Musica Popular Brasileira in the 60’s but make it queer (it always was). I grew up listening to Brazilian popular music but it wasn’t until later in life that I learned many of my favorite artists like Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil, and Adriana Calcanhotto were queer. I personally found it affirming and inspiring, so I wrote about a handful of artists, specifically during the 1960s-70s during Brazil’s military dictatorship.

Brazil has had an oppressive history and it’s still the country with the largest number of LGBTTTIQ people murdered in the world. These stories are important and should be told because they speak to the struggle and erasure queer people still face today. Music has been a powerful tool of political resistance and continues to be today. My hope is that the history and music of these queer Brazilian artists can provide visibility and solidarity to queer people around the world.

MPB (Popular Brazilian Music) as a genre began around 1930 as a mix of samba and bossa nova, and used percussive and small string instruments to create aa sound eclectically shaped by indigenous, african, and european culture due to colonization. But the term “MPB” really took on its own name in the 1960’s as it was lyrically and musically influenced by another political struggle.

In 1964, a military coup took power over Brazil and ruled as a dictatorship for 21 years. Along with its violent pursuits, this military regime marginalized artists for anything deemed offensive or that challenged their restrictive status quo. Artists were censured, imprisoned, tortured, and exiled for reasons ranging from androgynous aesthetics to subtle criticism of the military, or even writing lyrics with incorrect grammar. Artists banded together and resisted, continuing to create music that both told the story of and influenced Brazilian culture.

My hope is that this little bio zine is queer affirming, brings light to Brazilian history and maybe opens someone up to new music!