Daniela Mercury
Encyclopedia
Daniela Mercury is a Latin Grammy Award-winning Brazil
ian axé
, samba-reggae and MPB
singer, songwriter
and record producer
. Since her breakthrough, Mercury has become one of the best known Brazilian female singers, selling over 20 million albums worldwide. She is also the Brazilian female performer with most #1 hits in the country, with 14.
, Bahia
. Her mother is Liliana Mercuri, a social worker of Italian ancestry, and her father is António Fernando de Abreu Ferreira de Almeida, a Portuguese-born industrial mechanic. Mercury grew up in a middle class
household in the Brotas
neighborhood of Salvador with her four siblings: Tom, Cristiana, Vânia (who would also become a singer, billed as Vânia Abreu), and Marcos. A trouble-maker as a child, Mercury was nicknamed "drip-fire". She attended both the Ana Néri School and the Colégio Baiano.
When Mercury was eight years old, she began taking dance lessons, particularly learning classical ballet
, jazz
and African dances. At age 13, influenced by the work of Elis Regina
, she decided to become a singer. Her repertoire consisted of bossa nova
as well as the music of Caetano Veloso
, Gilberto Gil
, and Chico Buarque
. To the unease of her parents, she started singing in local bars, beginning in 1980. She made her trio elétrico
debut soon afterward, during the 1981 carnival. Mercury's zeal for dance eventually led her to the Federal University of Bahia
, where she enrolled in the Dance School in 1984 A year later she married the electronic engineer
Zalther Póvoas and became a mother, giving birth to Gabriel Almeida Póvoas. A year after that, she welcomed into the world another child, daughter Giovana Almeida Póvoas.
. In 1989, recorded her first two albums as the lead singer of pop band Companhia Clic. Their songs "Pega que Oh!" and "Ilha das Bananas" became minor hits in Bahia radio stations. As the 1990s began, Mercury decided to pursue a solo career.
, became a number-one hit in Brazil, and the album was soon known as Swing da Cor. Another song from the album, "Menino do Pelô", which also features Olodum, became Mercury's second top-ten hit in Brazil, charting at number four. On the following year, Mercury shut off from the record company and, ever since, produces her own albums to negotiate the distribution of them later with the labels that are interested.
In 1992, Mercury became an independent artist, which means she would start to produce her own albums and sell them to record companies (since then, she has founded a production company called Canto da Cidade and Páginas do Mar, a publishing house). That same year, O Canto da Cidade
was released through Sony. The title track became a number-one hit in Brazil for months. The album gave Mercury the distinction of being the first singer to sell more than two million copies in Brazil. The singles "Batuque", "O Mais Belo dos Belos" and "Você Não Entende Nada" all became number-one hits, while "Só pra te Mostrar", which features Herbert Vianna
, was a top-ten hit.
was released through Sony. The album was received with lukewarm reviews, with some critics complaining about the similarities between this album and its predecessor. Nevertheless, the album was very well received by the public, selling more than one million copies and producing the hits "Música de Rua", "O Reggae e o Mar" (both number-one hits), "Por Amor ao Ilê" (a top-ten hit) and "A Rosa" (top-twenty). This was Mercury's first album to produce singles which have failed to chart.
In 1996, Feijão com Arroz
was released through Sony
. This album was much more well-received by the critics than its predecessor. It is Mercury's most well rated album at Allmusic, with four and a half stars. As of today, Feijão com Arroz is Mercury's second best selling album, behind only O Canto da Cidade. It produced the hits "À Primeira Vista", "Nobre Vagabundo", "Rapunzel" (all number-one hits), "Minas com Bahia" (which features Samuel Rosa
from Skank
and was a top-twenty hit) and "Feijão de Corda" (a top-ten hit).
In 1998, Mercury's first live album, Elétrica was released through Sony. It sold almost half a million copies and produced the top-ten hit "Trio Metal", which charted at number eight.
In 2000, Mercury released her fifth studio album, Sol da Liberdade, through BMG
. The album sold almost a million copies and produced two number-one singles ("Ilê Pérola Negra" and a cover of Antonio Marcus' "Como Vai Você"). The album, which was produced by Suba, was innovative in Mercury's career for its fusion with electronic music
sounds.
The following year, Mercury released Sou de Qualquer Lugar through BMG
. The album sold half of its predecessor, but was able to produce the number-one single "Mutante", a cover of Rita Lee
. In this album, Mercury also experimented with electronic sounds.
