A Love-Hate Relationship With The Guitar & An Acoustic Take On An Illustrious Career

Bebel Gilberto, deemed the Queen of Bossatronica, sublimely covered Neil Young's Harvest Moon at 2011's Carnegie Hall tribute concert, playing guitar publicly for the first time. But she's not planning a reinvention.

"The guitar and I, we have a love and hate relationship," Gilberto admits. "To play guitar, you must practice eight, nine, ten hours a day and, I'm kind of lazy."

Gilberto is speaking ahead of an Australian tour encompassing WOMADelaide and headline dates — and she's already sweltering. "I'm in front of an air conditioner because I'm in Brazil and the day is, like, 50 degrees."

"I think we always try to innovate our tastes in music but, when we like some kind of music, that's what we like."

Gilberto's current show signals a return to her traditionalist roots. "I'll be doing a show that is gonna be like an acoustic version of all the music I have released," she explains. "I'll be playing mostly acoustic with some electronic sounds — and I'll be playing my hits." And, yes, Gilberto includes Harvest Moon in sets. "Harvest Moon is my favourite one, I think, live, this song. I always feel goosebumps because it's a very personal interpretation. I think it's a very beautiful song. I'm very happy with the result." As for any guitar-strumming? "I don't wanna promise that!"

Bebel (from Isabel) grew up surrounded by music — being born in New York to Joao Gilberto, Brazil's pioneering bossa nova singer/guitarist, and the vocalist Miucha. Singing from childhood, Gilberto issued an EP in Latin America in the mid-'80s. Her breakthrough came later. In 1999 Gilberto guested on saxman Kenny G's Classics In The Key Of G, reviving The Girl From Ipanema. The next year she presented the Suba-produced crossover album Tanto Tempo, ushering in a new clubby bossa nova. Her timing was auspicious, coinciding with the rising popularity of jazzy, downtempo DJs like Thievery Corporation — early allies. Yet, by 2009's All In One on Verve, she'd moved away from electronica. The singer most recently released 2014's retro Tudo (Portuguese for "everything"), its keystone her Harvest Moon.

Gilberto's music has been widely synced for TV and film (Eat Pray Love). Latterly, she herself has taken acting roles. Gilberto voiced a toucan in Carlos Saldanha's hit movie animation Rio — "a very interesting experience." However, she is recording another album.

Ironically, as Gilberto re-embraces classic bossa nova, the deeper, groovier club variant is making a subtle resurgence. But, although Gilberto has name-checked Lana Del Rey, she isn't preoccupied with following "new generation music". "At the moment, I've been listening to old music — I've been in love with Miles Davis, Chet Baker, also Blossom Dearie... Of course, I always listen to the new things — and I love to hear new music. I love Lana, for instance. I didn't hear her entire album, but she does a beautiful kind of music. Also she's such an incredible and interesting character as 'Lana Del Rey'. I think we always try to innovate our tastes in music but, when we like some kind of music, that's what we like. So we should be faithful to our taste in music."