joined the Villa Lobos Conservatory in Rio at the age of 13. There I studied several subjects, such as music theory, reading and writing music, music history, choir, vocal techniques, and different Brazilian rhythms. At the age of 14 I picked up the guitar because I wanted to be able to play an instrument and sing at the same time. My family and friends taught me songs on the guitar, and I also bought the little guitar magazines from the newspaper stands to learn new songs. This was before I had a computer and access to the internet. I was always exposed to music at home, and grew up listening to genres like samba, choro, bossa nova, baião, MPB, and the list is extremely long. When I was 16, my mother married an american and we moved to Florida. I went through a few chapters in life, went to school at USF, opened a business and had two children, and I was always playing gigs on the side. Eventually I decided to follow my passion and dedicate my life to music, full time. I moved to St. Pete and released my first album in 2019. The album was very well received by the critics: I got a nice review on DownBeat Magazine and toured the US, performing in iconic venues such as the Blue Note in NY. I met an incredible guitarist and producer, Nate Najar, who had been playing Brazilian music for 20 years before I met him (thanks to Charlie Byrd, an american Jazz guitarist who had fallen in love with Brazilian music in one of his USO tours in South America, and recorded and helped spread Brazilian music in the US). Nate produced all of my albums, and in the process of producing my first album we I fell in love. It’s been a beautiful encounter, described perfectly by the lyrics of “Desafinado”: “a life of love and music with someone who understands…” and we have been touring around the USA, Europe and South America since then, both with our duo that is named “Love & Bossa Nova” and also with our band. Our following has been growing and we feel very grateful for the positive response we have been getting from the audiences everywhere we go. We’ve had our busiest year yet touring in 2025, and most of our shows have been sold out. I am living my dream, raising two beautiful little girls, pursuing my passion in music, and doing it with a partner that is supportive, talented and wonderful all around. Nate Najar has been loved in St. Pete for decades. He was born and raised in St. Pete and has been performing here his whole life. St. Pete has also been very good to me, so good that inspired me to write song as a love letter to St. Pete called “St. Pete Samba” – available on Youtube (https://youtu.be/h4jXCh1N534?feature=shared). We have performed in some of the best Jazz Clubs in the world, like Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club in London, Blue Note New York, Blue Note Milan, Sunset Sunside in Paris, Blues Alley in Washington D.C. among others. However, my favorite venue out of all of them is the Palladium Theater right here in downtown St. Pete. The Palladium is home, and I am very grateful to Paul Wilborn and everyone at the Palladium Theater for allowing us to present several shows a year with full production and all their support. I have grown tremendously as an artist because of these special shows they allow us to present there. In fact, we have a new show coming up on Saturday, September 6th at the Palladium Theater called “Amazon Soul.” This will be a full band show in the beautiful Hough Hall with my dream band, including my favorite Brazilian drummer, Claudio Infante, who has been friends with my father since they were teenagers. They both grew up in Rio’s music scene and had multiple bands together when they were young, and went on to become one of Brazil’s hottest rhythm sections, performing with Brazil’s top artists and many international artists that went to record or perform there. Not only is Claudio Brazil’s greatest drummer, he is also family. When he is on stage the show is a whole new level!! ‘Amazon Soul’ will include music by some of my biggest idols in Brazil, and of course, also songs composed by my family and myself. I always include three generations of my family’s music in all my albums and shows, in honor of my lineage, to keep our music alive. ‘Amazon Soul’ show will be one special and incredible show, don’t miss it! Tickets are already available at danielasoledade.com.
As we travel all around the world performing, we get to meet many different people, perform in different venues, see different cities and places, and have wonderful experiences, like the first time I ever saw snow last year, when we went to perform in Virginia in January. Of course I had to make a snow angel, which you can find in my social media pages (@danielafromrio). In fact, I love sharing about our adventures on the road on social media. I share all kinds of behind the scenes, sound checks, spontaneous videos and silly stuff. Follow me on Facebook and Instagram – @danielafromrio – and join the fun!
