A Pair Of Bossa Nova’s Rising Stars Record A First-time Duet
Ella & The Bossa Beat and Ryan DeHues Find ‘Spring Love’ in a song written for the two to sing, together.
Bossa Nova and duets have gone hand-in-hand ever since Rio’s Dick Farney invited a young actress name Norma Bengell to join him on a ‘lost in your eyes’ single called ‘Voce’. It went on to become Brazil’s top tune in 1961. Two years later, Stan Getz headed to the studio to record ‘The Girl From Ipanema’ with Joao and Astrud Gilberto and the duet was here to stay.
Now, two rising stars have pooled their talents to create a contemporary Bossa Nova love story, ‘Spring Love’.
Ella & The Bossa Beat, with Ella Blu and Magrus Borges (who toured as the drummer of Astrud Gilberto for ten years) and now the father-daughter duo; composed both lyrics and melody, inviting Bossa crooner Ryan DeHues.
Ella & The Bossa Beat’s Ella Blu composed both lyrics and melody to sing with Bossa crooner, Ryan DeHues.
Recenlty, Ella & The Bossa Beat invited Toco to record a pair of duets, ‘Amanhecer’ and ‘Areia’. Bossa crooner Ryan DeHues likewise shared duets with Manuela Dalke on ‘Samba Saravah’ and with Elisabeth Jutel of Double Françoise on ‘A Little Bit of Englishness.’
And here’s the best part: Thery discovered each other’s music through Connect Brazil’s Showcases and Brazill Back2Back on our live streaming station.
Introductions were made, phone calls followed, and they met last winter in Florida to record together. So, last week, I caught up with Ella and Ryan to ask about duets, songwriting, and synergy.
Our Interview: Ella & The Bossa Beat and Ryan DeHues
Ella & The Bossa Beat Meet Ryan DeHues
You’ve known each other’s music for a while, so what was it like when you finally met?
Ella: When we first called Ryan on the phone to get to know him and suggest the idea of working together, Magrus and I felt that he was super warm and friendly, and that it would be a great experience to work with him! Months later, when we finally met in person, I immediately felt how sweet of a person he was! We all became instant friends.
In the studio, the process was so natural that we didn’t need to spend much time talking about the song, or how to approach it, etc. We all knew what the song needed, and I think one can hear through the music how natural, and easy-going it feels- that’s how it was in the studio.
Ryan’s Take On Ella & The Bossa Beat
Ryan: Well, I’m a true fan of Ella & the Bossa Beat, so it was very exciting. You don’t get to work with a rising star every day. Ella is the voice of E&TBB and Magrus is the beat.
With Ella’s incomparable ability to sing, play, and pen melody/lyrics so beautifully and soulfully and Magrus’s genius on the drums, composition, and on the board, producing, arranging, they are one of the most formidable duos I’ve ever come across. I wouldn’t want to compete in a battle of the bands with them!
My first collaboration with Ella and Magrus has been an incredible breath of spring air. They both had me completely at ease. I think Magrus was able to capture my vocals in under 90 minutes. We went to lunch in sunny Florida and had a wonderful afternoon. We became instant friends.
I’d also like to mention the importance of Kristina Powers-Borges. She is very much the third, offstage member of E&TBB. A lot of this concept was her vision. On that note, I also must thank Connect Brazil for bringing us together on the Brazil Back2Back feature! That’s where I first discovered E&TBB over a year ago!
Ella Blu On Duets And Songwriting
Ella, you penned ‘Spring Love’ in about a week’s time. As a songwriter, do you approach writing a duet differently than for a single voice?
Ella: I guess it’s interesting, but I did not approach this duet any differently than how I would write for a single voice. I wanted the lyrics to tell a romantic story, but at first, Magrus and I did not plan exactly where Ryan would sing – which verses, etc. I just had all my lyrics down on paper, and I wanted it to just be a story that we could interchangeably sing to one another.
So looking back, I could’ve sung the second verse about ‘following the person through the unknown’, but now when I hear it, I like that Ryan gets to sing that part! In the future, I would like to experiment with a different way of writing for a duet. It would be lots of fun.
In The Studio for ‘Spring Love’
Ella, can you tell me how it felt in the studio and how the session went?
Ella: The overall session was very quick! We all understood each other fast and what we hoped for the recording to sound like. I already knew our voices blended so well from our previous demo exchange with Ryan. But when we heard our voices in the studio for the first time after our final vocal takes, I knew that people would love this song so much!
I felt so happy, because I love singing with others, coming from a background in choir throughout all of my high-school and college years, it felt special to sing with another voice! And even more so, to sing with another jazz singer like Ryan!
