Ivete Sangalo talks about performing, her son and more

"I am calling from paradise," husky voiced singer Ivete Sangalo said when she phoned from her weekend home in Bahia, a large state on the eastern side of Brazil.

It was a rare moment of peace and quiet for the 38-year-old South American superstar who has sold out concerts all over the world.

When she's not out on the road, singing high-energy, upbeat, samba-flavored pop tunes while prancing about the stage like a young Mick Jagger and going through multiple costume changes, she's at home bringing up her 10-month-old son Marcelo.

Here's how she addresses the issues of her song choices and her little boy.

"I hate to sing about sadness, about being weak," Sangalo said. "I just sing about love and happiness. I never sing about, 'Oh, I'm suffering, oh, I'm gonna leave you, oh, it's raining.' I hate bad feelings. My songs are what I am. I'm a very happy, positive person.

"And I have my baby now. I'm really, really happy, but my life has changed a lot. I used to wake up at 2 p.m. Now I wake up at 5 a.m. I've been very tired every day because I want to be a great mom to him."

For as long as she can remember, she also wanted to sing. Not necessarily as a career, but because it was just something that was a big part of her life.

"I grew up in a family of musicians," she said. "But they weren't professional. My daddy used to play guitar at home, and mom used to sing, every day. My older sister plays really good guitar. All of my brothers play different instruments. I play acoustic guitar and drums and percussion."

And she can sing up a storm, reaching deep down inside, belting out the words, then turning around and crooning a beautiful ballad. She started in the family living room, but moved to small bars and restaurants in Bahia, finding a way to earn family money with her voice as a teenager when her father died.

"Soon after, I met a guy who said I was a great singer, and invited me to be part of his band," she recalled. "I needed money and I needed a profession, so I thought, 'I can do this."'

That was in 1993, and the group was called Banda Eva, one of the most successful musical stories of Brazil. Sangalo lasted as lead singer, on six albums, till 1999 when she headed out as a solo artist.

"I had a great time with the band, and I learned how to work with music, how to produce my songs," she said. "But the rest of the band stopped learning. I used to look around at new songs, new musicians, but they didn't. So I knew it was time to go."

Seven albums followed, all of them earning either gold or platinum status, and Sangalo is at a point in her career where pretty much every member of her audience knows every word of her songs.

"I need that," she admitted. "I need the audience singing with me, responding to me. The audience gives me a kind of magical energy."

Well, the audience along with a strict exercise regimen.

"I work out every day," she said proudly. "It's not about (being in) shape, it's about energy, and I can't have energy without exercise. I run, I ride a bike, I do muscle training. It's part of my job. I have to put it all together - songs, rehearsal, workout, everything."

Though her upcoming show in Worcester, Mass., will be a full-throttle arena presentation, brimming with musicians and dancers and lights and props - and, of course, all of those costume changes - Sangalo is calling it kind of a dress rehearsal for her soon-to-follow first appearance at Madison Square Garden.

"I have nine new songs," she said. "We've already been rehearsing the show for five months, and we'll try some of them in Worcester."

She explained that she had mixed feelings about doing all of them.

"There's such a big Brazilian community there," she said. "I couldn't imagine how it would be if I came to make them happy but then suddenly started to sing songs that they didn't know. So I will sing the most famous songs I have, and then show them some new ones. But I won't do all nine. I'll just try a few."