Alcione

Alcione (Alcione Dias Nazareth) is one of Brazil’s most celebrated and iconic samba and MPB (Música Popular Brasileira) singers. Born in São Luís, Maranhão, in 1947, she is affectionately known as "A Marrom" (The Brown One) and "The Queen of Samba". With a career spanning over five decades, she is renowned for her powerful, husky, and highly emotional voice. Alcione began her musical journey as a trumpet and clarinet player, mentored by her father, a military band conductor. She later moved to Rio de Janeiro in the late 1960s, where she established herself as one of the definitive voices of the genre. She made a notable foray into dramatic acting with a supporting role in the 2007 Rede Globo historical miniseries Amazônia, de Galvez a Chico Mendes, where she portrayed the character Lady Brown. Primarily known for her powerhouse vocals, she is also frequently featured as herself in cameos across various Brazilian telenovelas and films. The interaction between Brazilian samba legend Alcione and the frontman of Guns N' Roses, Axl Rose, was an unexpected and viral moment when they met at a Recife airport in 2014. Axl actually sought out Alcione for a photo, and the resulting friendship has since become a famous piece of Brazilian pop culture.