Bio

JULIANA AREIAS

The Authentic Voice of Brazil

in Perth, Western Australia

Juliana Areias – “the Bossa Nova Baby” – From the Brazilian beaches to the world, Juliana’s career, centered on traditional and contemporary Brazilian popular music, includes a performance at the revered Montreux Jazz Festival.

Born in Sao Paulo city, Juliana was originally influenced by her parents Eidineise Vasconcellos and Jose Wilson Areias Mendes who cultivated in her a Brazilian Music passion and appreciation since birth.

Juliana began her professional artistic career as an actress at the age of 13, working with the directors  Luiz Gustavo Alves and Walcyr Carrasco.

In 1990, she met the journalist and writer, Ruy Castro – who was launching his book :  “ Chega de Saudade – the history and the stories of Bossa Nova”. Ruy Castro nicknamed Juliana “The Bossa Nova Baby” and reawakened her earlier passion for Bossa nova.  Thanks to Ruy Castro she was able to get behind the scenes, watching rehearsals and concerts of legendary musicians and composers who have created and kept this musical movement alive: Ronaldo Boscoli, Luizinho Eça, Claudette Soares, Miele, Peri Ribeiro, Tião Neto ( Tom Jobim‘s bandbassist), João Donato, Roberto Menescal, Carlos Lyra, Wanda Sa, Marcos Valle, Joyce, Ancelmo de Carvalho, Carlos Vinhas, Maurício Einhorn, Johnny Alf, Tito Madi, Billy Blanco, Toquinho, Leny Andrade, Rosa Passos, Leila Pinheiro, Alaíde Costa, Os Cariocas, Zimbo Trio, Garganta Profunda, Carlos Coutinho, Adriano de Oliveira,Lúcio Nascimento; Sivuca, Gilson Peranzzeta, Sebastião Tapajós, Luizão Maia, irmãos Araken e Moacyr Peixoto, e Wellington Romano. From this unique experience her love for Bossa nova evolved into a desire to become a professional singer.

After a short period living in Brasilia, she moved to Salvador, one of the most musical and vibrant cities of Brazil. While working as a business partner for the company, “Atelier do Ivo Gato – Artistic Productions” – she was involved with creating, co-ordinating, producing and directing large events and set designs for cinema, TV and theatrical plays, including the Super Production “Lidia de Oxum – the Black Opera”, directed by Paulo Dourado, and conducted by  Júlio Medaglia at the “Castro Alves Theatre” in 1995.

In Salvador,  Juliana began performing informally as a singer with Carlinhos Franco and Vainer Dias Gomes in the “beach Restaurant Kiosk of Sariga” (their mutual friend) in the idyllic Itapuã Lighthouse Beach – a magic place that has always inspired Brazilian poets and composers such as Vinícius de Morais, Dorival Caymmi, Caetano Veloso, and Gilberto Gil. As Itapuã Beach was “the first sacred stage for Juliana Areias’ singing”, it creates an interesting analogy with her surname Areias which in Portuguese means beach sands.

From the sands of Itapuã Beach to the world, Juliana Areias is nowadays an authentic Brazilian singer and composer living overseas since 1996. She first spent three and a half years in Switzerland, where she studied jazz at the Geneva Popular Conservatory and at the Mason de la Musique, becoming a member of the “Compagnie Vice versa Musical Productions” directed by the French singer Ingrid Wildemann. As a professional singer she has worked the European music circuit, performing with many different groups – such as : Amazonia, Jazz Brasil, Sambrasil, Cachasamba, Jazz Orange, Tupi or not Tupi, Fofao do Cavaco – being part of the major artistic events: The Montreux Jazz Festival 1998, The Cairo International Song Festival 1999; at ONU’s conferences, “Mason Paulo Freire -Assossiation” ‘s cultural ceremonies, seminars and workshops and  broadcasting at the French TV2 .