There is a Brazilian expression that says: ‘A Baiana is not born, a Baiana debuts’, and a better one: ‘What is it this Baiana has got?’. Baiana is a person born in Bahia – Brazilian Northeast State. Dany Maia although, innate Baiana, yet at home, debuted very early in the music industry and now brings to Australia what she’s got.
Dany Maia started off her career at the age of 15 and performed alongside many acclaimed artists of her homeland, such as Margareth Menezes, Timbalada and Carla Cristina. Dany also contributed to the street dance scene of Salvador with group "Bailando in Bando" being one of the principal choreographers.
Dany’s natural talent for dancing has enhanced by training with the best teachers in Bahia. She trained jazz, contemporary, afro and improvisation with teachers like King, FUNCEB, Gilmar Sampaio, EBATECA and Adalgisa Rolim, Ballet Adalgisa Rollin. Passionate about Percussive rhythms as Samba, Samba-reggae, Afro and Forró shook Dany’s leg and made her travel around Brazil, Portugal and Spain as a professional dancer. A few years later, her passion for this same music inspired her to remain on stage, but now as a singer.
Singer Dany Maia first started playing at friends’ gigs, then as a solo artist at bars and other venues in the nightlife of Salvador, Bahia’s capital. Her promising career managed her some invitations to lead a few bands when she performed at the famous Carnivals of Sao Paulo, Salvador and Porto Seguro. In 2004, she produced and released her first promo album, Danielle Maia Ao Vivo, where four out of the twelve tracks are originals. In 2016 Dany Maia release her single “Leve” an Intimate and chillout song featuring smooth vocals and beautiful arrangements.
Dany Maia merged all of those percussive rhythms with the classic (Bossa Nova) and the pop (Samba) of Brazil’s tunes, making of her music the same as the place where she comes from: a cultural melting pot.
In 2010 Dany Maia made her way to Australia, to not less multicultural Melbourne, where she’s met local artists and created partnerships that only complete her miscellaneous work. Dany Maia has performed diverse gigs in the Melbourne music scene. It’s either Brazilian Samba at Copacabana, in Fitzroy, or much more of a funky, jazzy, bossa at Bennetts Lane Jazz club.
Dany has also presented at venues like the Evelyn Hotel, Paris Cat Jazz Club, Open Studio, Victoria market, Czech House, Eurotrash, Hi-Fi Bar and so on and in Festivals like St Kilda Festival, Taste of Portugal, Johnston St Festival and much more.