In April 2003, Mercuy's second live album, Eletrodoméstico – MTV Live, was released through BMG
. It was recorded on January 23 and 24 of that same year at the Castro Alves Theater in Salvador for MTV Brasil
. It was also released in the DVD format, Mercury's first. Among the artists who performed with the singer were Dulce Pontes
, Rosario Flores
, Jovanotti
, Carlinhos Brown
and Olodum
. The sales were very inferior to Mercury's previous and it only produced one top twenty hit ("Meu Plano").
In 2004, Carnaval Eletrônico was released through BMG
. For the recording of this album, Mercury invited DJs and producers of electronic music in Brazil
, as well as Gilberto Gil
, Carlinhos Brown
, and Lenine. It is a commemorative disc celebrating the five years of her having formed TrioTechno, the first trio elétrico of electronic music in Bahian Carnaval
. The disc received a Latin Grammy nomination for best pop album of the year and Mercury was nominated for a TIM Award for best female pop/rock vocalist. Internet users voted Carnaval Eletrônico the best pop album of the year online in one of Brazil’s most important weekly magazines Revista Isto É.
on both CD and DVD. Recorded from a concert Mercury gave the year before at São Paulo
's Casa de Espetáculo, the album is a sampler of bossa nova
, jazz
, and some of her biggest MPB hits. The record signaled a new phase for Mercury, who chose independence from record companies to gain full control of her work. Mercury was in London
, during the July 7 bombings
.
That same year, Mercury's eighth studio album, Balé Mulato
, was released, but through EMI
. The album was very well received by the critics, with some even saying it was Mercury's best album since Feijão com Arroz
(1996). It was not, however, very well received by the public, with none of the singles being able to chart on the top-ten; a large part due to lack of record company support. The next year, the Latin Grammy Award-winning live version
of Balé Mulato, was released. Daniela Mercury has completed her newest release, Canibália
. Canibalia was launched in October 2009.
Canibália, Daniela Mercury’s latest endeavor, reaches into the future by traveling through the continuum of two significant upheavals that marked Brazilian culture forever: The Brazilian Modernist Movement spawned by the Oswaldo Andrade’s 1928 Manifesto Antropófago, the 1968 Tropicalia Movement launched by Gilberto Gil and Caetano Veloso’s recording Tropicália: ou Panis et Circensis.
Given Daniela Mercury's well known penchant to continuously innovate, it comes as no surprise that she, like her predecessors, would promulgate yet another phase of a passionate and intelligently articulated reinvention of Brazilian popular culture – Canibália. Despite the implied contradictions, Canibália encompasses elements from indigenous, traditional and modern culture as well as the domestic and international musical scenes. Canibália debuts on the 14 tracks of Mercury’s new release entitled–Canibália- an intrinsic Brazilian collection of Pop, Samba, Samba-Bossa, Samba-Reggae, Merengue, Axe and Salsa with a definitive Electronic base that permeates throughout.
The Canibália continuum shall include a series of sound recordings by the Artist and her peers, visual art exhibits, DVD’s and film.
The manifesto argues that based on the premise that the history of Brazil has, as its greatest strength, the power to cannibalize others and simultaneously plays with the idea of cannibalism as a modern primitivism; like a presumed tribal rite.
Cannibalism then, becomes a way for Brazil to reaffirm itself against the cultural domination of Post Colonial Europe.
The iconic phrase of the manifesto “Tupi or not Tupi” is as much a celebration of the Tupinamba, a documented tribe of cannibals, as it is an act of genius cannibalizing Shakespeare’s, “To be or not to be”.
“Canibália is an embrace, a swallow of Tropicália, the Clube da Esquina and everything that has since been created in the arts in Brazil since the – ‘Semana de 22’ [‘Semana de Arte Moderna de 1922 ’-The Week of Modern Art] – I yearn for the liberty that comes from this anthropophagic movement, of the Cannibalist Manifesto by Oswald de Andrade and its practice by Mario [de Andrade), who spoke that these mixtures reinforce our [Brazilian] identity” – Daniela Mercury
and Marieta Severo
. In an interview to Istoé
magazine, Mercury said that "it was a levity what they did, an irresponsibility that caused an uproar in my life and in the lives of both of them".
due to her endorsement of a Ministry of Health
campaign encouraging young people to use condom
s. Church officials feared she would use the occasion to promote the use of condoms.