I love to be an ambassador of my heritage, to continue my family lineage and to spread love through Brazilian music. I am honored to be considered the new voice and next generation of Bossa Nova.
In the last few years I’ve been reading more about spirituality and sound healing, and using some of my new found knowledge in my live performances. The intention is to spread love, compassion, and empathy. That is my ultimate mission.
If you would like to get an email when I book a show near you, join my mailing list on my website – danielasoledade.com
I hope to see you live in St. Pete soon!
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
I was taken away from my country of origin and was told that it wasn’t a responsible career choice to be a musician, so I got a degree in Civil & Environmental engineering instead, and worked full time as an engineer for a few years. Even though I was good with numbers and spreadsheets, engineering was very uninteresting, painful and boring to me. Then I opened a new business in support of my ex-husband’s dreams to teach Martial Arts, and ran the administrative side our own Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu school. After I had my two children I realized I was focusing on everyone’s dreams but mine, worrying about everyone’s opinions but mine, I decided it was time for a change. The moment I decided to go back to music full time and follow my dreams, all stars started to align for me. People around us will always have an opinion, but I have found that listening to my own intuition and my heart’s desires have always led me to the best decisions of my life. The struggle was always in my own head, it was always about not thinking I could do it, that I didn’t study enough, I didn’t have enough experience, I wasn’t good enough, etc. I then learned that you only get experience by putting yourself out there and doing it, and being persistent and enjoying the process. That’s it. Yes, I made mistakes. Yes, I was rejected. Yes, not everyone thinks I should be doing it or likes what I do. And that’s ok, but it’s their opinion, not mine. As I learned to silence the distractions and critical thoughts in mind, I was able to focus on what really mattered to me. It has really paid off.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I spread joy and love through music. This music happens to be Brazilian music, since I was born and raised in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in a very musical family that was part of the pre-Bossa Nova movement. I am known as the new voice of Bossa Nova. I am most proud of being an ambassador of Brazilian music, based on my heritage and my family’s lineage. I grew up in the neighborhoods of Ipanema, Leblon and Copacabana, the very neighborhoods that are mentioned in Bossa Nova songs. That is where all of my idols lived and made music, and I feel lucky to have grown up there. My upbringing in a family of known artists and composers in Brazil, combined with my own natural talent and interest in music, allows for a unique artistic output.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
I have always felt like a very lucky person, for many reasons. When you grow up in a place where you witness poverty everyday, you understand how lucky you are right from the start. I come from a middle class family in the south zone of Rio, a very privileged place to be. Having the awareness of how lucky you are compared to most makes you feel more empathy for others, and it makes you feel more grateful for what you have. I also feel lucky to have been born in a musical family, and to have been born in Brazil – a country with such a rich and musical culture. Everything in Brazil revolves around music. Everyone learns music by being around it and we have a huge common repertoire that stays alive in the streets, because it’s passed down to the new generations as part of our regular recreational activities and celebrations. I feel lucky to have been born there and to have the heritage I have. I also feel that when we focus on doing things that we love doing, with the purpose to serve others, the stars somehow align in your favor. For example, the moment I decided to pursue music full time, I met an incredible producer and musician that would not only support me to grow in my career tremendously, but would also become a wonderful partner in life. Often times I find that “luck” has a lot to do with how we see the world and how we see ourselves, too. The more I see the world and myself from a positive point of view, the more ‘lucky’ I seem to get. Besides the aspects of our life that we can’t control, like where we are born and what level of access we have, I also believe that we create our own ‘luck’ by the way we think of ourselves and the world, and by focusing in giving back to the people and the world.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.danielasoledade.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danielafromrio/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/danielafromrio/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@danielasoledadevevo7060
- Other: https://www.loveandbossanova.com
Image Credits
Steve Splane
Nate Najar
