1. Jerusa Leão ! jerus nazdaq
jerusaleao@yahoo.com
! www.mariabonitaband.com !facebook/jerusnazdaq
! musician / singer / percussionist / artistic director ! Dj/producer !promoter !community member
Born in Bahia, Brazil, Jerusa is a singer, percussionist, multi-instrumentalist and DJ. She has
been a musician for nearly 15 years, and her electronic DJ project, Jerus Nazdaq, has been active for
seven of those years.
She is a founding member and leader of the band Maria Bonita & The Band and co-
founding member of Maracatu Mar Aberto. Her DJ project, has been presented by several promoters
and electronic festivals based in Toronto and the area, including SUMA, Promise, CirQlar, OM
Reunion Project and the Eclipse Festival in Quebec.
As a musician, she has performed for and volunteered with other organizations such as the
Fedora Upside Down collective and the Uma Nota event series for their annual festival. In addition,
she organized and promoted the PSK Collective Day, a community party based in Kensington Market,
and she was a core participating DJ at the monthly Bass Culture events in Toronto.
Bass Culture is a community based music project focused on featuring local Electronic DJ/Producer
talent, striving to promote artists and help them achieve their full potential by creating quality
events that allow talented artists to perform and create an online community to spread the message
and showcase what we do globally. She is an electronic DJ with varying styles ranging from dubstep,
techno, reggae, and complete mash-ups often tinged with a certain tropical flavour. She often
produces her own tracks taking elements from just about anywhere. She has played diverse parties
such as Cherry Bomb, the Brazil Film Fest opening, etc. She also performed as a DJ at the Canadian
New Media Awards for two years (2010 and 2011).
As a singer and instrumentalist she was the Maria in Maria Bonita & The Band, a rootsy
forró band that created some waves in the Toronto community. She participated in the preparation
of the Maria Bonita and The Band project, which presented a workshop for high school kids in 2012
at Massey Hall for the Share the Music foundation.
She was an active leader in the Fedora Upside Down Collective alongside the likes of the
Lemon Bucket Orkestra and Freeman Dre & the Kitchen Party. She also regularly moonlighted
singing and playing with Maracatu Mar Aberto. All of this and as a solo guitar and voice act; she
fluttered many hearts around town.
Jerusa also conducts folkloric northeastern Brazilian anthropology, music and culture
workshops with Maria Bonita and The Band, for people who enjoy Brazilian culture, promoting a
cultural exchange between these two nations.
::Projects::

2. Jerusa Leão ! jerus nazdaq
jerusaleao@yahoo.com
! www.mariabonitaband.com !facebook/jerusnazdaq
! musician / singer / percussionist / artistic director ! Dj/producer !promoter !community member
Maracatu Mar Aberto - 2009
Maria Bonita & The Band - 2010
Fedora Upside Down Collective - 2010
Bass Culture Toronto - 2011
Opa Night - 2012
PSK Collective Day - 2012
It’s Just a Shot Away Project [Exchange of Afro Indigenous Brazilian Audiovisual Media, Brazil to
Canada]
Maria Bonita Boutique Coffee Shop & Art, Music Space
::Events/ Festivals/ Workshops::
TFAC [Trans Feminist Action Caucus] Party - 2009
Cherry Bomb Toronto - 2009/2010/2011
Brazilian Heat – 2010
BassGator - 2010
Canadian New Media Awards – 2010/11
Octave Party – 2011
Brazil Fest - 2011
Brazilian Day - 2011
Stop the Belo Monte [fundraiser Amazon Party] – 2011
BlackOut Anniversary Party – 2010/11
Harvest Festival - 2011
Om Reunion Project - 2010/11
Eclipse Festival Quebec - 2012
Small Word Festival - 2012
Hillside Festival - 2012
Uma Nota Festival - 2012
Mutathis Festival - 2012
Fedora Upside Down Festival 2011/12
Cherry Beach Sundays - 2012
Fedora Upside Down Thursday’s night at Cameron House
Push it Pride Toronto – 2012
Brazil Film Fest After Party - 2012
Kosmic Feelings - 2012
Cirqlar & Cherry Bomb Party - 2012
Cirqlar New Eve’s - 2012
Aline Morales, Quique Escamilla, Dj Jerus@Lula Lounge - 2012
Block Party Kensington Market - 2012

3. Jerusa Leão ! jerus nazdaq
jerusaleao@yahoo.com
! www.mariabonitaband.com !facebook/jerusnazdaq
! musician / singer / percussionist / artistic director ! Dj/producer !promoter !community member
FDU Masquerade – 2012
Maracatu Baque de Bamba 3th Anniversary - 2012
Tropicalia The Free People - 2012
New Tradition – Island Music and Art Festival – 2012
Alley Community Ossiginton Party
Cabbage Town Parade – 2012
VYGA [Brazilian Collective Artist Party] - 2012
::Events and Collectives::
Fedora Upside down 2011/2012
Bass Culture Toronto – 2011/12
Opa Night - 2012
PSK Collective Day [Kensington Market community party] - 2012
Afe Maria Nights, Forró on Mondays 2012
::Selected Discography::
Fedora Upside Down Collection – 2011
[Bate Coração - Maria Bonita & The Band,
Minha guia – Maracatu Mar Aberto]
Fedora Upside Down Collection - 2012
[Forró do 7 dia – Maria Bonita & The Band]
::Awards and Nominations::
Official Invitation for Popular Music grant program from Ontario Arts Council Music - 2013
::Films / Documentary::
The Foreigner - 2012
Lemon Bucket Orchestra Video Clip - 2012
Mark Marczyk Short Film – 2012
Toronto's national anthem Video - The GridTO - 2012 - As part of our "Welcome to the Republic of
Toronto" – 2012
Jerusa Leão Resume - jerusaleao@yahoo.com