As a musical style, bossa nova has attracted followers from every continent. That said, its homeland Brazil still remains the epicentre of the sound, which can be traced to samba and jazz.
Brazil is also the place where the Japanese queen of bossa nova learned her craft. Like no other, Lisa Ono (no relation to Yoko Ono, wife of The Beatles' legendary frontman, John Lennon) has made a name for herself as the premier bossa nova artist in Japan today.
The term 'bossa nova' literally means 'new trend' in Portuguese, and emerged from the mid- to upper-scale areas of Rio de Janeiro. The sound is characterised by softer, slower beats than samba, but retains the dance style's elements of improvisation and vocal rhythms.
This month, Ono released her 28th studio album, Japao, in her native Japanese. The guitarist-singer-songwriter was born in Brazil, but only lived there permanently until she was 10. Later she split her time in Japan and Brazil, and now she's based in Japan.
At first, Japan felt unfamiliar to her. It was strange for her to see so many people of the same race, as Brazil has a high influx of immigrants from around the world. Gradually, things improved and she began to learn more about her heritage. Besides, she had her music to turn to whenever she felt out of place.
Ono's father owned a nightclub in Sao Paulo, and was the manger of Baden Powell de Aquino, one the greatest guitarists from Brazil and an influential bossa nova artist since the 1960s. It was at her father's nightclub that Lisa, constantly surrounded by big acts and music, developed a natural love for the simplicity and light rhythms of bossa nova.