Marisa Azevedo Monte was born on July 1st, 1967, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Monte became one of Brazil’s most original artists in the 1990s not only for her velvety voice, but also for her choice in artistic experimentation.

In the early 1980s, Monte studied opera and participated in a stage production of The Rocky Horror Picture Show, directed by Miguel Falabella and performed by the students of the Colegio Andrews Theater. As a result of this production, she began making informal appearances in Río de Janeiro bars. Upon reaching the age of consent in 1985, Monte spent several months in Italy to study opera and stay in touch with the opera world, but shortly thereafter she moved away from that genre and decided to focus on Brazilian music.

In 1989, Monte released her first album, MM where she showcased her eclectic body of work by integrating samba, jazz, funk, blues, soul, bossa nova and rock with diverse musical styles. She had a nationwide hit with “Bem que se quis,” a Brazilian version of the Italian song by "Pino Daniele", and was well received as the big revelation of the year. She sold more than 500,000 records and became the newest Brazilian music star.

Monte’s sophomore album, Mais (1991), produced by Arto Lindsay in New York, marked her debut as a songwriter and was well received in numerous countries including the United States, Japan and many others throughout Europe and Ibero-America, launching her international recording career. For Mais, Monte worked with such artists as Ryuichi Sakamoto, John Zorn and Mark Robot.

The album Cor-de-Rosa e Carvão, released in 1994, found Monte working with artists such as Gilberto Gil, Paulinho Da Viola, Carlinhos Brown, Nando Reis (Titãs), Laurie Anderson and Naná Vasconcelos. With this album, Monte further integrated new styles and Brazilian rhythms with the classical music styles of samba, jazz, blues and funk. 
In 1996, Monte released Barulhinho Bom, containing two CDs, one with live performances and the other containing a video where she appears alongside Os Novos Baianos, Arnaldo Antunes and Pastoras da Portela, among others, as well as a behind-the-scenes look into the recording of the album. She then proceeded to publish a book containing photographs of herself and her compositions, both poetic and musical.

In 2000, the album Memórias, Crónicas, e Declaracões de Amor, was released on her own label Phonomotor – this album sold more than a million copies and was awarded a Latin Grammy for Best Pop Album. Monte played more than 150 shows in Brazil and around the world on the tour, which was documented on a DVD (2001).

In 2002, Monte recorded a homemade album along with Arnaldo Antunes y Carlinhos Brown (the three artists would later call themselves Tribalistas). The single “Já sei namorar” reached the top spot on the radio charts in Brazil as well as in other countries.

Following the birth of her first son Mano Wladimir in 2002, Monte dedicated herself to two parallel but different projects: profound research of samba in Rio de Janeiro and the creating music with Carlinhos Brown, Arnaldo Antunes, Nando Reis, Adriana Calcanhotto, Marcelo Yuca and Seu Jorge. These projects resulted in the simultaneous launch of the albums Universo ao Meu Redor (with sambas from historic and contemporary songwriters) and Infinito Particular (featuring new music and collaborations) in 2006. Six years after her last studio album, Monte staged a successful comeback with these albums, both of which were well received by the public and achieved much critical acclaim. Monte then embarked on an international world tour.

In a recording career spanning over 19 years, Marisa Monte has sold more than 9 million albums worldwide. She has garnered praises and awards that position her as one of the most important singer-songwriters of modern Brazilian music, serving as a bridge between traditional music and contemporary pop, integrating different musical genres and always surprising the public with originality and her unique vocal style.