Born in Rio de Janeiro, DELIA FISCHER, singer, songwriter, pianist, and arranger, has received two Latin Grammy nominations for Best Brazilian (MPB) Album of the Year, one in 2019 for Tempo Mínimo (Labidad) and another in 2021 for H.O.J.E (Labidad). Tempo Mínimo earned five stars from Downbeat Magazine in 2019 and was named one of the Best Albums of the Year; it was also named “Best Latin Album” by Latina Magazine in Japan in 2019.
Her music ranges from MPB to post-Bossa Nova, samba and electronic pop. In January 2023 she released the album Andar com Gil (Jasmin Music), a tribute to Gilberto Gil, which she recorded with Ricardo Bacelar; Gil himself joined in on one track. The H.O.J.E. album featured her modern versions of classic songs by iconic Brazilian writers like Ivan Lins, Taiguara, and Beto Guedes, as well as by Björk, Lennon & McCartney, and two Fischer originals, one of which featured a collaboration with renowned Brazilian countertenor Ney Matogrosso. Delia will release her first album sung in English, entitled Delia Fischer Beyond Bossa, with English lyrics by American jazz journalist and songwriter Allen Morrison, featuring as special guests the renowned jazz singers Luciana Souza and Gretchen Parlato, the New York Voices, bossa nova master Marcos Valle, Italian R&B star Mario Biondi, American Grammy-winning cellist Eugene Friesen and Brazilian jazz guitarist Chico Pinheiro. It will reach all streaming platforms later in 2023.
Her discography, available on all streaming platforms, includes Antonio (1999 ECM); Presente (2010 Dubas); Saudações Egberto - featuring works by, and the participation of, Egberto Gismonti (2011/2016 Rob Digital Tuff Beats Japan); Tempo Mínimo (2019 Labidad Music); Entre Amigos (2020 Labidad); Rainhas (2021 Labidad Music), H.O.J.E. (2021 Labidad Music) and Andar Com Gil (2023 Jasmin Music). In 2021, she also released a series of multi-language singles (in Italian, French, and Spanish) in collaboration with French-Camaroonian singer Valérie Ékoumè, Italian singer-songwriter Tony Canto, and Spanish-Brazilian singer songwriter Leo Minax.
In her solo career, Delia has performed and recorded with such Brazilian and international greats as Gilberto Gil, Marcos Valle, Milton Nascimento (who recorded one of her songs), Ed Motta (who was her piano student and with whom she later toured Europe), Toninho Horta, Hermeto Pascoal (who collaborated on her album Presente), guitarist Romero Lubambo, Swedish singer Lisa Nilsson (with whom she toured Scandinavia), and Italian R&B star Mario Biondi.
Her stage performances are marked by superb musicianship, charming singing, Brazilian charisma, and, always, great songs. 2019 saw her complete her first solo European tour with dates in Germany (Karlsruhe and Frankfurt), Italy (Rome, Torino and Napoli) and Portugal (Amarante at the MIMO Festival), Lisbon and Cascais.
In 2022, after the lockdowns ended, she resumed live shows and played three sold-out nights at the Rio venue JClub, appeared at the Blue Note in São Paulo and venues in Rio and São Paulo to promote her H.O.J.E. album. February 2023 found Delia back on stage at Blue Note São Paulo to promote the Gilberto Gil tribute Andar Com Gil, then again at JClub to promote her single “Amores Tambores” featuring Banda Black Rio leader William Magalhães. She also appeared at Rio’s prestigious Sala Cecilia Meireles in a concert dedicated to her renditions of songs by Gil and Milton Nascimento.
Delia Fischer started her music life as a teenager, turning professional early on. She studied with prominent Brazilian masters including classic Brazilian composer Cesar Guerra-Peixe, Bossa-Nova and jazz pianist Luiz Eça, as well as attending years of classical piano instruction with Miguel Proença and Salomea Gandelman. She developed her singing abilities first in a choir at ProArte Music School in Rio and later worked with vocal coach Felipe Abreu.
Delia’s recording career started with Duo Fênix, a partnership with Claudio Dauelsberg, with the albums Duo Fênix (1988 - BMG Ariola, LP) and Karai-Eté (1990 - BMG Ariola, Brazil / In & Out Records, Europe and USA, LP). She built a reputation as a talented pianist and fertile composer with appearances at Sofia Jazz Festival, Club New Morning in Paris, and the Montreux Jazz Festival. Delia’s prestige as a musician led to her engagements as music director and arranger in a number of musicals in Rio and Sao Paulo, spanning more than a decade from 2007 through 2019 and earning her many theatre awards in Brazil.