“His songs powerfully attest to the global reach of his music.”
Ivan Lins was born in Rio de Janeiro, on June 16th, 1945. He is a complete musician and great songwriter, known for many Grammy Awards and Latin Grammy Awards he received, by numerous recordings of his work worldwide, differentiated by their harmonies and its arrangement at the same time refined and popular. Not coincidentally, he is the most recorded Brazilian artist living abroad. Autodidact, he began playing piano at eighteen years old and was very influenced by the music he heard in his childhood in the United States, as well as by jazz and bossa nova, this genre that made him abandon the volleyball courts, sport practiced with passion, to devote to music. For this reason, gave up the career of Chemical Industrial, course completed in 1969 with pos graduate in 1970.
At this time, Lins has already showed a differentiated harmonic construction in his songs, unusual in Brazilian music, and one of the characteristics that would make Ivan Lins became so respected among musicians worldwide.
He had many successes as a singer and songwriter as “Madalena” (It was released by the unforgettable Brazilian diva Elis Regina), “Abre Alas”, “Velas”,“Somos Todos Iguais Essa Noite”, “Começar de Novo”, “Dinorah, Dinorah”, “ Desesperar, Jamais”, “Vitoriosa”, “Vieste”, “Lembra de mim” and many others. In the '70s, released four albums that have become iconic in Brazilian Music and complemented each other, Ivan reached worldwide recognition and admiration: “Somos Todos Iguais Esta Noite”, “Nos Dias de Hoje”, “A Noite” e “Novo Tempo”.
Ivan Lins has released numerous recordings with great impact, always on ace contemporary issues of each era. His work has been renewed through the years, always bringing new musical values nd ideals aggregates, without ever losing his trademark, his DNA, his originality. From the second half of the 80s his work had a major international impact, especially in the U.S. where it was recorded by major artists such as Sarah Vaughan, Quincy Jones, Ella Fitzgerald, Carmen McRae, George Benson, Toots Thielemans, Lee Ritenour, Dave Grusin, Al Jarreu, Manhattan Transfer, Take 6, New York Voices, Sting, Diana Krall, Barbara Streisand and many others.
In 1991, he founded the record label Velas with his friend and partner Vitor Martins. Being an independent record label, it has marked the history of the national discography by launching artists and albums of our music as newcomers Guinga, Chico Cesar and Lenine and established names like Edu Lobo, Fátima Guedes, Zizi Possi, among many others.
The Velas was the national headquarters of the concept of independent record label subsequently it influenced the emergence of other record companies.
Eclectic in his musical performance, Lins also composed scores for movies, as well as several tracks and themes for television series, which has won several awards in Brazil and abroad. Besides Vitor Martins, his most frequent partner, Ivan composed unforgettable works with Caetano Veloso, Ronaldo Monteiro, Dudu Falcão, Lia Luft, Paulo César Pinheiro, Celso Viáfora, , Abel Silva, Martinho da Vila, Aldir Blanc, Chico Buarque, , Nei Lopes, Chico César, Salgado Maranhão, among others.
In 2001, Lins recorded "Jobiniando", a disc tribute to Tom Jobim, with new harmonies to great themes of the conductor, and new compositions that demonstrate the relationship of the “carioca” singer with the universe of Jobim.
In 2005 he released the CD and DVD “Cantando Histórias”, which rescues big hits of his career with new arrangements and with the participation of several guests, and that earned him a disc and a DVD of gold in Brazil and 2 "Grammys" Latinos”: the best Brazilian record and best album of the year.
It is worth remembering that in 1981, the song "Dinorah, Dinorah" also won a Grammy for best jazz instrumental arrangement with the recording of George Benson, in 1982 the song "Velas" won the same award with the recording of Quincy Jones, and in 2004 Sting won the Grammy for best pop singer with "She Walks This Earth". In 2006 he recorded the CD “Acariocando”. In 2007 it is the turn of the CD and DVD “Saudades de Casa” recorded with an open rehearsal at Estúdio Mega in Rio de Janeiro. In this project the composer count with the participation of several guests who are part of his life, like Chico Buarque, Leila, his son Claudio Lins, and his godchildren Daniel Gonzaga, Luiz Ribeiro and Pedro Alterio.
In 2009 won a Latin Grammy with his album "Ivan Lins & The Metropole Orchestra". It was recorded with this great Dutch orchestra and arrangements and baton of conductor Vince Mendoza, great name in world music, with guest the uruguayan guitarist Leonardo Amuedo, the singer Trijintje Oosterhuis, the saxophonist Stefano Di Batista and the portuguese singer Paulo de Carvalho. This project is an addition to a long history of presentations made by Ivan Lins and symphony orchestras, cameras, jazz and Big Bands.
In 2010 released Íntimo (Intimate), produced by Ruud Jacobs and Rob Van Weelde, recorded in the Netherlands with international participation as Take 6, Jorge Drexler, Till Bronner, Alejandro Sanz, Jane Monheit and others.
In November of 2011, in Netherlands, he received The Edison Award, the Dutch music prize, in recognition of his contribution to the music world.
Only in 2012, had 4 CDs released simultaneously worldwide with guest Alejandro Sanz, Jorge Drexler, La Mari, Peter War, and the Cuban Carlos Varela. A CD in Italy in partnership with the band InventaRIO; a CD in Germany in partnership with the SWR Big Band; a CD released in Japan, plus a CD of new material in Brazil, called "Amorágio".
In 2013, in recognition of services rendered to the brazilian and global culture thought his great music, Ivan received from the Brazilian Government the Medal of Cultural Merit.
In 2014 he released a CD called “America, Brasil” only with songs with his most important partner, Vitor Martins who, as Ivan says, “has been putting this beautiful words on my mouth from the last 40 years”. He won one more grammy for this piece, “Best Brazilian Music Album”.
Even with so much time devoted to compose compulsively and the trips around Brazil and the world, Ivan is an active part of the GAP, a group pro-music which operates with intensity in the struggle for improving the system of collection and distribution of copyright, by improving the conditions for the exercise of the profession of musician and other issues relating to culture and music education in Brazil, using the stage to perform not only their musicianship, but also their citizenship.