brazil is famous all around the world for sparking a number of rich musical traditions, ranging from the days of early samba to musica popular brasileira, or mpb, to contemporary funk carioca - yet perhaps the most well-known genre that sprouted from this tropical paradise to spread to international audiences is bossa nova, aptly labeled 'new trend' in portuguese.

originating out of the late 1950s zona sul in rio de janeiro, bossa nova was initially popular among young college students and musicians in the city - the genre has its rhythmic roots in samba and employs elements of jazz, often using the classical guitar either alone or with piano.