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Brazilian music superstar Daniela Mercury set for San Diego return

The top Brazilian singer has sold more than 20 million albums worldwide and helped popularize the fusion of samba and reggae music

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Brazilian music star Daniela Mercury is an artist of multiple talents. Before she became one her country’s most popular and eclectic singers, songwriters and band leaders, she was a dancer and choreographer.

At 23, Mercury joined the group of Gilberto Gil, one of Brazil’s greatest troubadours. After her self-titled debut album came out in 1991, she sang for more than 100,000 people at a 1993 concert in São Paulo and has since performed at the Hollywood Bowl.

Mercury helped popularize axé music, a hybrid of samba and reggae, to which she adds funk, rock, pop, electronica and various African music elements. An author and United Nations cultural ambassador, she is also an actress, social activist and author.

Her latest book, “Daniela and Malu, A Love Story,” chronicles her relationship with her wife, Brazilian journalist Malu Verçosa. Mercury’s San Diego concert appearances are few and far between, making her Sunday concert here at House of Blues a rare opportunity to hear her without having to leave town.

Daniela Mercury, with Gambiarra: 8 p.m. Sunday. House of Blues, 1055 Fifth Ave., Gaslamp Quarter. $35-$70. livenation.com

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