John Lennon Songwriting Contest GRAND PRIZE. Carla Hassett - Sempre Odara

Carla Rigolin Hassett (AKA Carla Hassett) is a Los Angeles based session singer, guitarist, songwriter, recording artist, producer, bandleader, and music educator. A native of São Paulo Brazil and schooled in the recording studios of Chicago, Carla has sung with Billy Idol, Sergio Mendes, Flora Purim and Airto Moreira, Mike Patton, the late soul legend Solmon Burke, REO Speedwagon, Christopher Cross, Cristan Castro, and actor/musician Gary Sinise. Carla sang in the 2012 Latin Grammy Person of the Year Show honoring treasured Brazilian composer Caetano Veloso. During that show, she backed up Veloso, Natalie Cole, Nelly Furtado, Seu Jorge, Lila Downs among other Latin music superstars. Carla has recorded with Brazilian recording artist Paula Fernandes, Gino Vannelli, Spanish rock artist Enrique Bunbury, Michael Bublé, Mike Patton, and appeared on 7th Heaven, The Tonight Show, Dante Night Show, and The Grammy Awards. Carla was the featured soloist in the 2017 Sonorama project for Pacific Standard Time LA/LA, The 2018 LA Tribute to Luiz Melodia show, and the 2018 Film Composer Collective concert at the Theatricum Botanicum for film and TV composer Matthew Ferraro, and the 2019 rock opera Feast of Friends.

 

Carla sang on several feature films, including the Oscar nominated (for best original song) RIO for composers Sergio Mendes, Carlinhos Brown, and John Powell, and RIO 2 with Janelle Monae and her band. In Brazil, the song“Teu Olhar,”which Carla produced and co-wrote, became the theme song for the popular telenovela Amor e Ódio.  Back in the states, Carla sang and contracted vocal sessions for numerous Disney recordings in Portuguese and Spanish, and on countless commercial jingles. More recently, Carla sang on the pilot for the Amazon original Mozart In The Jungle, and on the 2018 Netflix film, Like Father.

 

Inspired by her work with Caetano Veloso, Carla explored tropicália and jazz for her album, +Blue (whose title, “More Blue” was inspired by Veloso’s song “A Little More Blue”). On +Blue, Carla explored the meaning of “home” and the complexities of growing up between two countries and cultures: her birthplace, Brazil, and her adopted country, the U.S. NPR featured +Blue and interviewed Carla on Weekend Edition with Linda Wertheimer.  In 2018, Carla produced and hosted The Mic podcast, featuring informal discussions with studio and touring singers. In 2019, Carla signed with Burlacticus Recording Company, and released a single, ADRIANA, a little-known tune penned in 1961 by Luiz Freire, and the great bossa nova guitarist and composer Roberto Menescal. Chosen by BURL Audio owner, founder, and bossa nova enthusiast, Rich Williams especially for Carla and her band for its exquisite groove in 5/4 meter, and intimate vocal style. Adriana is the vinyl B side to Ozomatli’s latest release.

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Carla graduated Summa Cum Laude with a degree in Music Production from Berklee College of Music and is currently a professor of commercial voice at California State University LA.

 

Carla continues to perform live, write and produce music, record, both in-house and remotely from her studio in Los Angeles.