Rosa Emilia Dias, sensitive Bahian performer living in Rio at the time of her musical debut and today based in Venice, has had seven albums released in Brazil, Italy and Japan. In 1989, she won the Brazilian Sharp award as the most accomplished Brazilian musical interpreter.In 2010, “Álbum de Retratos – Cacaso Parceiros e Canções” entered the top 10 of the best albums released in Brazil.
About Rosa
Singer and songwriter Rosa Emilia Dias started her career in Salvador de Bahia, where she sang and wrote poems. During a poetry meeting she met Cacaso, with whom she got married and moved to Rio de Janeiro. She trained as opera singer with soprano Victoria Elnecave and baritone Eladio Pérez González. From 1983, she met and worked with renowned artists such as Cacaso, Jaques Morelenbaum, Claudio Nucci, Marco Suzano, Nelson Angelo, Sueli Costa, Danilo Caymmi, Novelli, Sérgio Santos, Paula Santoro, Cristovão Bastos, Robertinho Silva, Nelson Motta, Mario Adnet, Nó em Pingo D’Agua, Mario Sève, Muri Costa, Robertinho Silva, Lígia Diniz, Wanda Sá and many others. In Italy, from 1989, she worked with Fabrizio de André, Renato Sellani, Cristiano Verardo, Carlo Fava, Silvio D’Amico, Massimo Morricone, Stefano Bagnoli, Enzo Zirilli, Nené Ribeiro, Írio de Paula, Roberto Taufic, Gilson Silveira, Marco Ponchiroli, Edu Hebling, and Francesco Casale, to name a few.
She released 9 albums, Ultraleve (Grapho, produced by Cacaso, 1988), Nega Rosa (Lux Music, produced by Nelson Motta, New York, USA, 1997), Baiana da Guanabara (Lua Music, Collective Production, Italy and Brazil, 2004), Poesia do Brasil with Renato Sellani (Philology, Italy, 2006), Batuk with Cristiano Verardo (Cool Division, Italy, 2006), and Album de Retratos – Cacaso, Parceiros e Canções, featuring Joyce, Sueli Costa, Nelson Angelo, Sérgio Santos, Zé Renato, Olívia Byington, Nando Carneiro, and Filó Machado – all Cacaso’s partners, Fundamental con Giovanni Buoro (Indie, Italy 2013), L’Arca di Noè– musica brasiliana per bambini (2014) e Madrigal (Indie, Italy -2018)
Rosa developed an incredibly diverse range of musical partnerships. She was the producer and composer of the lounge album Sonho Tropical for the German brand Heineken along with the creative group ‘H20 Productions’ (Venice, Italy, 2004), and Sakura Mirai Creative Sound (Italy, 2003).
She founded several creative groups and took part in a wide variety of musical projects: Nega Rosa, Batuk, H20, SERA (Stefano Cerri, Enzo Zerilli, Andrea Zuppini, and Rosa Emilia), Missa dos Quilombos, Ultraleve, Sitokanero, Bahia canta Caymmi, Tributo a Tom Jobim, and Noites Tropicais.
Along with Sérgio Bacelar, she was the director and coordinator of the project ‘Cacaso – Música e Poesia’, March 2009, for the Cultural Centres of the Brazilian Bank (CCBB) in Brasília and Rio de Janeiro.

