Costa's career took off when he recorded his successful debut album
Suite Três Rios in
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, whose name and concept were inspired by the confluence of rivers in the Amazon as well as the country's rhythmic diversity. It won a silver medal at the Global Music Awards and was considered one of the best albums of 2016 by
DownBeat. Critic
Carlo Wolff praised the artist for melodic sensibility, concluding that "the thoroughly cosmopolitan, classically trained Costa has delivered a finely crafted album".
All About Jazz underlined the historical dimension of the album, stating that "Brazilian jazz, like its American counterpart, has fondly remembered its roots as it unabashedly moves forward." The release was also among the best-selling albums on the
iTunes Portugal Chart and peaked at number 5 on the Roots Music Report Jazz Chart in the United States while the track
Bossa Nova (feat. Leila Pinheiro) was Top 10 on the Jazz Song Chart. He collaborated with
Jaques Morelenbaum,
Leila Pinheiro,
Marcos Suzano, Ricardo Silveira, Rafael Barata and
Jan Erik Kongshaug, amongst others. He recorded his second album
Skyness at Arte Suono, Italy, in 2018 featuring
Nelson Faria,
Roberto Menescal,
Romero Lubambo,
Seamus Blake, Custodio Castelo, Jorge Helder and Teco Cardoso. Former editor of the journal of the
British Music Society Jonathan Woolf wrote that the album offered further evidence of Costa's "highly accomplished pianism and of the fruitful musical associations he has made", adding that it was "an enjoyable, life-affirming and finely recorded album." Deemed "rare and luxurious" by
All About Jazz, and featured in a documentary by Radio Monte-Carlo in Milan, Italy.
World Music Report's Raul da Gama considered him "deeply gifted" as the album displayed "some of the finest piano music you might ever hear." Costa took the album on a tour which included Italy, Portugal, Cyprus, Brazil, Malta, Spain, Turkey, Greece, Armenia, Lebanon and Egypt, where he was featured by
Al-Arab, which considered his music a message of love and intercultural communication. He also toured Northern India, where he was featured and interviewed by
Rolling Stone, while
India Today in
Delhi wrote that he "took the packed venue by storm." During the tour, he did masterclasses at schools such as Berklee partner Global Music Institute. In 2020 Costa recorded
Love Dance in
Lisbon with one of the song's creators,
Ivan Lins.
Jazziz Magazine wrote that the recording was "rich with feeling and understated virtuosity," adding that "the song is something of a modern standard, with definitive versions recorded by
George Benson and
Sarah Vaughan; this take surely belongs beside them." He released his first live and solo piano album,
Live in California, which was praised for "profound expression" by
Jazziz Magazine and came in second on Roots Music Report's Top Latin Jazz Album for the year of 2020 Chart. Jonathan Woolf commended Costa for playing "in great style with just the right kind of clarity of articulation allied to sensitivity of purpose" and highlighted his lyricism, enveloping warmth and colour. In 2022, Costa rereleased his track
Iremia as a message of peace, featuring trumpeter
Randy Brecker. According to
Jazziz Magazine, "although they're separated by 44 years and thousands of miles, Costa and Brecker share a rapport that truly elicits the song's warmth and humanity." He also recorded his album
Beams in New York City with
John Patitucci,
Mike Stern,
Dave Douglas,
Hermeto Pascoal,
Dave Liebman and other musicians. It won a gold medal at the Global Music Awards. In an interview for
Musica Jazz, Costa talked about
Beams as a celebration of light in physical and metaphysical forms, nature as a major source of inspiration and the use of harmonic colour to express life experiences. In the liner notes, Randy Brecker praised the interactions between the musicians and the intricacy of the compositions, concluding that the album consists of "lovely, heartfelt emotional music".
All About Jazz stated that
Beams displayed "some of the best atmospheric jazz you are likely to hear in 2023. Or any year." His track about childhood,
Acalantando, was among the best of the year for
Süddeutsche Zeitung. Costa toured Europe, Southeast Asia and Australasia, where he was featured by
Otago Daily Times. He did masterclasses as a guest lecturer at institutions such as
Mahidol University,
Monash University,
Australian National University,
University of Auckland, and
Victoria University of Wellington. In 2024, Costa took his music to Mexico, inviting local musicians to celebrate and interact with indigenous forms of expression. He also toured Europe, Southeast Asia and Australasia for the second time. In an interview for
Otago Daily Times, he spoke of music as a message and underlined its ability to raise awareness of animal welfare, peace and human rights. He recalled his collaborations on tour with
world music instruments such as Indian
sarod, Syrian vocals and Kazakh
dombra, underlining his respect for local traditions. He did masterclasses at institutions such as
Canadian International School (Singapore),
University of New South Wales and
Elizabeth College (Hobart), and was featured by media outlets such as
Seven News,
Berliner Zeitung and
Bangkok Post. Considered "a voice for the voiceless", his track
Paw Prints was used by global organisation
Four Paws in support of animal welfare while
Encaminho was one of the most popular jazz songs of 2024 for
All About Jazz. During his tour of the British Isles in 2025, he was a guest lecturer at the
Royal Academy of Music, the
Royal Northern College of Music and the
Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts, while his tour of Southeastern Europe included interviews for
Radio Romania and Jazz FM 100.8 Skopje in
North Macedonia. His music has also been included in instructional material. == Personal life ==