In 2006, Mercury openly opposed to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
's reelection. This has drawn criticism from other artists, such as Zeca Baleiro
, which accused her of being favored by the late Antônio Carlos Magalhães
, a controversial oligarch
from Bahia (which she denied vehemently). Later that same year, in an interview to Folha de S. Paulo
, Mercury declared she was against reelections in general. She also said to have voted in Lula four times and that she was disappointed "by his first term (...), shocked with all these scandals". However, she said to hope that "Brazil will now have the four years of Lula that we hoped it would be in the first term."
was the first). She is also an ambassador for UNAIDS and UNESCO
. She has performed at Rede Globo
's annual charity Criança Esperança for fifteen consecutive years (1992–2007). She also represents various non-profit organizations including Caravana da Musica which has spawned her own Instituto Sol da Liberdade.
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian axé
Axé music
Axé is a popular music genre originating in Salvador, Bahia, Brazil approximately in 1986, fusing different Afro-Caribbean genres, such as Marcha, Reggae, and Calypso. It also includes influences of Afro-Brazilian music such as Frevo, Forró and Carixada. The most important creator of this music...
, samba-reggae and MPB
Música Popular Brasileira
Música Popular Brasileira or MPB designates a trend in post-Bossa Nova urban popular music. It is not a discrete genre but rather a constellation that combines original songwriting and updated versions of traditional Brazilian urban music styles like samba and samba-canção with contemporary...
singer, songwriter
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
and record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
. Since her breakthrough, Mercury has become one of the best known Brazilian female singers, selling over 20 million albums worldwide. She is also the Brazilian female performer with most #1 hits in the country, with 14.
Early life
Daniela Mercuri de Almeida was born on July 28, 1965, in the Portuguese Hospital in SalvadorSalvador, Bahia
Salvador is the largest city on the northeast coast of Brazil and the capital of the Northeastern Brazilian state of Bahia. Salvador is also known as Brazil's capital of happiness due to its easygoing population and countless popular outdoor parties, including its street carnival. The first...
, Bahia
Bahia
Bahia is one of the 26 states of Brazil, and is located in the northeastern part of the country on the Atlantic coast. It is the fourth most populous Brazilian state after São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro, and the fifth-largest in size...
. Her mother is Liliana Mercuri, a social worker of Italian ancestry, and her father is António Fernando de Abreu Ferreira de Almeida, a Portuguese-born industrial mechanic. Mercury grew up in a middle class
Middle class
The middle class is any class of people in the middle of a societal hierarchy. In Weberian socio-economic terms, the middle class is the broad group of people in contemporary society who fall socio-economically between the working class and upper class....
household in the Brotas
Brotas (neighbourhood)
Brotas is a neighborhood located in the western zone of Salvador, Bahia. When Nordeste Linhas Aéreas Regionais existed, its headquarters were in Brotas....
neighborhood of Salvador with her four siblings: Tom, Cristiana, Vânia (who would also become a singer, billed as Vânia Abreu), and Marcos. A trouble-maker as a child, Mercury was nicknamed "drip-fire". She attended both the Ana Néri School and the Colégio Baiano.
When Mercury was eight years old, she began taking dance lessons, particularly learning classical ballet
Classical ballet
Classical Ballet is the most formal of the ballet styles, it adheres to traditional ballet technique. There are variations relating to area of origin, such as Russian ballet, French ballet, British ballet and Italian ballet...
, jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
and African dances. At age 13, influenced by the work of Elis Regina
Elis Regina
Elis Regina Carvalho Costa, known simply as Elis Regina was an important singer of Brazilian popular music. She became nationally renowned in 1965, after singing Arrastão in the first edition of TV Excelsior festival song contest, and soon joined O Fino da Bossa, a television program on TV Record...
, she decided to become a singer. Her repertoire consisted of bossa nova
Bossa nova
Bossa nova is a style of Brazilian music. Bossa nova acquired a large following in the 1960s, initially consisting of young musicians and college students...
as well as the music of Caetano Veloso
Caetano Veloso
Caetano Emanuel Viana Teles Veloso , better known as Caetano Veloso, is a Brazilian composer, singer, guitarist, writer, and political activist. Veloso first became known for his participation in the Brazilian musical movement Tropicalismo which encompassed theatre, poetry and music in the 1960s,...
, Gilberto Gil
Gilberto Gil
Gilberto Passos Gil Moreira , better known as Gilberto Gil or , is a Brazilian singer, guitarist, and songwriter, known for both his musical innovation and political commitment...
, and Chico Buarque
Chico Buarque
Francisco Buarque de Hollanda , popularly known as Chico Buarque , is a singer, guitarist, composer, dramatist, writer and poet...
