How many languages did Astrud Gilberto speak?

Brazilian singer, Astrud Gilberto spoke and recorded in more than three languages. She recorded songs in Portuguese, English, Spanish, Italian, French, German, and Japanese. She recorded numerous albums including The Shadow of Your Smile, Look to the Rainbow, A Certain Smile, a Certain Sadness (1966), Beach Samba, and more.

Astrud got her breakthrough in 1964 after the release of the single The Girl from Ipanema, which omitted the Portuguese lyrics sung by Joao Gilberto and established Astrud as a Bossa Nova Singer.

However, there was a heavy controversy surrounding the song. Astrud did not write the song and had not previously been rated as a key figure in the bossa nova movement, because she was not a professional at that time. The song was taken from Getz/Gilberto album, therefore, Getz had a saying in it.

Astrud died on May 5, 2023, at age 83. No cause of death was disclosed.

“We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of bossa nova singer Astrud Gilberto. One of the most important figures of the bossa nova movement, she worked with Antonio Carlos Jobim on developing bossa nova, a musical style that combined Brazilian samba rhythms and jazz,” The Jazz Estate wrote.