Why The Brazilian Singer Is At A Disadvantage

As sweet as a by-Skype song from Seu Jorge is, it doesn’t exactly translate to print. So, instead, here’s what he said pre-performance: “When I was a kid in the ‘80s, I didn’t speak any English. But I heard American music – [sings] ‘Isn’t she lovely? Isn’t she wonderful?’ – and I fell in love with the melody and would hum those songs. So, now, I have a dream. Other people out there have an advantage over me because they’re singing in English, I’m singing in Portuguese, so the only thing I have is the melody. If you make great melodies, you can capture people. Great melodies make miracles.”

"If you make great melodies, you can capture people. Great melodies make miracles.”

Jorge’s gift for melody first became familiar to foreign audiences with his performance in Wes Anderson’s 2004 film, The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou, in which he played a suite of David Bowie covers in Portuguese, this turn arriving just as Fernando Mereilles’ City Of God, in which Jorge starred, was nominated for four Oscars. Since then, Jorge has existed as a global ambassador of Brazilian music, sometimes feeling like a curiosity: “I hear that all the time: that I’m exotic. I think just because I’m black, but I’m not singing hip hop or R&B; I’m singing blues from the favela.”

But the racket has its perks, like performing at the closing ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics. “When I’m thinking about making the great performance and singing good and making the Queen love me, I’m just thinking of representing Brazil!” Jorge explains. “It’s such a crazy thing, man. The Queen is there! David Beckham is there! Pelé is there! And I have to – with my voice, with my guitar, with my playing – represent to all the people in the world how beautiful the Brazilian music is.”

Rio de Janeiro, where Jorge grew up, will see The Olympics in 2016. Jorge’s music was used to promote US TV coverage of the football and his own experience, as a fan, was joyous. Well, up to a point. “Before the event, people were worrying so much, were so sure things were going to go wrong. But once the event started, everything was amazing! The matches are amazing, the parties are everywhere. Everything was great, no problem, no trouble. The worst thing that happened, by far, was 7-1, Germany vs Brazil. That’s the worst thing that could possibly happen in Brazil.”