Paula Toller

by Jason Birchmeier Well known as the lead singer and co-songwriter of Kid Abelha, one of Brazil''s most popular pop/rock bands, Paula Toller occasionally stepped away from her bandmates to record solo albums. Born Paula Toller Amora on August 23, 1962, in Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro, she was raised by her father''s parents, Paulo and Renée, from age eight onward. These grandparents were well established (her grandfather was a retired surgeon, for instance, as well as a historian and author) and lived in Tijuca, a populous (roughly 150,000), predominantly middle-class neighborhood in northern Rio that had spawned several famous Brazilian musicians, among them Antonio Carlos Jobim, Milton Nascimento, Jorge Ben, and Gabriel o Pensador. Toller was a dedicated pupil, attending ballet and English classes, in addition to her normal studies at school. At age 17 she went to university at PUC-Rio (Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro), where she planned to study industrial design and visual communication. Keeping with her interest in language, she also studied French and did translation and editing work as a supplement to her small allowance. While at PUC, Toller joined the band Kid Abelha & os Abóboras Selvagens, and the band grew popular quickly, to the point where she had to leave school in 1984, prior to completing her degree. Seu Espião (1984), the debut full-length release by Kid Abelha, was a big hit, so much so that the band was invited to perform at the world-renown Rock in Rio concert the following year. Kid Abelha enjoyed a long run of unabated success in the years that followed, releasing a long list of hit albums and singles well into the next millennium. Upon signing a recording contract with Warner Music Brasil, Toller made her solo debut with Paula Toller (1998), a well-received album comprised primarily of covers (curiously including an English-language version of "Patience" by Guns N'' Roses), along with two new songs of her own ("Derretendo Satélites," "Oito Anos"). A decade later, Warner released her second solo album, Só Nós (2007), which was preceded by the hit single "Meu Amor Se Mudou Pra Lua."