The five best modern Brazilian musician

(Credits: Far Out / Press)

Thu 30 January 2025 22:00, UK

Modern music from Brazil refuses to be confined to traditional genre categorisations and common stylistic choices. On the contrary, artists who are making waves both at home and abroad consistently fuse polarising ideas together and draw on an amalgamation of varying influences, resulting in a deeply rich music scene.

Brazil undoubtedly boasts a distinctive musical heritage and has graced the world with iconic styles that have resulted in the global prominence of countless movements and subcultures. Samba and bossa nova are among the most well-known, though many others, like pagode and tropicália, continue to impact new artists today.

The latter is arguably the most important for this article. Tropicália dates back to the 1960s, forming at a time when Brazil was under a military dictatorship that committed human rights abuses and enforced media censorship. It encompassed a musical direction as well as visual arts, with early works created by Hélio Oiticica and shown in exhibitions across Rio de Janeiro. Sonically, the music was characterised by a fusion of traditional Brazilian bossa nova and samba rhythms with guitar tones and techniques lifted from Western rock and roll.

All the wonderful music mentioned below includes Brazilian Portuguese, which in itself ensures a distinctive feel. The language is similar to that spoken in Europe, although some vocabulary is not the same, and the pronunciation is almost entirely different.

Five essential contemporary Brazilian artists:

5. ÀVUÀ – Percorrer Em Nós (2022)

Bruna Black and Jota.pê put their solo projects on hold in 2019 to form ÀVUÀ. After testing the waters with several singles and performing a Colors show, the duo released an album in 2022 titled Percorrer Em Nós, which translates to ‘Walk Through Us’. The style is immediately set with the two vocalists singing in perfect harmony before they are joined by acoustic guitar and percussion, which provides a counter rhythm to the vocals and transports the song in a completely new direction.

Twists and turns of rhythm and melody are a recurring theme throughout the album. On the final track, ‘Teu Lar’, the verses are kept straight with accents on two and four, while the pre-choruses are swung with a triplet feel. Yet despite the complexity, Percorrer Em Nós feels like a pop album full of unexpected details and flourishes.

4. Bruno Berle – No Reino Dos Afetos 2 (2024)

Bruno Berle has a knack for writing a hook. Not just another lo-fi indie record, No Reino Dos Afetos 2 blends 1970s synths and breakbeats with jazzy piano runs and gentle, soothing vocals. A soft instrumental palette cleanser titled ‘Sonho’ is placed at the heart of the album, bringing a fresh wave of calm and creating space for what is perhaps Berle’s stand-out vocal performance on ‘É Só Você Chegar’.

The heavy use of autotune on the vocals in the second half of the album may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but critics may be won over by the organic feel of the closing track, ‘Tirolirole’. The waltzing swing of acoustic drums and infectious call-and-response chorus make it another album highlight. Funnily enough, No Reino Dos Afetos 2 has been released on London-based indie label Far Out Recordings.

3. Rogê – Curyman II (2024)

Rogê, the moniker of Roger José Cury, crafted his personal blend of samba and Música Popular Brasileira (Brazilian pop music) while playing the dancehalls and bars of Lapa – a central neighbourhood in Rio de Janeiro. He has steadily built a considerable body of work since his first album in 2003, releasing a further nine albums, two of which were collaborations with samba artist Arlindo Cruz and Seu Jorge – the actor who played ‘Knockout Ned’ in the iconic 2002 film Cidade de Deus.

Cury has aptly named his latest offering Curyman II, following on from the 2023 release Curyman. The new album is undeniably his most cohesive and polished to date. Fingerpicking on acoustic guitars is joined by wide string arrangements, tight rimshot drums, and numerous layers of miscellaneous percussive clicks and clacks, shakes and rattles. Cury’s vocals are backed by a collection of other voices to add depth and flavour, while a trilling flute makes the occasional brief appearance to bring yet more melodic interest.

2. Dora Morelenbaum – Pique (2024)

Fusing elements of disco, jazz and R&B with Música Popular Brasileira, Dora Morelenbaum’s debut album Pique carves a new space in modern Brazilian music and signals a notable step-up in production and songwriting when compared to her 2021 three-track EP Vento de Beirada. A silky Rhodes piano is met by a vibrant brass section, smooth funk bass lines, offbeat clean rhythm guitar, and ultra-tight drums that are mostly content to sit in the pocket with the exception of the intensely frantic shuffle on ‘Sim, Não’ and the short bebop jam ‘VW BLUE’.

Sudden changes in tempo or time signature show confidence in musicality and feel purposeful without detracting from the flow. Morelenbaum’s buttery, soulful vocals are the cherry on top, with improvised vocal interludes placed alongside carefully thought-out pop choruses.

Pique was co-produced by multi-instrumentalist and poet Ana Frango Elétrico. Backing vocals are provided by Morelenbaum’s parents, Paula and Jaques Morelenbaum. Alongside her solo work, Morelenbaum plays guitar and sings in a four-piece band called Bala Desejo, the members of which also feature on Pique.

1. Tim Bernardes – Mil Coisas Invisíveis (2022)

Before starting his solo career, Tim Bernardes released four albums with O Terno – a three-piece band hailing from São Paulo that lists The Beatles and The Kinks among their influences. He is the lead singer and songwriter, plays piano and guitar, and also composes and arranges all orchestral elements. The band gained some traction in the Tropicália scene in Brazil, but with little success outside of the country, they recently announced an indefinite hiatus.

Following the release of O Terno’s third album, Bernardes made his first solo foray in 2017 with Recomeçar. The album signified a subtle sonic shift towards orchestral folk, swapping traditional rock song arrangements and structures for sprawling pieces of music.

Mil Coisas Invisíveis, translating to ‘A Thousand Invisible Things’, is Bernardes’ second full-length album. It rolls between playful songs full of bouncy brass and bass lines and the more sombre, sparse ballads that are coloured by rich string arrangements and careful dynamic percussion. Bernardes’ clean vocal is the only constant and slices through the mix to land front and centre. There is an innate sorrowfulness to his tone and delivery even during the whimsical ‘A Balada de Tim Bernardes’, which bops along to the accents of the acoustic guitar on beats two and four.

The album is perhaps at its most compelling when Bernardes strips away the instrumentation to leave his voice bare and on display. In ‘Mesmo Se Você Não Vê’, the album closer, a simple acoustic guitar lulls lazily away while the vocal, which has been recorded with Bernardes up close to the microphone, weaves a path through delicate high notes and warm, resonant low notes. It is a masterclass in conjuring intimacy.

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