. To the unease of her parents, she started singing in local bars, beginning in 1980. She made her trio elétrico
Trio Elétrico
Trio Elétrico is a kind of truck or float equipped with a high power sound system and a music group on the roof, playing for the crowd. It was created in Bahia specifically for Carnival and it is now used in similar events in other districts and countries...
debut soon afterward, during the 1981 carnival. Mercury's zeal for dance eventually led her to the Federal University of Bahia
Universidade Federal da Bahia
The Universidade Federal da Bahia is a public university located mainly in the city of Salvador. The largest university of the State of Bahia, and one of the most prestigious Brazilian universities.Students can study there without having to pay tuition fees, as it is a public university...
, where she enrolled in the Dance School in 1984 A year later she married the electronic engineer
Electronic engineering
Electronics engineering, also referred to as electronic engineering, is an engineering discipline where non-linear and active electrical components such as electron tubes, and semiconductor devices, especially transistors, diodes and integrated circuits, are utilized to design electronic...
Zalther Póvoas and became a mother, giving birth to Gabriel Almeida Póvoas. A year after that, she welcomed into the world another child, daughter Giovana Almeida Póvoas.
Early career (1984-1990)
From 1986 to 1988, Mercury was the lead singer for the band Cheiro de Amor. Mercury continued to pursue a career in music and, by 1988, was a backup singer for Gilberto GilGilberto Gil
Gilberto Passos Gil Moreira , better known as Gilberto Gil or , is a Brazilian singer, guitarist, and songwriter, known for both his musical innovation and political commitment...
. In 1989, recorded her first two albums as the lead singer of pop band Companhia Clic. Their songs "Pega que Oh!" and "Ilha das Bananas" became minor hits in Bahia radio stations. As the 1990s began, Mercury decided to pursue a solo career.
Rise to fame (1991-1993)
Mercury's self-titled debut album was released in 1991 through independent record company Eldorado. The lead single of the album, "Swing da Cor", which features OlodumOlodum
Olodum is a cultural group based in the Afro Brazilian community of Salvador, the capital city of the state of Bahia, Brazil. It was founded by percussionist, Neguinho do Samba....
, became a number-one hit in Brazil, and the album was soon known as Swing da Cor. Another song from the album, "Menino do Pelô", which also features Olodum, became Mercury's second top-ten hit in Brazil, charting at number four. On the following year, Mercury shut off from the record company and, ever since, produces her own albums to negotiate the distribution of them later with the labels that are interested.
In 1992, Mercury became an independent artist, which means she would start to produce her own albums and sell them to record companies (since then, she has founded a production company called Canto da Cidade and Páginas do Mar, a publishing house). That same year, O Canto da Cidade
O Canto da Cidade
O Canto da Cidade is the second album by Brazilian axé/MPB singer Daniela Mercury, released in 1992 in Brazil and on March 23, 1993 in North America and Europe through Sony Music....
was released through Sony. The title track became a number-one hit in Brazil for months. The album gave Mercury the distinction of being the first singer to sell more than two million copies in Brazil. The singles "Batuque", "O Mais Belo dos Belos" and "Você Não Entende Nada" all became number-one hits, while "Só pra te Mostrar", which features Herbert Vianna
Herbert Vianna
Herbert Lemos de Sousa Vianna is a Brazilian singer, songwriter and guitarist mainly known for his work with rock band Os Paralamas do Sucesso.- Biography :...
, was a top-ten hit.
Artistic development (1994-2000)
In 1994, Música de RuaMúsica de Rua
Música de Rua is the third album by Brazilian axé and MPB singer Daniela Mercury, released in 1994 in Brazil and on October 11, 1994 in North America and Europe through Sony Music....
was released through Sony. The album was received with lukewarm reviews, with some critics complaining about the similarities between this album and its predecessor. Nevertheless, the album was very well received by the public, selling more than one million copies and producing the hits "Música de Rua", "O Reggae e o Mar" (both number-one hits), "Por Amor ao Ilê" (a top-ten hit) and "A Rosa" (top-twenty). This was Mercury's first album to produce singles which have failed to chart.
In 1996, Feijão com Arroz
Feijão com Arroz
Feijão com arroz is the fourth album by Daniela Mercury, released in 1996 in Brazil and on January 14, 1997 in North America and Europe through Sony Music....
was released through Sony
Sony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
. This album was much more well-received by the critics than its predecessor. It is Mercury's most well rated album at Allmusic, with four and a half stars. As of today, Feijão com Arroz is Mercury's second best selling album, behind only O Canto da Cidade. It produced the hits "À Primeira Vista", "Nobre Vagabundo", "Rapunzel" (all number-one hits), "Minas com Bahia" (which features Samuel Rosa
Samuel Rosa
Samuel Rosa de Alvarenga is lead singer and guitarist of Brazilian rock band Skank. He has a psychology degree from Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais....
from Skank
Skank (band)
Skank is a Brazilian rock/reggae band, begun in 1991, in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais. , they had sold approximately 5,200,000 copies of their albums...
and was a top-twenty hit) and "Feijão de Corda" (a top-ten hit).
