User:T.L. Moreira/Leonardo (singer)

Emival Eterno Costa (Goianápolis, July 25th - 1963), also known by his artistic name Leonardo, is a singer and brazilian businessman.

His musical career started in 1983, when he and his brother Luís José Costa, Leandro, decided to try artistic career and formed the sertanejo duet Leandro & Leonardo. In june 23rd -1998, Leandro passed away due to a rare lung cancer and Leonardo started a solo carrer.

He has already sold more than 35 million records.

History
Leonardo was born in Goianápolis, city located in the Metropolitan Region of Goiânia, in the state of Goiás, on the 25th of july, 1963, being the fourth of eight brothers. Son of Mrs. Carmem Divina Eterno da Silva and Mr. Avelino Virgulino da Costa, who passed away on the 11th of january, 2015, at the age of 78, Leonardo had as an inseparable fellow, his brother Leandro (Luis José), one year and eleven months older, born on the 15th of august, 1961. Due to several difficulties, the family moved to Carmo do Rio Verde, also in Goiás, to try their luck in a new opportunity. unfortunately the course things took was not expected and, because of that, the family returned to Goianápolis, where Mr. Avelino went to work as a sharecropper in the tomato tillage. Since childhood, Leandro was the shiest, but he dreamed of a better life to his family. At the tomato field he was quick and in the farm, the demanded repertoire were Chitãozinho & Xororó songs. Mr Avelino, just like Leandro, was always accompanied by his viola caipira, stimulating on his kids the taste for music. Leonardo, on the other hand, always very energetic and excited, despite of many jokes, had a serious personality and had a way to earn more money by doing extra work, and dreamed of a better life for the whole family.

And again, due to difficulties, the family had to leave their hometown and go to Goiânia. The hard experience made everyone decide to go back to Goianápolis. At that time, with the motivation of friends, Leandro used to dedicate his free time to the music and joined the band Os Dominantes, who played hits by Roberto Carlos and Beatles. Meanwhile, Leonardo used to sing only at work, but bit by bit both brothers started to rehearse as a duo and decided, with the family support, to go back to Goiânia to try their career in music. When they arrived in the capital, both soon got a job to make a living. Leonardo worked at a drugstore and Leandro at the Central Market. every minute of their break were dedicated to rehearsals. Uncle Zé, Mrs. Carmem's brother, traveled with them and they were in charge of getting concerts for the duo, just like Anselmo, Leonardo's boss. At that time, the name for the duo was chosen. When they heard one of the drugstore employees had twins baptized with the names Leandro and Leonardo, they had no more doubts about it. The concerts didn't pay much, even so, they didn't give up and because of that, the first recording contract came up and the duo signed it, for four minimum wages, to sing at a better place. As a result, they started to get proposals to perform in neighbor cities and also to perform on TV. The first TV show that invited the duo for a music performance was “Beira da Mata”, streamed by TV Tocantins, from Anápolis, Goiás. The performance didn't go well due to the guys' nervousness, but even so, they were invited many times later on, as they became more popular, specially in the countryside of the regions of Goiás and Mato Grosso. The first album, recorded with their own resources and the help from friends, was released in 1984 and had as a hit the song “Hoje Acordei Chorando” ("Today I woke up crying"). The record was sold at the bars where they used to sing. In search for the professional achievement, Leandro & Leonardo used to constantly travel to São Paulo, with a financial aid from a jeweler from Goiânia, to try a contract with any record label. At that time, the song “Contradições” ("Contradictions") (by Martinha and César Augusto), recorded in the album Leandro &amp;amp; Leonardo, in 1986, started to get popular.

But the duo's hit was with “Entre Tapas e Beijos” ("Among Slaps and Kisses"), recorded in the third album. In the fourth album, Leandro &amp;amp; Leonardo, released in 1990, the song “Pense em Mim” ("Think of Me") reached all the records of plays on the radio stations, leading them to an even bigger repercussion which, in that moment, gained all the brazilian people. The album release included a concert at Canecão, a concert hall in Rio de Janeiro, that for the first time opened its doors for the boys from Goianápolis. With so much triumph, they soon got on TV. TV Globo (Globo Channel) hired them to host the show 'Leandro & Leonardo Especial' (Special Leandro and Leonardo). each day more admired, acquainted and beloved by their audience, they became one of the duos that sold the most albums in the whole brazilian music history. Within fifteen years of career, They had already gathered 25 million records sold. In 1995, The duo got together with Chitãozinho & Xororó and Zezé di Camargo & Luciano to host one of the most succesful TV shows from Globo Channel, Amigos (Friends), which arrived in the schedule as a "premiere end of year" and which, later, due to a big audience, started to be streamed weekly in the channel's schedule. The outcome of the show was so positive that the meeting of the three duos turned into the creation of four albums Amigos (Friends), and they sold millions of copies around Brazil. At the peak of their success and about to release the album Um Sonhador (A Dreamer), Leandro started to suffer from illness and after struggling a lot, he couldn't make it, dying from lung cancer on june 23rd, 1998. After having received a tribute from thousands of fans in São Paulo, he was buried in Goiânia, where he was also praised with affection by his relatives and friends. Leonardo, after getting support from family, friends and fans, released, in 1999, his first solo album named Tempo (Time). Currently, after 11 CDs and 4 DVDs released, Leonardo sums up to more than 15 million of copies sold, and turns into reality the dream of keeping going Leandro & Leonardo's career. After his son's accident, Pedro Leonardo, in April, 2012, he announced he would end his career in a gradual way. I gradually intend to stop singing. I wouldn't stand stopping all at once, and I know that I would miss it really bad. I'm going to decrease the number of concerts. In 2013, he published an autobiography "Não Aprendi Dizer Adeus" ("I Haven't Learned How to Say Goodbye), from Casa da Palavra publishing company.

