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Caetano Veloso
Helping create Tropicália, which mixed Brazilian song with rock and avant-garde experimentation.
Alegria, Alegria · Tropicália: ou Panis et Circencis
- Born
- 7 August 1942
- Birthplace
- Santo Amaro, Brazil
More people
Caetano Veloso
Caetano Veloso is a Brazilian singer and songwriter whose work combines lyrical intimacy, musical experimentation and resistance to authoritarianism.
Early life
Bahian childhood
Grew up in Santo Amaro in a large family; his sister Maria Bethânia also became a singer.
Musical influence
João Gilberto's bossa nova helped shape his approach to singing and composition.
Career
- 1965
Professional beginnings
Moved to Rio de Janeiro as his recording career developed.
- 1967–1968
Tropicália
Helped bring electric instruments and international influences into Brazilian popular music.
- 1969–1972
London exile
Lived abroad after imprisonment under Brazil's military dictatorship.
- 1972 onward
Return and expansion
Resumed his Brazilian career while recording and touring internationally.
Selected work
Alegria, Alegria
A festival performance backed by electric guitars challenged musical expectations.
Tropicália: ou Panis et Circencis
Collaborative album that became a manifesto for the movement.
Transa
An album shaped by exile and encounters between Brazilian and British music.
Beyond music
Imprisonment
He and Gilberto Gil were detained by the military regime before leaving Brazil.
Writing
Explored Brazilian music and politics in the memoir Verdade Tropical, published in 1997.
Sources & photo credit
Life, career and references ↗Latin Recording Academy: Caetano Veloso ↗Photo: Secretaría de Cultura Ciudad de México from México. CC BY 2.0 · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
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