Célia Regina Cruz (September 8th, 1947 – September 29th, 2017), better known as Célia, was a Brazilian singer.
Célia was born in São Paulo and was first discovered on Flávio Cavalcanti’s TV Show Um Instante, Maestro! in 1970. Her first self-titled album was released the same year, and would be followed by another successful self-titled album in 1972, both produced by renowned producer and arranger Arthur Verocai. In 1975, she released yet another self-titled album, containing her single “Onde Estão Os Tamborins?”, which became her greatest success in Brazil.
In the following decades, Célia had the same fate as many MPB artists who had their musical careers forgotten. She was considered a cult singer for some music enthusiasts, specially in Japan and Europe, and was latter rediscovered by general audience in 2020, after having her song “David” sampled in Freddie Dredd’s “Opaul”.
Célia passed away at the age of 70 in São Paulo, Brasil due to cancer on September 29, 2017.