She began her professional career in 1955, participating in the vaudeville Gente de bem e champanhota at the Follies Theatre in Rio de Janeiro. Also that year she recorded a 78 rpm on the Odeon label containing Amendoim torradinho (Henrique Beltrão) and Desejo (Garoto, José Vasconcelos and Luiz Cláudio). She then released another 78 rpm with Menina (Carlos Lyra) and Foi a noite (Tom Jobim and Newton Mendonça), considered to be one of the forerunners of bossa nova.

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