From Brazil to the United States to Stardom

In the mid 60s pianist and composer Sergio Mendes became the most popular and best-selling Brazilian musician in the United States and his band Brazil 66 became synonymous with Bossa Nova, or the “new wave” of music, which started from Brazil and swept the United States. Always the innovator, Mendes has used his music to bridge cultures and relate to all generations.

You can hear his popular “Mas Que Nada” today in one of the newest 3-D animation movies, RIO. Mendes reinvented the hit some 40 years later in collaboration with hip-hop artist will.i.am. Maria Hinojosa sat down with Mendes in 2008 for an extended interview to talk about his career, collaborations and how he continues to make Bossa Nova “the new thing” over and over again.