 Dalva left the orphanage due to an illness, and went to live with her mother in the city of São Paulo.In 1933, while still a teenager, Dalva began working as a singer, touring (together with her mother) with a group led by Antônio Zovetti.Thereafter, Dalva spent a year as a regularly featured singer on Rádio Mineira in the state of Minas Gerais.