Zeca Baleiro began to perform in São Luís do Maranhão MA around 1975. After years acting as composer/interpreter in several cities like Belo Horizonte MG and São Paulo SP, he had his big break when Gal Costa invited him to appear in her special for Acústico MTV in 1997. His first two albums, Por Onde Andará Stephen Fry? and Vô Imbolá, won gold records. He was also nominated for the 2000 Latin Grammy Awards in the Best Pop Album category. In 1999 he was awarded Best Singer by APCA (São Paulo's association of art critics), and in 1998 won three Sharp prizes in the pop/rock category, as best song, best album, and revelation. Songs off his first CD were chosen for soundtracks of TV Globo soap operas; "Samba do Approach" (off the second one) was included in TV Globo's series Mulheres. Baleiro has performed in Cannes (France), Montreux (Switzerland), Porto (Portugal), and Cartagena (Spain). He wrote the music of the show Mãe Gentil (Ivaldo Bertazzo), participated in the Os 5 no Palco project (with Lenine, Chico César, Paulinho Moska, and Marcos Suzano), as well as Songbook Chico Buarque, Balaio do Sampaio (a tribute to Sérgio Sampaio), and Projeto Lusofonia (Martinho da Vila). Baleiro produced the albums of Ceumar and Patrícia Amaral, and also had his video "Proibida Pra Mim" presented in the cinema. ~ Alvaro Neder