KOSTAR: LIZ ROSA

Hailing from Brazil, jazz singer Liz Rosa blends swing and jazz sounds while staying true to her roots. Liz moved from northeast Brazil to Rio de Janeiro in 2007 where she performed with the best musicians in the city. She released an album with Som Livre in 2012 during the Jazz Mania Night and was featured by Talentos Brasil TV Câmara, Som Brazil TV Globo, Festival Vale do Café and was the only Brazilian to perform at the II Cotai Jazz & Blues Festival in Macau. She moved to New York City in 2016 and has performed in popular jazz venues throughout the city.

We had the pleasure to collaborate with Liz Rosa on a music video and a photoshoot for the Bossa Magazine. Liz wears a custom made red dress by Minika Ko and the Coco LBD from the KOVASKY collection. On our KOSTAR blog, she shares with us about her music, life and fashion.

How did you find your voice?

I was exposed to music since I was a little girl. My entire family loves music, a lot of them play instruments, but no one is a professional musician. I was 12 years old when I performed for the first time with a children's choir in my hometown. On that night I realized that music was my passion and my mission in life.

Who are some of your musical influences?

Let's say that I am a traditional Brazilian singer super influenced by jazz. So I am influenced by Brazilian artists such as Joao Bosco, Djavan, Tom Jobim, Elis Regina, Leny Andrade and Rosa Passos, But I also take my music beyond the boundaries of Brazilian Music with the influences of names like Ella Fitzgerald, Shirley Horn, Sinatra and Sarah Vaughan.

What do you love most about performing?

The exchange of feelings and energy between me and the audience. 

On your website you wrote, "Singing is more than matching pitch, singing is about touching people." Can you please expand on that?

Music is a universal feature of the human experience, each culture has its way to dialogue with the world trough the music (arts in general). Music is composed of several elements like rhythm, dynamic, texture, timbre, pitch... All these elements are important, but playing music (in my case singing) goes beyond these structural elements. Singing is reaching the unattainable, it is about connection, about dialogue with people's feelings and touching hearts.

Which words come to mind for you when describing Brazilian music?

Joy and movement!

What's next for you in your career?

Well...I focus my attention on making music and short-term plans. For now I have a new show called "a night in Rio" and the recording of a new album, what will come as a result of this, only time will tell.

Liz Rosa wears KOVASKY CoCo LBD  

What is Brazil like?

Brazil is a huge, beautiful, and contradictory country. It is a place where you can find a stunning nature, incredible artists, amazing food, warm people.. but you also can find a lot of misery, corruption, sexism and racism. But still more good things than bad things =)

Do you call New York home now? Why or why not?

Yes. Took me some time to feel home.. because for me feeling home is about being able to play my music and connecting with new people, having a new family. Now I can´t imagine myself living in another place! I love NYC and everything that I am building here.

In one word, how would you describe your fashion aesthetic?

Eclectic!

What do you look for when you shop for clothes?

Comfort and elegance

What's your most valued piece of clothing in your closet and why?

The dress that I used on my CD Release show in 2013, in Natal, Brazil where I was sharing the stage with one of my biggest idols, João Bosco.

Who are your style icons?

Sophia Loren and Audrey Hepburn 

What do you enjoy most about Minika Ko's designs?

I love her designs because she can make me feel at the same time modern and elegant in a super comfortable way. 

Shop Liz's look

Liz Rosa wears KOVASKY CoCo LBD

*This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.