I remember looking at him (when we first heard our final takes together) with that feeling of wow!… this sounds so beautiful!’.
Ella, I understand that Italy was in the mix. What kind of feedback did you get from them?
Ella: The mixing was done in Italy, mastering in Miami, and produced by Magrus here in our home studio in Orlando. Magrus and I know exactly the sound that we’re looking for, so it’s super important to be able to count on others that are not only considered one of the best engineers: Francesco Borrelli (mix; Italy) and Felipe Tichauer (master; Miami)- but who understand what our vision is. We’re so grateful for this team of professionals!
Ryan DeHues And The Synegy Of ‘First Love’
Ryan, ‘Spring Love’ feels like a throwback to the era of truly romantic songs. How long did it take you to feel comfortable with it?
Ryan: Two seconds into Ella’s demo with Magrus, I knew that it was going to be beautiful. I spent a week singing it for an hour a day. That way it really becomes second nature. You don’t want to be in the booth reading lyrics. The booth is for interpretation and last-minute choices. I remember calling Ella and Magrus to congratulate them and to thank them for writing us such a wonderful song. She’s like an up-and-coming Marcos Valle with her singing/playing and songwriting. Add Magrus into the mix and you’re all set. There’s no end to their musical possibilities.
Ella, ‘Spring Love’ is a much different duet than those you collaborated on and recorded with Toco. Can you speak to the creative approach taken for ‘Quem Me Dera’ and ‘Areia’?
Ella: Yes, this duet is much different than ‘Areia’ and ‘Quem Me Dera’, and I think it’s mainly because Toco was singing with the idea of ‘backing vocals’ behind my main voice. For ‘Spring Love’, Ryan and I are the lead male and female singers that need to tell a story, and sing to each other, so the feeling is much different!
Why Ryan DeHues Loves Duets
Ryan, you are no stranger to duets. What was different (or usual) about ‘Spring Love’?
Ryan: There was nothing usual about ‘Spring Love’. Listening to this, I would guess that it was recorded with one of the hottest producers/studios in Europe. I can thank Magrus Borges for that and of course, Ella, too. Yes, every duet is different.
I love duets. When two separate voices can come together, blend, and create something new, there’s no better feeling. I’ve recorded duets with Grammy winner Debby Boone, L.A. pop singer Rachel Diggs, and my most recent album with Double Francoise.
Each collaboration has its own unique dynamic and Ella’s voice is certainly dynamic. I’m extremely proud of how wonderful our vocal blend is. Our two voices go together like notes in a measure on ‘Spring Love’. Ella’s voice is one in a billion. The kind of voice that can thaw the iciest heart.
Ella & The Bossa Beat and Ryan DeHues Find ‘Spring Love’
The Intimacy Of ‘Spring Love’
‘Spring Love’ shares the same qualities of intimacy and rapport of other memorable duets. How did that sense of musical compatibility come to you?
Ryan: Wow. What a compliment. Thank you, Scott. Ella is a pro, I’d like to think that I’m a pro by now, and with Magrus setting the tempo, it’s hard not to feel something. You can’t fail with that lineup. All three of us, even the mid-westerner (me), have all grown up with a love for Brazilian music and jazz. That’s a strong icebreaker when first meeting.
Ella: I think we both just try to sing with much feeling and intention, and more importantly, sensitivity! So naturally, we, being very sensitive singers, were able to understand each other’s expressions, which I believe is what made us even more musically compatible.
How often have you experienced something like that?
Ella: This musical compatibility is not often seen with singers, unfortunately. I experience this with musicians, but not with singers, and I think it’s because many singers only tend to listen to their own voices, and when they sing with others, they just want to show everything they got – all their vocal abilities – without understanding pace, timing, intention, and sensitivity. It’s a gift when a singer has that notion within them and can ‘become’ one voice with another singer. This is very much the approach of a choir. It felt so easy to sing with Ryan, because I believe we think very much alike on our vocal approach!
Ryan: When you get people in a room who are all passionate about the same thing, you immediately understand each other, even finish each other’s sentences. There was wonderful synergy working with E&TBB. I’ve certainly felt this level of camaraderie with Double Francoise, but as I said earlier, we’re talking about apples and oranges.
What Does The Future Hold
Do you see another collaboration anytime soon?
Ella: I really hope we can all do something together again soon! Magrus and I loved working with Ryan. If we did anything again, I could see us having even more fun than last time! Thank you, Connect Brazil!
Ryan: Every collaboration is its own adventure. If E&TBB ever asked me to join them on something again, I would say yes and thank you!
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Ella & The Bossa Beat
Ryan DeHues
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Ella & The Bossa Beat and Ryan DeHues Find ‘Spring Love’
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