Vanessa Sigiane da Mata Ferreira was born on February 10, 1976, in Alto Garças, a small town in Mato Grosso located 399 km (248 miles) from state capital Cuiabá.

[2] An autodidact in music, Vanessa listened to very different genres in her childhood; from Luiz Gonzaga to Tom Jobim, and from Milton Nascimento to Orlando Silva.

At age 14, Vanessa moved alone to Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, 1,199 km (745 miles) away from Alto Garças, to prepare for her vestibular exam, through which she intended to join a Medical school.

[1] The album's biggest hit was the song "Não Me Deixe Só", which reached a peak position of 25th in the Brazilian chart and 42nd in the Portuguese.

The two singles released from the album, "Boa Sorte/Good Luck", a duet with American singer Ben Harper, and "Amado", both became number-one hits in Brazil.

In October 2010 Vanessa da Mata released the CD Bicicletas, Bolos e Outras Alegrias, from which the song, "O Tal Casal" was pre-released as a single.

From April to June 2013, Vanessa da Mata collaborated with and was sponsored by cosmetics brand Nivea to produce a series of free concerts, presented throughout various large Brazilian cities.

[3] These featured the music and songs of renowned Brazilian singer and composer Tom Jobim, and had the purpose of raising awareness and appreciation of his work and cultural importance in Brazil.

On July 1, 2013, she released the album Vanessa Da Mata canta Tom Jobim, a compilation of the work presented in the concerts.