In 1998, Mercury's first live album, Elétrica was released through Sony. It sold almost half a million copies and produced the top-ten hit "Trio Metal", which charted at number eight.
Experimentation with electronica (2000-2004)
BMG
Bertelsmann Music Group, , was a division of Bertelsmann before its completion of sale of the majority of its assets to Japan's Sony Corporation of America on October 1, 2008. It was established in 1987 to combine the music label activities of Bertelsmann...
. The album sold almost a million copies and produced two number-one singles ("Ilê Pérola Negra" and a cover of Antonio Marcus' "Como Vai Você"). The album, which was produced by Suba, was innovative in Mercury's career for its fusion with electronic music
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
sounds.
The following year, Mercury released Sou de Qualquer Lugar through BMG
BMG
Bertelsmann Music Group, , was a division of Bertelsmann before its completion of sale of the majority of its assets to Japan's Sony Corporation of America on October 1, 2008. It was established in 1987 to combine the music label activities of Bertelsmann...
. The album sold half of its predecessor, but was able to produce the number-one single "Mutante", a cover of Rita Lee
Rita Lee
Rita Lee Jones Carvalho , simply known as Rita Lee, is a Brazilian rock singer and composer. Lee continues to be a popular figure in Brazilian entertainment, where she is also known for being an animal rights activist and a vegetarian...
. In this album, Mercury also experimented with electronic sounds.
In April 2003, Mercuy's second live album, Eletrodoméstico – MTV Live, was released through BMG
BMG
Bertelsmann Music Group, , was a division of Bertelsmann before its completion of sale of the majority of its assets to Japan's Sony Corporation of America on October 1, 2008. It was established in 1987 to combine the music label activities of Bertelsmann...
. It was recorded on January 23 and 24 of that same year at the Castro Alves Theater in Salvador for MTV Brasil
MTV Brasil
MTV Brasil is the Brazilian version of MTV, owned by Abril Mídia, the nation's largest magazine publisher, under license from Viacom - owned MTV Networks Latin AmericaMTV Brasil is one of two versions of MTV available in free-to-air terrestrial television...
. It was also released in the DVD format, Mercury's first. Among the artists who performed with the singer were Dulce Pontes
Dulce Pontes
Dulce José Silva Pontes is a Portuguese songwriter and singer who performs in many musical styles, including pop, folk and classical music. She is usually defined as a world music artist...
, Rosario Flores
Rosario Flores
Rosario Flores is a two-time Latin Grammy Award-winning Spanish gypsy singer and actress.She was born in Madrid, Spain as the daughter of Antonio González and Lola Flores. She is the sister of actress Lolita Flores and singer-songwriter Antonio Flores. She has a daughter with her ex boyfriend...
, Jovanotti
Jovanotti
Lorenzo Cherubini, better known as Jovanotti, is an Italian singer-songwriter and rapper.The name Jovanotti derives from the plural form of the Italian word giovanotto , i.e. giovanotti. Lorenzo Cherubini originally auditioned a band with the name "I Giovanotti", but the record producer only was...
, Carlinhos Brown
Carlinhos Brown
Carlinhos Brown is a Brazilian musician from Salvador, Bahia. He was born in Candeal Pequeno, a small neighbourhood in the Brotas area of Salvador de Bahia...
and Olodum
Olodum
Olodum is a cultural group based in the Afro Brazilian community of Salvador, the capital city of the state of Bahia, Brazil. It was founded by percussionist, Neguinho do Samba....
. The sales were very inferior to Mercury's previous and it only produced one top twenty hit ("Meu Plano").
In 2004, Carnaval Eletrônico was released through BMG
BMG
Bertelsmann Music Group, , was a division of Bertelsmann before its completion of sale of the majority of its assets to Japan's Sony Corporation of America on October 1, 2008. It was established in 1987 to combine the music label activities of Bertelsmann...
. For the recording of this album, Mercury invited DJs and producers of electronic music in Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, as well as Gilberto Gil
Gilberto Gil
Gilberto Passos Gil Moreira , better known as Gilberto Gil or , is a Brazilian singer, guitarist, and songwriter, known for both his musical innovation and political commitment...
