Successful interpreter of carnival marchinhas and other genres, Carmen Costa also participated in several films and in the Bossa Nova Festival in Carnegie Hall in 1962.
Around 1935 she moved to Rio de Janeiro where she started to participate in novice shows in several radio stations. In 1938 she formed a duo with the composer Henricão, recording the hits "Onde Está o Dinheiro" (Henricão), "Dance Mais Um Bocado" (Henricão/Príncipe Pretinho), and "Samba, Meu Nego" (Buci Moreira/Miguel Baúso) with him. Her first solo recording (in 1942) was the classic "Está Chegando a Hora" (ve...