She began studying chamber singing at the National Conservatory of Music at age 14, and in 1955 she entered the School of Dramatic Art.
She called the attention of her audience by singing tangos which up to then had only been sung by men, including standards by José María Contursi, Enrique Santos Discépolo, Homero Manzi, and Cátulo Castillo.
She achieved fame when she incorporated into her repertoire songs by new authors, such as Eladia Blázquez, Osvaldo Avena, Héctor Negro, and Chico Novarro.
She and her husband, bandoneón virtuoso Osvaldo Piro, established Magoya, a café concert in seaside Mar del Plata, in 1971.
Her tireless defense of human rights and her passionate promotion of a more just and peaceful world earned her the title of Illustrious Citizen of Buenos Aires in 1990.