Son of samba music dilettante Oswaldo 'Melodia' (whose epithet he took on as a stage name), Melodia grew up on a "morro" (a slum that stretches over a hillside, typical of Rio de Janeiro) in the Estácio district—often referred to as the 'Birthplace cradle of Samba'. Melodia's first LP record, "Pérola negra" ("Black Pearl"), was released in 1973. He married fellow singer-songwriter and record producer Jane Reis, a Bahia native, in 1977; their only son, rapper Mahal Reis, was born in 1980. Melodia had another son, Iran, from a previous relationship.