CéU proved to one of the more internationally appealing singers to break out of Brazil around the time of her 2005 debut, ultimately winning a Latin Grammy nomination for Best New Artist and garnering interest for herself in Europe and North America. Her singing is what earned her acclaim, yet her music is novel as well, a fusion of samba, reggae, and electronica, with touches of jazz, soul, and urban folk. She was born Maria do Céu Whitaker Poças in São Paulo; however, she bills herself as simply CéU. (In Portuguese, céu can mean either sky or heaven, depending on the context.) ~ Jason Birchmeier