, Carlinhos Brown
Carlinhos Brown
Carlinhos Brown is a Brazilian musician from Salvador, Bahia. He was born in Candeal Pequeno, a small neighbourhood in the Brotas area of Salvador de Bahia...
, and Lenine. It is a commemorative disc celebrating the five years of her having formed TrioTechno, the first trio elétrico of electronic music in Bahian Carnaval
Bahian Carnaval
Bahian Carnival is a popular street event in the Brazilian state of Bahia. It began to evolve from the gap between social classes - street carnaval vs...
. The disc received a Latin Grammy nomination for best pop album of the year and Mercury was nominated for a TIM Award for best female pop/rock vocalist. Internet users voted Carnaval Eletrônico the best pop album of the year online in one of Brazil’s most important weekly magazines Revista Isto É.
Back to basics (2005-2007)
In 2005, Clássica was released through Som LivreSom Livre
Som Livre is a Brazilian record company that was founded by Rede Globo in 1969 to commercialize its soap opera soundtracks, later expanding to record studio albums....
on both CD and DVD. Recorded from a concert Mercury gave the year before at São Paulo
São Paulo
São Paulo is the largest city in Brazil, the largest city in the southern hemisphere and South America, and the world's seventh largest city by population. The metropolis is anchor to the São Paulo metropolitan area, ranked as the second-most populous metropolitan area in the Americas and among...
's Casa de Espetáculo, the album is a sampler of bossa nova
Bossa nova
Bossa nova is a style of Brazilian music. Bossa nova acquired a large following in the 1960s, initially consisting of young musicians and college students...
, jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, and some of her biggest MPB hits. The record signaled a new phase for Mercury, who chose independence from record companies to gain full control of her work. Mercury was in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, during the July 7 bombings
7 July 2005 London bombings
The 7 July 2005 London bombings were a series of co-ordinated suicide attacks in the United Kingdom, targeting civilians using London's public transport system during the morning rush hour....
.
That same year, Mercury's eighth studio album, Balé Mulato
Balé Mulato
Balé Mulato is the eighth studio album by Brazilian axé/MPB singer Daniela Mercury, released in 2005 in Brazil through EMI...
, was released, but through EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
. The album was very well received by the critics, with some even saying it was Mercury's best album since Feijão com Arroz
Feijão com Arroz
Feijão com arroz is the fourth album by Daniela Mercury, released in 1996 in Brazil and on January 14, 1997 in North America and Europe through Sony Music....
(1996). It was not, however, very well received by the public, with none of the singles being able to chart on the top-ten; a large part due to lack of record company support. The next year, the Latin Grammy Award-winning live version
Balé Mulato - Ao Vivo
Balé Mulato – Ao Vivo is Daniela Mercury's fourth live album, released in Brazil in December 2006 through EMI. The tracks of this album were recorded on September 17, 2006 in Farol da Barra, Salvador, Bahia...
of Balé Mulato, was released. Daniela Mercury has completed her newest release, Canibália
Canibália
Canibália is Daniela Mercury's ninth studio album, released on October 23, 2009 in Brazil by Sony Music. It was released on October 24 in the United States and on October 27 in the European Union...
. Canibalia was launched in October 2009.
Reinventing Popular Culture in the 21st century through Artistic Cannibalism (2010- Present)
Though Canibália was launched in Argentina, Brazil and Portugal in 2009 it is in 2010 that Mercury revs up the ideology of Canibália. Having presented Canibália to over 7,000,000 spectators, by 2011 Mercury sets the bar high releasing Canibália internationally with a major mission:Canibália, Daniela Mercury’s latest endeavor, reaches into the future by traveling through the continuum of two significant upheavals that marked Brazilian culture forever: The Brazilian Modernist Movement spawned by the Oswaldo Andrade’s 1928 Manifesto Antropófago, the 1968 Tropicalia Movement launched by Gilberto Gil and Caetano Veloso’s recording Tropicália: ou Panis et Circensis.
Given Daniela Mercury's well known penchant to continuously innovate, it comes as no surprise that she, like her predecessors, would promulgate yet another phase of a passionate and intelligently articulated reinvention of Brazilian popular culture – Canibália. Despite the implied contradictions, Canibália encompasses elements from indigenous, traditional and modern culture as well as the domestic and international musical scenes. Canibália debuts on the 14 tracks of Mercury’s new release entitled–Canibália- an intrinsic Brazilian collection of Pop, Samba, Samba-Bossa, Samba-Reggae, Merengue, Axe and Salsa with a definitive Electronic base that permeates throughout.
