Her albums of sultry, sunny bossa nova and pop have beguiled and seduced millions of listeners. But, woken by The Japan Times after a meager few hours' sleep, Brazilian singer Bebel Gilberto is struggling to put on a brave face.
"This is my last day off, and my dear friend Hanna booked this interview for 11 o'clock and she knows I'm not a morning person," she explains groggily over the phone from Rio de Janeiro.
"I was with my dad until 5 o'clock in the morning. I slept for four hours. My whole family, we are really (huge yawn) into staying up late."