Monica San Galo

Monica San Galo came up in Salvador, Bahia, where she started writing songs as a teenager. Her debut album arrived in 1998, anchored by the title track "Fã," a ballad about obsessive infatuation that caught on nationally.

Her lyrics sometimes stirred things up. Songs like "Amores Imperfeitos" and "Mulher Sem Razão" drew criticism for their frankness about relationships and gender, but she kept writing what she wanted to write. Later records like Sagrada Profana and Um Canto Brasileiro pulled in Brazilian folk and samba sounds alongside her usual style.

You can hear that mix on tracks like "Completo" and "Ânima," which have stayed in her setlists. She hasn't made a big deal about evolving; she just kept putting out music, with another album called Sobre Nós arriving in 2016.