The Canibália continuum shall include a series of sound recordings by the Artist and her peers, visual art exhibits, DVD’s and film.
Historical Context: Manifesto Antropófago [Cannibalist Manifesto]
Jose Oswald de Andrade Souza (1890 –October 1954) was a Brazilian poet and a controversial thinker. Born in Sao Paulo, Andrade was one of the founders of the Brazilian Modernist movement and a member of the Group of Five, including Mário de Andrade, Anita Malfatti, Tarsila do Amaral Oswald de Andrade]. Andrade is recognized by his nationalist, Manifesto Antropofago [Cannibalist Manifesto], published in 1928.The manifesto argues that based on the premise that the history of Brazil has, as its greatest strength, the power to cannibalize others and simultaneously plays with the idea of cannibalism as a modern primitivism; like a presumed tribal rite.
Cannibalism then, becomes a way for Brazil to reaffirm itself against the cultural domination of Post Colonial Europe.
The iconic phrase of the manifesto “Tupi or not Tupi” is as much a celebration of the Tupinamba, a documented tribe of cannibals, as it is an act of genius cannibalizing Shakespeare’s, “To be or not to be”.
“Canibália is an embrace, a swallow of Tropicália, the Clube da Esquina and everything that has since been created in the arts in Brazil since the – ‘Semana de 22’ [‘Semana de Arte Moderna de 1922 ’-The Week of Modern Art] – I yearn for the liberty that comes from this anthropophagic movement, of the Cannibalist Manifesto by Oswald de Andrade and its practice by Mario [de Andrade), who spoke that these mixtures reinforce our [Brazilian] identity” – Daniela Mercury
Personal life
In 1984, at 19, Mercury got married to electronic engineer Zalther Portela Laborda Póvoas, her high school boyfriend. The next year, on September 3, 1985, she gave birth to their first child, Gabriel (who is also a singer and songwriter). The following year, she gave birth to a girl named Giovanna (who is now a dancer in Mercury's ensemble). In 1996, Mercury and Póvoas divorced. That same year, she was pointed by the sensationalist media as the reason for the split between Chico BuarqueChico Buarque
Francisco Buarque de Hollanda , popularly known as Chico Buarque , is a singer, guitarist, composer, dramatist, writer and poet...
and Marieta Severo
Marieta Severo
Marieta Severo da Costa is a Brazilian theater, film and television actress.-Early life:Severo was born on November 2, 1946 in Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro to Luís Antonio Severo da Costa and Lígia Paixão...
. In an interview to Istoé
Istoe
Revista ISTOÉ is a weekly news magazine in Portuguese published in Brazil, roughly the equivalent of the American magazines Time or Newsweek. It is considered one of the four main magazines being published in the country, along with Veja, Época and CartaCapital....
magazine, Mercury said that "it was a levity what they did, an irresponsibility that caused an uproar in my life and in the lives of both of them".
Controversies
At late 2005, Mercury, a devout Catholic, was uninvited from a Christmas concert in the Vatican CityVatican City
Vatican City , or Vatican City State, in Italian officially Stato della Città del Vaticano , which translates literally as State of the City of the Vatican, is a landlocked sovereign city-state whose territory consists of a walled enclave within the city of Rome, Italy. It has an area of...
due to her endorsement of a Ministry of Health
Ministry of Health (Brazil)
The Ministry of Health is one of many the Brazilian federal government ministries.Created on July 25, 1953 as the Ministry of Education and Health , today it is effectively divided into three distinct official organs: Health, Education, and Culture.-External links:*...
campaign encouraging young people to use condom
Condom
A condom is a barrier device most commonly used during sexual intercourse to reduce the probability of pregnancy and spreading sexually transmitted diseases . It is put on a man's erect penis and physically blocks ejaculated semen from entering the body of a sexual partner...
s. Church officials feared she would use the occasion to promote the use of condoms.
In 2006, Mercury openly opposed to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva , known popularly as Lula, served as the 35th President of Brazil from 2003 to 2010.A founding member of the Workers' Party , he ran for President three times unsuccessfully, first in the 1989 election. Lula achieved victory in the 2002 election, and was inaugurated as...
's reelection. This has drawn criticism from other artists, such as Zeca Baleiro
Zeca Baleiro
Zeca Baleiro is a Brazilian MPB artist. One of his most famous songs is "Salão de Beleza", which was featured on Putumayo World Music's Reggae Around the World compilation. Along with being a solo artist, he has also worked with guitarist Pedro Joia....
