Marisa Monte was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 1967. Her father, Carlos Monte, was one of the directors of the Portela Samba school, and she begin her musical studies, including piano, drums & music theory, at a very early age. Despite coming of age during the height of the Musica Popular Brasileira movement-MPB was the post-bossa nova popular music of Brazil-Monte's first interest was in Classical music and Opera, and so inspired by her idol Maria Callas she traveled to Italy at age 18 to study Classical singing.

It was while abroad that Monte first fully recognized the musical richness of her homeland, and decided to return to Brazil and join the ranks of the MPB, following in the footsteps of her greatest influences, including Elis Regina, Gal Costa, Jorge Ben, Caetano Veloso, Nara Leno and Maria Bethenia, and establishing herself as a star in her own right.

Monte's self-titled debut album in 1989 was an instant hit in Brazil, with stunning interpretations of everything from Gershwin and Kurt Weill to Brazilian pop, R&B and an old Carmen Miranda tune. One of her biggest fans, New York City-based guitarist Arto Lindsay, then took on a mentor's role, helping her craft a string of critically acclaimed international releases that further explored her eclectic and original vision. Mais (1991), Rose And Charcoal (1994), A Great Noise (1996), and Memories, Chronicles and Declarations (2000), as well as Tribalistas (2003), her successful collaboration with Carlinhos Brown and Arnaldo Antunes have introduced Monte to a growing global audience.