My Story
My Story
From my heart to yours...
creations that paint a world of possibilities.
My story is simple. I was born in Rio de Janeiro. Portuguese mom, father from Espírito Santo. Love to sing, dance, write, draw, act, paint, meditate, and contemplate Nature.
Art is my gift in Life. Wanna create something wonderful with me?
SHORT BIO
Brazilian artist Kátia Moraes began her career in Rio de Janeiro in the 1980's with the theatrical rock band O Espirito da Coisa. Since then, she has performed/ recorded with Brazilian artists like Sergio Mendes, Airto Moreira, Oscar Castro-Neves, Rita Lee, Elba Ramalho, George Duke, Alex Acuña and Justo Almario's Tolú, "Latin Project", and Praful, among others.
Since moving to Los Angeles in 1990, she’s been dubbing for films and series' projects and performed with many ensembles, including Samba Society, Falso Baiano, The Rio Thing, Midnight Drums, Viver Brasil Dance Company, Badauê, Man and Machine, and many more.
After five CDs released with Sambaguru band, Kátia has ventured as a solo artist releasing Mistureba in 2018 and Motivo in 2020.
In 2020 she received the Focus Brasil Awards Los Angeles 2020 in the Brazilian singer category. She also won the L.A. Treasure Award in 2009 granted in part, by the California Traditional Music Society, a facility of the City of Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Dept. and The California Traditional Music Society.
In 2021 Kátia presented Chacoalhar, a one-woman theatrical show, which brings to life vivid memories of her Brasil. The project is supported in part by an investment through the CA Relief Fund for Artists and Cultural Practitioners at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (YBCA) in partnership with the California Arts Council (CAC).
From 2012 through 2019, Kátia has produced and created the musical series Brazilian Heart, a Celebration to introduce influential Brazilian artists to the American audience: Elis Regina (2012), Clara Nunes (2013), Maria Bethânia (2014), Noel Rosa (2015), Brazilian Women/Rita Lee (2016), Tom Jobim/Ella Fitzgerald (2017), Immigrants - Jacob do Bandolim (2018), and Songs of Protest and Change – Gilberto Gil (2019).
During the pandemic, Kátia has launched Brazilian Heart Art transferring to clothing and accessories her colorful imagery. A wall painting and art works are part of the permanent exhibit at the new Brazilian Ubatuba Açaí store in Moorpark, California.
Her bilingual book of poems “Diário da Moraes” (Moraes’ Diary) was just released in April 2024 by Editora Versiprosa of São Paulo, Brasil, and is available at many of the Brazilian virtual bookstores. (California release TBA).
Photograph by Jorge Vismara.
What They Said
What They Said
“Blessed with a songbird’s voice, a poet’s heart, an educator’s enthusiasm and an entertainer’s vision, Moraes is the complete package.” ENTERTAINMENT TODAY
“Moraes strutted on stage with the grace and attitude of an Amazon princess...Moraes danced, sang and communicated with her fans for over an hour, delivering an impressive performance.” LATIN STYLE
“Katia Moraes is a sweet-voiced pixie who radiates a sunny energy, with traces of Brazilian great Elis Regina in Moraes’s singing.” THE VALLEY BEAT
“Brazilian singer Katia Moraes -- a born afternoon sunshine performer...” VARIETY
“Katia is an absolute dynamo on stage.” L.A. JAZZ SCENE
“Kátia’s voice can be powerful and heartfelt, coy and compelling, expansive or intimate.”
THE BRAZILIAN MUSIC REVIEW
“Moraes, always an irrepressibly effervescent performer...” LOS ANGELES TIMES "
Leapfrogging from straight pagode to funked-out samba to rock, Kátia’s hearty vocal cords dominate...” THE BEAT
"(...) But there ain’t a Brazilian singer in town who is as irresistible as Katia Moraes. Crowds go nuts when she performs. The energy, the charisma, the sheer joy of Brazilian music just fills a space."
LA WEEKLY
“Brazilian music has a special place in the heart of Kátia Moraes. It is her way of infusing the light, color, and sounds of her native land into our culture in the United States. Katia’s lyrics are in Portuguese, but with her gift as a storyteller, the audience is invited to gaze through an imaginary window revealing snippets of life in Brazil.
- Janice Wise, Director of Community Relations at Art Trek Inc.”
September, 2023.
Look Here
Look Here
Brazilian Heart Celebration
Brazilian Heart Celebration