, which accused her of being favored by the late Antônio Carlos Magalhães
Antônio Carlos Magalhães
Antônio Carlos Peixoto de Magalhães was a Brazilian politician. His paternal grandparents were Portuguese . He served as Governor of Bahia three times and represented Bahia in the Senate of Brazil three times...
, a controversial oligarch
Oligarchy
Oligarchy is a form of power structure in which power effectively rests with an elite class distinguished by royalty, wealth, family ties, commercial, and/or military legitimacy...
from Bahia (which she denied vehemently). Later that same year, in an interview to Folha de S. Paulo
Folha de S. Paulo
Folha de S. Paulo, known simply as Folha , is a Brazilian daily newspaper founded and continuously published in São Paulo since 19 February 1921. Owned by the Frias de Oliveira family since 1962, it has Brazil's largest circulation since 1986. Alongside O Globo and O Estado de S...
, Mercury declared she was against reelections in general. She also said to have voted in Lula four times and that she was disappointed "by his first term (...), shocked with all these scandals". However, she said to hope that "Brazil will now have the four years of Lula that we hoped it would be in the first term."
Philanthropy
Mercury has performed at a large number of charitable events. She is the second Brazilian honored as an ambassador for UNICEF (Renato AragãoRenato Aragão
Antônio Renato Aragão is a Brazilian comedian. He is best known for leading the television series Os Trapalhões.-Biography:...
was the first). She is also an ambassador for UNAIDS and UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
. She has performed at Rede Globo
Rede Globo
Rede Globo , or simply Globo, is a Brazilian television network, launched by media mogul Roberto Marinho on April 26, 1965. It is owned by media conglomerate Organizações Globo, being by far the largest of its holdings...
's annual charity Criança Esperança for fifteen consecutive years (1992–2007). She also represents various non-profit organizations including Caravana da Musica which has spawned her own Instituto Sol da Liberdade.
Videography
| Year | Video | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | "Swing da Cor" (featuring Olodum Olodum Olodum is a cultural group based in the Afro Brazilian community of Salvador, the capital city of the state of Bahia, Brazil. It was founded by percussionist, Neguinho do Samba.... ) |
Daniela Mercury |
| 1992 | "O Canto da Cidade" | O Canto da Cidade |
| "O Mais Belo dos Belos" | ||
| "Batuque" | ||
| 1993 | "Você Não Entende Nada" | |
| "Só Pra te Mostrar" (featuring Herbert Vianna Herbert Vianna Herbert Lemos de Sousa Vianna is a Brazilian singer, songwriter and guitarist mainly known for his work with rock band Os Paralamas do Sucesso.- Biography :... ) |
||
| 1994 | "Música de Rua" | Música de Rua |
| "O Reggae e o Mar" | ||
| 1997 | "Nobre Vagabundo" | Feijão com Arroz |
| "Rapunzel" | ||
| "Feijão de Corda" | ||
| 1998 | "Trio Metal" | Elétrica - Ao Vivo |
| 2000 | "Ilê Pérola Negra" | Sol da Liberdade |
| "Santa Helena" | ||
| 2001 | "Beat Lamento" | Sou de Qualquer Lugar |
| 2002 | "Mutante" | |
| 2003 | "Dona da Banca" | MTV Ao Vivo - Eletrodoméstico |
| "Meu Plano" | ||
| 2004 | "Maimbê Dandá" (featuring Carlinhos Brown Carlinhos Brown Carlinhos Brown is a Brazilian musician from Salvador, Bahia. He was born in Candeal Pequeno, a small neighbourhood in the Brotas area of Salvador de Bahia... ) |
Carnaval Eletrônico |
| 2005 | "Aeromoça" | Clássica |
| "Sua Estupidez" | ||
| "Topo do Mundo" | Balé Mulato | |
| "Levada Brasileira" | ||
| 2006 | "Quero a Felicidade" (featuring Jammil e Uma Noites) | Balé Mulato - Ao Vivo |
| "Toneladas de Amor" | ||
| 2009 | "Oyá Por Nós" (featuring Margareth Menezes Margareth Menezes Margareth Menezes is a Brazilian singer from Salvador, Bahia.Her style is considered axé but her music also steers into samba and MPB territory, at times drawing on African rhythms and reggae.... ) |
Canibália Canibália Canibália is Daniela Mercury's ninth studio album, released on October 23, 2009 in Brazil by Sony Music. It was released on October 24 in the United States and on October 27 in the European Union... |
| 2010 | "É Carnaval" | Canibália: Ritmos do Brasil |