RIO DE JANEIRO - In a Rio swim shop, next to the bar, you can find Heloísa Eneida Paes Pinto -- better known as Heloísa Pinheiro the real girl from Ipanema.Yes, the one who inspired the classic song.
It all began in 1962, when Pinheiro was just 17 years old.
Every day, she walked to the neighborhood bar in Ipanema to buy cigarettes for her mom when one day, she was spotted by two men.
"They were whistling at me, saying, 'Hey, look over here,'" she said, "but I was too shy to even turn my face."
It turns out, the two men were Antonio Carlos Jobim and Vinicius de Moraes.
Pinheiro never thought that chance encounter would turn into one of the greatest bossa nova songs of all time.
"Two important composers here in Brazil -- Antonio and Vinicius," she said. "They composed it to me as a gift."
And what a gift.
Two years later, the song exploded, winning a Grammy for record of the year in 1965, topping the charts worldwide and cementing itself as part of Brazil's cultural history forever.
Pinheiro became a celebrity in her country, modeling and doing magazine covers.
She also became a businesswoman, opening her own store. But she will be forever known as the true girl from Ipanema, something she's never taken for granted and something that means so much to her.
"I am so proud of the song," she said, "and and I wear it with pride."
