Bossa nova (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈbɔsɐ ˈnɔvɐ]) is a calm type of samba that began in the late 1950s and early 1960s in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is known for its gentle, rhythmic pattern, with chords and finger movements on the guitar that copy the beat of a samba rhythm, as if simplifying the sound made by a samba school band. Another key feature is the use of unusual chords and complex musical progressions that sometimes create unclear or uncertain harmonies. A common mistake is thinking these complex chords came from jazz, but samba guitar players used similar structures since the early 1920s, showing that both styles developed independently rather than one influencing the other. However, bossa nova was still influenced by jazz, especially in the harmonies used and the instruments in songs. Today, many bossa nova songs are considered classic jazz pieces. The popularity of bossa nova helped refresh samba and modernize Brazilian music overall.
A major change in bossa nova was how it used the rhythm of samba on the classical guitar. Musicologist Gilberto Mendes said bossa nova was one of the "three rhythmic phases of samba," with the "bossa beat" created by João Gilberto from traditional samba. The guitar style reduced the "batucada" rhythm of samba, a simplified version of a percussion instrument's sound: the thumb mimicked a surdo drum, while the index, middle, and ring fingers played like a tamborim drum. This idea is supported by musicians such as Baden Powell, Roberto Menescal, and Ronaldo Bôscoli, who also believe the bossa nova beat came from the tamborim's rhythm in the bateria (drum section) of samba bands.
Etymology
In Brazil, the word "bossa" was once used to describe something done with charm, natural talent, or special skill. As early as 1932, a musician named Noel Rosa used the word "bossa" in a song called samba.
The phrase "bossa nova" translates to "new trend" or "new wave" in Portuguese. For many years, the exact origin of the term "bossa nova" was unclear. In the late 1950s, during the artistic beach culture of Rio de Janeiro, the word "bossa" was used to describe any new trend or fashionable style. In his book Bossa Nova, Brazilian author Ruy Castro explains that musicians in the 1950s already used the word "bossa" to describe someone’s unique ability to play or sing in a special way.
Castro suggests that the term "bossa nova" might have been first used publicly during a concert in 1957 by a group called the Grupo Universitário Hebraico do Brasil ("Hebrew University Group of Brazil"). The term was created by a young journalist named Moyses Fuks, who was helping to promote the event. The group included musicians such as Sylvia Telles, Carlos Lyra, Nara Leão, Luiz Eça, and Roberto Menescal. Fuks wrote on a poster, "HOJE. SYLVIA TELLES E UM GRUPO BOSSA NOVA" ("Today. Sylvia Telles and a 'Bossa Nova' group"), because Sylvia Telles was the most well-known musician in the group at that time.
In 1959, Nara Leão took part in early performances of bossa nova. These included the 1st Festival de Samba Session, organized by the student union of Pontifícia Universidade Católica. This event was led by Carlos Diegues, a law student who later became a famous film director in the Cinema Novo movement. Leão eventually married Diegues.
History
The nightclubs in Beco das Garrafas (Alley of the Bottles), a small dead-end alley in Copacabana, are considered an important birthplace of bossa nova.
In 1959, the soundtrack for the film Black Orpheus was released. It included the song Manhã de Carnaval ("The Morning of the Carnival"). At that time, samba-canção was the most popular music style in Brazil. Bossa nova first appeared on the album Canção do Amor Demais, where singer Elizeth Cardoso performed two songs written by Antônio Carlos Jobim and Vinicius de Moraes: Outra Vez and Chega de Saudade. These songs were played on the guitar by João Gilberto. This was the first time Gilberto used a guitar style that would become central to bossa nova. He also changed how the rhythm was played, emphasizing less common beats to blend samba and guitar in a new way.
In 1959, João Gilberto released an album called Chega de Saudade, which included the songs Chega de Saudade, Bim Bom, and Desafinado. These tracks became part of the jazz music scene. This album is seen as a key moment in the creation of bossa nova. It showed Gilberto’s new way of singing samba, inspired by Dorival Caymmi. The album helped establish bossa nova as a new style of samba. Gilberto’s guitar playing and singing, combined with Jobim’s music and Moraes’ lyrics, quickly caught the attention of other musicians in Rio de Janeiro, many of whom were influenced by American jazz.
On November 21, 1962, the Consulate-General of Brazil introduced bossa nova at Carnegie Hall in New York.
In 1964, João Gilberto, Stan Getz, and Jobim released the Grammy Award-winning album Getz/Gilberto. Bossa nova became an artistic movement centered on Gilberto and other musicians like Jobim, Moraes, and Baden Powell. This movement inspired young musicians in Rio’s South Zone, such as Marcos Valle, Carlos Lyra, Roberto Menescal, Ronaldo Bôscoli, Nara Leão, and Bahian singer Astrud Gilberto.
