Cardoso was born in Rio de Janeiro; her father was a serenader who played guitar, and her mother was an amateur singer.

She was discovered by Jacob do Bandolim at her 16th birthday party, to which he was brought by her cousin Pedro, a popular figure among the musicians of the day.

Jacó took her to Rádio Guanabara where, in spite of her father's initial opposition, she appeared on the Programa Suburbano with Vicente Celestino, Araci de Almeida, Moreira da Silva, Noel Rosa and Marília Batista on August 18, 1936.

She appeared in Coração materno, by Gilda de Abreu, and Watson Macedo’s É fogo na roupa.

[1] In 1958, Cardoso was invited by Vinicius de Moraes to be the singer of an album of songs written by himself and Tom Jobim.