Still at the same year, he left Universal Music after seven years and returned to Sony Music.

In 2014, he released a project along with the singer Eduardo Costa, named "Cabaré" ("Nightclub") where they recall big hits from the old Sertanejo Music.

Relationships
Between 1985 and 1988 he was married with the teacher Maria Aparecida Dantas, whom he had a son with, the singer Pedro Leonardo, born in june 29th, 1987. In the following years he had two more daughters within short relationships: the agronomist Monyque Isabella, born in october 10th, 1991 with the businesswoman Sandra Helena; and the digital influencer Jéssica Beatriz, born in march 17th, 1994 with the Jewelry designer Priscila Beatriz.

In 1994 he started dating the journalist Poliana Rocha, who's the one he got married with in july 25th, 1995 and had a son, the singer Zé Felipe, born in april 21st, 1998. During the time he was married, Leonardo was in an adulterous relationship with the singer Liz Vargas, vocalist of the band Banana Split, and had a son with her, Matheus Vargas, born in may 10th, 1998, only 19 days after Zé Felipe. Due to the betrayal, the marriage with Poliana came to end in that moment. Between 2001 and 2002 he dated the ballerina Naira Ávila and had his sixth son, the actor João Guilherme, born in february 1st, 2002. In the end of 2002 got back to his married life with Poliana.

Leonardo has four grandkids: Maria Sophia (2011) and Maria Vitória (2018), Pedro Leonardo's daughters; Noah (2016), Jéssica Beatriz's son; and Maria Alice (2021), Zé Felipe's daughter.

Accident
In november 17th, 2003, Leonardo overturned a Land Rover jeep, bringing on the accident who killed his friend Sebastião Figueiredo Arantes, at 47 years old, and left four injured at the highway GO-070. Leonardo denied he was at high speed and alleged problems in the car. However, the car dealership's CEO Coima, from Land Rover, Dirceu Bernardon, said that the car had been borrowed: "There was no such thing of test-drive. He borrowed the car from me to travel and I lent it". In relation to the possibility of mechanical problems with the car, Dirceu says that "the car was all tuned up before being borrowed. Full tank, water and motor oil completely checked up, 1.853 kilometers on it. There was no such thing of broken drive shaft and stuff".

Discography

 * 1999: Tempo (Time)
 * 1999: Ao Vivo (Live)
 * 2000: Quero Colo (I Want some "Caress")
 * 2001: Todas as Coisas do Mundo (All The Things In The World)
 * 2002: Todas as Coisas do Mundo Ao Vivo (All The Things In The World LIVE)
 * 2002: Te Amo Demais (I Love You So Much)
 * 2003: Brincadeira Tem Hora (A Joke Has To Come In The Right Time)
 * 2004: Leonardo Canta Grandes Sucessos (Leonardo Sings Big Hits)
 * 2005: Leonardo Canta Grandes Sucessos Vol. 2 (Leonardo Sings Big Hits - 2)
 * 2006: De Corpo e Alma (With All My Body And Soul)
 * 2008: Coração Bandido (Thug Heart)
 * 2009: Esse Alguém Sou Eu (The Someone Is Me)
 * 2010: Alucinação (Hallucination)
 * 2011: Nada Mudou (Nothing Has Changed)
 * 2013: Vivo Apaixonado (Always In Love)
 * 2014: 30 Anos (30 Years)
 * 2014: Cabaré (com Eduardo Costa) / (Nightclub - With Eduardo Costa)
 * 2016: Bar do Leo (Leo's Bar)
 * 2016: Cabaré Night Club (With Eduardo Costa)
 * 2018: Canto, Bebo e Choro - Ao Vivo (I sing, drink and cry - LIVE)
 * 2019: A História Continua - Ao Vivo em São Paulo (com Chitãozinho & Xororó e Zezé Di Camargo & Luciano) / The Story Goes on - LIVE In São Paulo With Chitãozinho & Xororó and Zezé Di Camargo & Luciano)

Polemic
In march of 2020, Leonardo was criticized on the internet, due to the following declaration in a concert: "30 million people in Brazil who's got the [HIV] (AIDS). Let's be honest? No one wears condom. Now 900 cases [of coronavirus] confirmed and we have to wear masks? The meaning we can take from all of this is: Better to die while fu***ng than coughing."  Trinta milhões no Brasil que tem HIV. Vamos ser sinceros? Ninguém usa camisinha. Agora 900 casos [de coronavírus] confirmados e tem que usar máscara? A conclusão que a gente chega é: melhor morrer f*** do que tossindo The ONG/Aids forum from the State of São Paulo (Foaesp), where it's located more than a hundred organizations which fight AIDS, published a repudiation note against the singer's declaration. "Without considering his responsibility as an opinion maker and influencer for millions of fans, the artist understates two important harms to health that move brazilian society: HIV and COVID-19. Apart from the disinformation – The Health Minister estimates in 866 thousand, the people who's got HIV in the country –, Leonardo does a bad turn to the actions of control of circulation of coronavirus, and the mobilization of stimulating the constant use of condom."References