Leila Silva was consecrated as a romantic singer with "Perdão Para Dois," but also proved herself to be a noted samba-canção and samba interpreter. She was appointed the "Queen of Samba" by the Revista do Rádio magazine, and the sambas "Juca do Brás," "Não Sabemos," and "Não Diga a Ninguém" became her signature tunes. Among her 140 trophies, it should be mentioned the four Roquette Pintos, the five Chico Violas, and five gold records. Her albums were released in Italy, France, Japan, Mexico, Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay. Leila Silva moved to Santos (São Paulo) in 1958, becoming a professional at Rádio Atlântica and Rádio Clube de Santos (where she hosted her own show); in the same year, she was awarded with the A Tribuna newspaper trophy, having been also crowned the "Queen of the Musicians." She also was the crooner for the J. Pinto and of the Los Cubancheros orchestras, the latter conducted by Maestro Cabral. In 1959, Silva moved to the capital of the state, São Paulo. She took with her a demo tape and delivered it to Diogo Mulero the Palmeira, then Chantecler's A&R director. Palmeira wanted to sign her but he couldn't find her telephone number or address. Two months passed, and in that period he was already preparing her repertory. Meanwhile, Inezila Silva (her real name) appeared on a Rádio Record show, hosted by Lupe Ferreira and Denis Brean. It was Brean who suggested the stage name "Leila," taking her to record a 78 rpm for the label Califórnia, with the sambas-canção "Mentira" (Brean/Oswaldo Guilherme) and "Resignação" (Plínio Metropolo). The record didn't get released, but it was then that Palmeira met her again, bringing her to Chantecler, where she recorded "Tango Triste," "Irmã da Saudade," "Sarjeta," and "Mar Negro," which became a success. In 1960, Silva launched her first LP, which scored a hit with the romantic song "Perdão Para Dois," her definitive consecration. The success yielded invitations for performances throughout Brazil and a contract with TV Record for three years, where she presented her own show. After leaving Chantecler, Silva would sign successively with RGE, RCA Victor, Beverly, and Continental, recording 27 singles and 15 LPs until 1978. In that period, she performed also internationally, in Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, Chile, and Portugal. ~ Alvaro Neder, All Music Guide