“I met Rosa Emilia at the end of the 80s, when she was married to my musical partner Cacaso. Antonio Carlos de Brito, known as Cacaso in the world of music and poetry, was the unrivalled character of the 70s, one of the emblematic poets of the geraçāo mimeógrafo, the ‘mimeograph generation’, alongside Ana Cristin César, Chacal and many others. In music, he collaborated with Edu Lobo, Sueli Costa, Toninho Horta and many more. On top of that, he was a great character: that night, he showed up at a very fancy party at the Country Club (all the men dressed in suits), in jeans, flip-flops (Havaianas weren’t fashionable yet) and a beautiful girl from Bahia on his side, looking half his age – Rosa. They got married and lived an almost happily ever after, until his death at the age of about 42, due to a sudden heart attack. Rosa recorded a few albums. I listened to the first one as soon as it was released. I saw a promising voice and a future ahead of her. After Cacaso’s death, she moved to Italy, where she lives with her daughters to this day, and continues her career as a singer. She called me a few days ago, as she was finally working on a project with his songs and inviting his partners to participate. I recorded one of our collaborations, ‘Beira-Rio’, and she gave me her previous album as a gift, made in 2004 I think, ‘Baiana da Guanabara’, where she sings a repertoire by Nelson Angelo, another constant partner.
I went home listening to the CD in the car. I was expecting to find the good singer from the first album again, but for my surprise that was not a good singer, that was an incredible, extremely original singer. I loved her work and kept thinking: nowadays, when you call for a female singer in Brazil, hundreds will appear, it is so hard to find someone different from the standards. Except for Rosa, indeed! And all the interesting voices of Brazil, that luckily are always still to come.”
Joyce – 21/02/08

Album de Retratos – Reviews

Rio de Janeiro, 13th of March 2009 – “With a stellar line-up – brought together much more for affinity to the honoured than for display of mega production – this “Album de Retratos”, a “Portraits Album”, sixth album of the Bahian singer Rosa Emilia, based in venice, underlines the relevance of the opus of the lyricist Cacaso. In collaborations with Filó Machado (Perfume de Cebola), Olivia Byngton (Clarão), Nelson Angelo (Deixa o barraco rolar), Sueli Costa (Eu Te Amo), Joyce (Beira Rio), Sergio Santos (Fazendeiro do Mar), Zé Renato (Lua de Vintém), who participated in the recording, the poet, cruising through the sweet yet firm voice of Rosa, exposes his lyricism refined by pain and humour.”   (Jornal do Brasil Por Tárik de Souza Rio de Janeiro, 13 /03/ 2009)
The result is intimate and delicate, in tune with the elegance of verses such as in the songs “Eu Te Amo”, “Beira Rio” and “Album de Retratos” itself. With a few rare exceptions – such as “Clarão”, with Olívia Byington – the songs are not amongst Cacaso’s most famous ones, thus offering the opportunity to know something more of the poet’s talent.
In addition to being an album with the suggestive lyrics by poet and composer Cacaso, Album de Retratos counts two other important achievements: the intimacy of the singer with the work in question – Rosa Emilia has been Cacaso’s partner – and the coice of a simple arrangement, in substance only piano or guitar, played by the authors of the songs (Sueli Costa, Joyce, Nelson Ângelo, Zé Renato e altri)». (Folha de S. Paulo –  Fernando Vianna)

                                      Main Discography:

• Rosa Emilia Dias- Madrigal – Italy- 2018
• Rosa Emilia canta L’Arca di Noè- musica brasiliana per bambini (2014)
• Rosa Emilia Dias & Giovanni Buoro- Fundamental – Italy, P. 2013
• 
Rosa Emilia – Álbum de Retratos-Cacaso- Parceiros & Canções- Brazil, Italy, Japan,  2009

• Renato Sellani & Rosa Emilia- Poesia do Brasil- Philology Jazz – Italy, P.2006

• Batuk – Cruzeiro do Sul- Cool:Division – Italy, 2006

• Rosa Emilia – Baiana da Guanabara- Brazil, Italy, Japan, P. 2004

• Rosa Emilia – Nega Italy 1997
  
• Rosa Emilia – Ultraleve -Brazil, 1988 (LP)
   