In 1963, Jorge Ben wrote the song Mas que Nada. In 1966, Sérgio Mendes & Brazil 66 released a bossa nova-style version of the song, which became a hit. The song was added to the Latin Grammy Hall of Fame. In the 1970s, the song Waters of March became popular and was used in Coca-Cola advertisements in the 1980s. In 1967, Frank Sinatra and Jobim recorded the album Sinatra & Company, with music arranged by Claus Ogerman and a studio orchestra. In the 1960s and 1970s, American jazz musicians like Stan Getz, Hank Mobley, Dave Brubeck, Zoot Sims, Paul Winter, and Quincy Jones recorded bossa nova-inspired jazz albums.
Bossa nova continues to influence music worldwide. For example, the song Break on Through (To the Other Side) by The Doors includes a drumbeat inspired by bossa nova. The band’s drummer, John Densmore, said Brazilian music influenced his work. In the 1980s, a new style called New Bossa emerged in Europe, with artists like Nigerian singer Sade Adu and groups such as Matt Bianco and Style Council. In the 21st century, Billie Eilish released Billie Bossa Nova in 2021, and Icelandic singer Laufey released From the Start in 2023, both featuring bossa nova rhythms. In 2025, SZA’s song BMF blended bossa nova with pop music.
Instruments
Bossa nova is usually played on a nylon-string classical guitar using the fingers instead of a pick. Its most authentic form includes only a guitar and vocals, as developed and demonstrated by João Gilberto. Even in larger groups that include jazz influences, the guitar is often used to create the basic rhythm. Gilberto took a rhythmic pattern from a samba ensemble, specifically the tamborim, and used it in his guitar playing. According to Brazilian musician Paulo Bittencourt, João Gilberto, known for his unusual behavior and deep focus on finding new ways to play the guitar, sometimes practiced for many hours by playing the same chord repeatedly in a bathroom.
Like in samba, the surdo plays a repeating pattern on the first beat of each measure, including the downbeat and the "ah" of the first beat, the downbeat of the second beat, and the "ah" of the second beat. The clave pattern is similar to the two-three or three-two clave used in Cuban styles like mambo, but the "two" side of the clave includes an extra eighth note. Another important instrument in the percussion section is the cabasa, which creates a continuous sixteenth-note rhythm. These rhythms can easily be adapted for a drum set, making bossa nova a popular style for drummers.
Structure
Bossa nova includes other musical elements and vocal styles that are part of its structure. These include:
Bossa nova is based on a rhythm similar to samba. Samba uses rhythms and styles from Afro-Brazilian communities. Samba focuses on the second beat, a feature that bossa nova also shares (often shown in 2/4 time). Unlike samba, bossa nova does not have dance steps. When played on the guitar, a simple one-bar pattern uses the thumb to play bass notes on beats 1 and 2, while the fingers pluck chords together on the eighth notes of beat 1 and the sixteenth note of beat 2. Two-measure patterns often include a syncopation that starts in the second measure. Syncopation is a common feature in bossa nova, creating its smooth, swaying rhythm. While jazz music also uses syncopation, jazz is usually played with a "swung" feel, which bossa nova does not use. As composer Carlos Lyra describes in his song "Influência do Jazz," samba moves "side to side," while jazz moves "front to back." Some evidence suggests bossa nova may have been influenced by blues music, though this is not obvious in its structure.
In addition to guitar techniques, João Gilberto introduced a new way of singing. Before bossa nova, Brazilian singers used loud, operatic styles. Bossa nova uses a nasal vocal style, which is a feature of the caboclo folk tradition in northeastern Brazil.
Bossa nova songs often focus on themes like love, longing, homesickness, and nature. Bossa nova was usually not political. Songs from the late 1950s described the comfortable lives of middle- and upper-class Brazilians, even though most people were working class. Around the early 1960s, especially after the 1964 military coup, bossa nova became less popular. A new genre called Música Popular Brasileira (MPB) emerged in the mid-1960s. MPB songs had more political messages and focused on the struggles of the working class.
Dance
Bossa nova was a popular dance that matched the music of the same name. It began in the late 1950s and became less popular in the mid-1960s. Bossa nova music is known for its smooth, complex vocal rhythms and creative parts. While it was well-suited for listening, it did not become widely used for dancing, even though it received much promotion in the 1960s. The basic dance steps were simple and matched the music well. Dancers used "soft" knees to move sideways with hip motions. The dance could be performed alone or with a partner. About ten simple step patterns were described in writing.
One common variation of the basic 8-beat pattern was: "step forward, tap, step back, step together, repeat from the opposite foot." A variation of this pattern used a slow samba walk, replacing "step together" with "replace." Steps from the rhumba dance and the nightclub two-step could also be adapted to fit the style of bossa nova. Decorative movements included placing one arm on the dancer’s own belly and waving the other arm at waist level in the direction of the sway, sometimes with a finger click.