Gal Costa was born on September 26, 1945, in Salvador, the capital of the Brazilian state of Bahia. During her pregnancy, her mother, Mariah Costa Penna, spent hours listening to classical music in the hopes that Gal would be interested in music. Arnaldo Burgos (deceased 1960), Gal’s father, died when Gal was 15 years old, and the two never met.

Gal met Sandra and Andréia Gadelha, the future wives of singer-songwriters Gilberto Gil and Caetano Veloso when she was 10 years old. This earned her the nickname Gau, which was later shortened to Gal. She became interested in Bossa Nova after hearing Joo Gilberto’s “Chega de Saudade” on the radio when she was 14 years old.  To get closer to music, she went on to work as a clerk in Salvador’s main record store. Andréia Gadelha introduced her to Caetano Veloso when she was 18 years old, and they became close friends.

Gal made her professional debut on August 22, 1964, at the concert Nós, por exemplo (We, For Example), alongside Veloso, Gil, Maria Bethânia, and Tom Zé, among others. The concert marked the opening of the Vila Velha Theatre in her hometown. During the same year, she appeared in Nova Bossa Velha, Velha Bossa Nova (New Old Wave, Old New Wave), both in the same venue and with the same singing partners.

She then left Salvador to live in Rio de Janeiro with her cousin Nvea, following in the footsteps of Bethânia, whose concert Opinio (Opinion) had become a huge success there.

Gal Costa’s husband: Is Gal Costa married?

Gal Costa was not to be publicly married, but she did spend time with men who served as her fiances.