WA Jazz Directory

“The release of Bossa Nova Baby has elevated her above a mere covers singer or bossa specialist. The singer excels in an elegant co-composed duet (Belas Artes) with Australia’s finest Brazilian-oriented 7-string guitarist, Doug de Vries”. –  says The Australian – Tony Hillier

Bossa Nova Baby is her nickname. And now also the title of her first original album.

With over a year of consecutive sold out concerts around Australia, Brazilian singer Juliana Areias celebrates the success of her first original album Bossa Nova Baby with shows at the Sydney Opera House (8/9) and at the Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club in London (8/10).

The Album “Bossa Nova Baby reflects the present, here-and-now, as well as the richness of the whole spectrum of Brazilian music with its multiple influences, combined with the wonderful quality of music produced in Perth, Western Australia. Perth is considered the most isolated metropolis in the world, yet I think, it’s one of the most inspiring, musical and artistic places I have ever experienced “– says Juliana Areias, based in Perth since 2009.

When she was a teenager Juliana Areias was introduced personally to the Bossa Nova movement’s founders by the legendary Brazilian Music historian Ruy Castro – who also named her “The Bossa Nova Baby”. This direct exposure to the musicians at the source of Bossa Nova inspired her to become a professional singer and song-writer. It seems that the choice has paid off, as Juliana was recently compared to the iconic Bossa Nova singer Bebel Gilberto by Brazil’s acclaimed EPOCA Magazine and by the critics of The Australian Newspaper. Now, with over a year of consecutive sold-out concerts around Australia she has become a Bossa Nova  reference in the local music scene and abroad.

“It’s bossa that plays soccer with jazz – like it has since the 60’s – and scoring a goal.” – says Antonio Carlos Miguel – music critic of O Globo newspaper and judge member of the Latin Grammy Award – about her song “Flecha” (Arrow), one of the tracks on the Bossa Nova Baby Album. The song is dedicated by Juliana as a tribute to Rio de Janeiro, and was co-composed with Australian guitarist Glen Rogers. Juliana Areias also dedicates two other songs of her album to Australia: “Missao” (Mission) is dedicated to Perth and its “Samba de gafieira” dance community, while “Belas Artes” (Fine Arts) – co-composed with Australian virtuoso guitarist Doug de Vries) – is dedicated to Geoffrey Drake-Brockman, her favourite Australian Artist – creator of the sculptures “Spiral“ at the Perth Police Station and “Totem” (A.K.A. “The Pineapple”) at the Perth Arena.

The CD Bossa Nova Baby is a selection of twelve original songs which were composed by Juliana Areias all around the globe and recorded in Perth with some of the most highly-regarded musicians in Australia. The Album has been receiving regular air-play on Australian radio stations such as ABC Jazz, SBS, RTR FM as well as stations in Brazil, Europe, and the USA. The production of the album was supported by The Department of the Culture and the Arts of the Government of Western Australia and by a very successful worldwide crowd-funding campaign.  Most of musicians featured on the album will be sharing the stage with her at her forthcoming gigs, including – Pete Jeavons (bass, double bass, arranger and producer), Graham Wood (piano), Ray Walker (guitar), Marcio Mendes (percussion), Chris Tarr (drums), and Paul Millard (sax, flute). On stage, they will create a contemporary dialogue between bossa, samba, jazz, tango, choro, pop and funk through songs like “Night in Takapuna”, “Maré Cheia” (Full Tide) and “Meu Lugar” (My Place).

Juliana Areias lived for many years in Europe (Switzerland) and New Zealand prior to moving to Australia. Her career includes performances at major international festivals such as the revered Montreux Jazz Festival, Auckland Festival, and American’s Cup (NZ). Recent performances include, The Ellington Jazz Club, 505 in Sydney, The Kings Park Festival,  The Perth International Jazz Festival, New York’s exhibition “Van Gogh, Dali and Beyond” at The Art Gallery of Western Australia, and Ritmo Festival at The Darling Harbour, where she sang for a crowd of over 30.000 people.

Juliana Areias also recorded for the Brazilian poet, composer and diplomat Marcio Catunda. She sang tracks for six of his albums which were produced respectively in Switzerland (Anima Lirica -1997), Bulgaria (Crescente – 2000), Brazil ( Mistica Beleza – 2003/ Itinerario Sentimental – 2008) , Spain (Agua de Flores – 2009) and Portugal (O Jardineiro da Vida – 2010).

The Bossa Nova Baby Album is available now worldwide via www.julianaareias.com , Itunes, Bandcamp, CD Baby, Spotify, Rdio and Soundcloud .
For more information, images and videos:
Website: www.julianaareias.com  
Facebook Fan Page: www.facebook.com/JulianaAreias.BrazilianSinger
Youtube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/JulianaAreiasMusic?feature=watch