Bossa Nova is a genre that many people overlook, and I feel that it shouldn't be this way. Many people reduce Bossa Nova to just "elevator music", which undermines the actual history of what the genre actually is. Bossa Nova originates by the end of the 1950s in Rio de Janeiro, mixing the influences of samba, jazz, and traditional Brazillian sound all in one, impeccable harmony. There's many debates on who started the genre, with people like Tom Jobim, João Donato, João Gilberto, Nara Leão, and Roberto Menescal taking certain credit for creating the genre. At the time in Brazil's history, the country was facing economic growth that was never seen after the end of World War II, with Brazil's need to modernize many aspects of its culture. The mainstream genre at the time, "samba-canção", was at its peak, with people like Angela Maria, Nelson Gonçalves, Maysa, etc. taking ahold of a genre with elements of traditional Latin boleros and samba. With the national need to modernize and appeal internationally, Bossa Nova became the answer the government at the time wanted to solve. This genre was internationally recognized and honored by various countries, such as the U.S. and Japan, who in turn influenced many styles of music in their respective countries in turn. It represented the traditional and modern part of Brazil, the energetic samba elements with a clean jazz undertone. The biggest year for Bossa Nova was in 1964, with the introduction of "Garota da Ipanema" or "Girl from Ipanema" by Astrud Gilberto, which is pretty much the flagship bossa nova song people know and love to this day. The song was acclaimed across the globe, giving Brazil the international recognition it deserved.