Carlos Lyra is a Brazilian musician and composer of numerous bossa nova classics. He was born - as Carlos Eduardo Lyra Barbosa - on May 11, 1939. Along with Roberto Menescal, he was a primary figure of the younger generation of bossa nova musicians who closely followed the inception of the style by João Gilberto and Antonio Carlos Jobim. Later, he joined Nara Leão as part of the bossa's activist wing, seeking a return to its samba roots. Was also an intellectual behind the movement, forging new directions like the protest song.

He continues to compose, record, and perform today. In 1997, Lyra opened the show 40 Years of Bossa Nova in Tokyo (Japan), together with Roberto Menescal, Leila Pinheiro, and Astrud Gilberto.

Lyra's most famous compositions include "Coisa Mais Linda", "Você e Eu", "Maria Ninguém" (once claimed by Brigitte Bardot to be her favorite song), and "Influência do Jazz".

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