She later regretted her decision to tour with Getz, who mistreated her, and stated that she had done so because of dire financial need in the wake of her divorce.

[13][14] Astrud sang two songs on the 1963 album Getz/Gilberto, featuring João, Getz, and Antônio Carlos Jobim.

[12] Her whispery voice and steadfast approach to singing played a significant role in popularizing "The Girl from Ipanema", earning a Grammy Award for Record of the Year and a nomination for Best Vocal Performance by a Female.

[12][17] According to writer Gene Lees in Singers and the Song II, Getz asked producer Creed Taylor to ensure she was paid no royalties on the single, which went on to sell more than five million copies.

[12] Beginning as a singer of bossa nova and American jazz standards, Gilberto started to record her own songs in the 1970s.

She recorded songs in Portuguese, English, Spanish, Italian, French, German, and Japanese.

[12] Although she did not officially retire, Gilberto announced in 2002 that she was taking "indefinite time off" from public performances.

[21] Gilberto's original recording of "Fly Me to the Moon" was featured with Frank Sinatra's version on the soundtrack of Down with Love (2003).

[26] On Basia's 1987 debut album, Time and Tide, the track "Astrud" is a tribute to her idol Gilberto.