Saint Rita of Sampa – Defining São Paulo

When he wrote the song ‘Sampa’ (the colloquial name for São Paulo), recorded in 1978 on the album ‘Muito (Dentro da Estrela Azulada),’ Caetano Veloso defined Rita Lee as the most complete definition of the city. 

With her colorful hair, modern clothes, and rebellious and progressive rocker attitude, the artist became a symbol of São Paulo, building a career spanning over 50 years that influenced generations and left an invaluable legacy for music.

From the Túlio Trio, Rita formed the Six Sided Rockers, a sextet that also included the brothers Arnaldo Baptista and Sérgio Dias. Renamed O’Seis, they recorded a sole single in 1966. With the departure of the other three members, Rita and the Dias Baptista brothers formed the band Os Mutantes,

who were responsible for giving rock a Brazilian identity. Adopted by the Tropicalistas, the trio – which later became a quintet – blended elements of baião, samba, bossa nova, and country music with the latest trends in international pop...

...exploring the sound of the theremin, keyboards, bass, and electric guitars. Besides being the lead vocalist, Rita Lee played the flute, percussion, and synthesizer, among other instruments.

While she was with Os Mutantes, Rita Lee recorded two solo albums: ‘Build Up’ (1972) and ‘Hoje É O Primeiro Dia do Resto da Sua Vida’ (1972). After a turbulent departure from the group, she formed the duo Cilibrinas do Éden with singer and guitarist Lucinha Turnbull in 1973. 

Shortly after, the duo joined the rock band Tutti-Frutti, with which Rita recorded four albums, releasing some of her biggest hits including ‘Mamãe Natureza,’ ‘Ovelha Negra,’ and ‘Jardins da Babilônia.’ 

With a marked influence of hard rock in the sound, and glam in the outfits, Rita put rock in the charts like no other Brazilian band had before, combining heavy sounds with lyrics on popular themes in a radio-friendly way.

In 1976, Rita met the guitarist Roberto de Carvalho, with whom she began a long personal and professional partnership, recording at least 20 albums from the late 1970s onwards.

The couple stayed together for 47 years, until the singer’s death, and had three children and two grandchildren.

With Roberto, she embarked on a more pop-oriented phase of her work, embracing electronic timbres without ever losing her rebellious sound and attitude. Her repertoire began to include both rock songs, like ‘Bem Me Quer,’ and the ballads ‘Caso Sério’ and ‘Lança Perfume.’

In the 1980s, Rita Lee also started dedicating herself to literature. Her first children’s book, ‘Dr. Alex’, was published in 1986, followed by two more volumes of stories about a man who turned into a mouse to defend nature and animals.

She also published ‘Rita Lírica’ (1996); ‘Storynhas’ (2013), featuring stories told on what was formerly Twitter (now X), illustrated by Laerte; ‘Dropz’ (2017); ‘FavoRita’ (2018) with autobiographical texts; and ‘Amiga Ursa – Uma história triste, mas com final feliz’ (2019).

In 2016, ‘Rita Lee – Uma Autobiografia’, in which the artist recounted episodes of her life since childhood, was a big success. After her death, ‘Rita Lee – Outra Autobiografia’ was published in May 2023, detailing her last years, her fight against cancer, and the pandemic.

Rita was also a strong advocate for animal rights. Besides having pets including cats, dogs, fish, birds, and even an ocelot, she wrote the song ‘Odeio Rodeio’ with Chico César and often published posts advocating respect for animals.

Rita Lee’s last single, the song ‘Change,’ was released on digital platforms in 2021. After a nine-year hiatus, she released a track with Roberto de Carvalho and DJ Gui Boratto with electronic timbres and existential lyrics mixing English and French verses.

On May 8, 2023, at the age of 75, Rita Lee passed away after two years of treatment for lung cancer, diagnosed in 2021. The public wake was held in Ibirapuera Park, where fans and friends of the singer could bid farewell to the eternal idol.