  Featuring as special guest:
  Mário Seve- Casa de Todo Mundo-2005
  Rinaldo Donati-Casa Brasil- Energy Productions – Italy, 2004
  Nelson Angelo-Mar de Mineiro Lua Discos – Brazil, 2003
  Nené Ribeiro-Primogenito- Ethnoworld – Italy, 2002
  Kal dos Santos-Yabás, as meninas dos meus olhos- Srijian – Italy, 1998
  Pitura Freska -Gran Calma Psycho Records – Italy, 1997
  Fabrizio de Andrè-Anime Salve BMG – Italy, 1996
  Pitura Freska -Yeah Psycho Records – Italy, 1995
  Marco Ponchiroli -Fast Marghera- Srazz Records – Italy, 1995
  Pitura Freska -Duri i Banchi Psycho Records – Italy, 1993
   
  Main Compilations:
  Chill Out 2-Repubblica & L’Espresso – Italy, 2007
  Ubi Jazz 2005 – Cool:Division – Italy, 2006
  Sister’s Lounge – Cool:Division-Italy, 2005-Roma Alta Moda 2 
  Sonho Tropical- H20 productions- Italy, 2004
  H2o Productions – Cool:Division– Italy, 2004
  Heineken chill out- H20 Productions – Italy, 2004
  Milano Fashion 2- H2O production-Cool:Division – Italy, 2003
  Mirai Creative Sound -Sakura -H20 Productions -Italy, 2003
  Storie Veneziane-Furlan Shop- Italy, 1999
  O melhor da nova música italiana- Nuova Itália- Polygram – Brazil, 1996

Main Compositions:

Árvore Mágica (Rosa Emilia Dias/ Cacaso)

Deixa O Barraco Rolar (Rosa Emilia Dias/ Cacaso/ Nelson Angelo)

Sonho Tropical (Rosa Emilia Dias/ Verardo/Lenarda )

Bem Te Vi (Rosa Emilia Dias/ Verardo)

Porto Seguro (Rosa Emilia Dias/ Verardo)

Dentro D’agua (Roberto Rusconi/ Rosa Emilia Dias)

Hypnoleveza (Rosa Emilia Dias/ Verardo )

Esculhambação (Rosa Emilia Dias/ Verardo)

Muito Mais (Rosa Emilia Dias/ Verardo/Lenarda )

Yeux Vert (Rosa Emilia Dias/ Verardo/Lenarda )

Bossa Menina (Rosa Emilia Dias/ Verardo/Lenarda)

Paradise (Rosa Emilia Dias/ Verardo/Lenarda )

Por Um Triz (Rosa Emilia Dias/ Verardo/Lenarda )

Cores (Rosa Emilia Dias/ Verardo)

É Dia De Sol (Rosa Emilia Dias/ Verardo)

Cruzeiro Do Sul (Rosa Emilia Dias/ Verardo)

Yokossi (Rosa Emilia Dias/ Verardo)

Obaluaê (Rosa Emilia Dias/ Verardo)

Ogundé (Rosa Emilia Dias/ Verardo)

Quero,Quero (Rosa Emilia Dias/ Verardo) 

Fillhotes (Giovanni Buoro/Rosa Emilia Dias) 

Andar Direito (Giovanni Buoro/Rosa Emilia Dias) 

Minha Vez Que Chega (Rosa Emilia Dias/Giovanni Buoro) 

Madrigal (Giovanni Buoro/Rosa Emilia Dias)

Infância (Giovanni Buoro/Rosa Emilia Dias) 

Mantra Da Praia (Giovanni Buoro/Rosa Emilia Dias) 

Queria Ser (Giovanni Buoro/Rosa Emilia Dias)

Verde (Rosa Emilia Dias/Giovanni Buoro/Cacaso) 

Dengo E Cafuné  (Giovanni Buoro/Rosa Emilia Dias)

Le Tue Mani Vicino A Me (Giovanni Buoro/Rosa Emilia Dias)

Suas Mãos (Giovanni Buoro/Rosa Emilia Dias) 

Sonhando Mundo (Giovanni Buoro/Rosa Emilia Dias)