Cazuza
Encyclopedia
Agenor Miranda Araújo Neto, better known as Cazuza (kaˈzuzɐ; 4 April 1958 – 7 July 1990) was a Brazilian composer
and singer, born in Rio de Janeiro
. Along with Raul Seixas
, Renato Russo
and Os Mutantes
, Cazuza is considered one of the best exponents of Brazilian rock
music.
, Lupicinio Rodrigues
, Dolores Durán, and Maysa. He began to write lyrics and poems around 1965. In late 1974, a vacation in London
, England, acquainted him with the music of Led Zeppelin
, Janis Joplin
, and the Rolling Stones, and he soon became a great fan. Cazuza enrolled in college in 1978, but abandoned the course of journalism
three weeks later to work with his father at Som Livre. He moved later to San Francisco, where he came in contact with Beat literature
, becoming highly influenced by it.
. With this very successful eighties Brazilian rock
band, who had their greatest success with "Bete Balanço", a song that was part of the soundtrack of a film, Cazuza began his career as a singer. In 1985, Cazuza took part in Rock in Rio
with Barão Vermelho
, and around this time, Caetano Veloso
claimed he was the greatest Brazilian poet of his generation. It was also in this same year that Cazuza was infected with the AIDS
virus, precipitating his desire to leave the band in order to obtain a greater freedom in composition and expression, both musically and lyrically.
in songs such as "Blues da Piedade" (Blues of Compassion), "Só as mães são felizes" (Only Mothers Are Happy) and "Balada da Esplanada" (Ballad of the Esplanade), which was based on a poem of the same name by Oswald de Andrade
; showcasing increasingly intimate lyrics, like those in "Só se for a Dois" (Only If It Will Be as a Couple), as well as opening itself up to influences from Brazilian pop music with interpretations of Cartola's
"O Mundo é um Moinho", Raul Seixas's
"Cavalos Calados" (Silent Horses) and Caetano Veloso's
"Esse Cara" (This Guy).
Contrary to what usually happens once an artist leaves a band that has made them famous, Cazuza's solo career proved to be more successful than that of his former group. "Exagerado" (Exaggerated), "O Tempo não Pára" (Time Doesn't Stop), and "Ideologia" (Ideology) were his greatest hits and proved to be a great influence on subsequent Brazilian musicians.
In 1996, Cazuza was featured in the AIDS benefit album Red Hot + Rio
produced by the Red Hot Organization
, performing the song "Preciso Dizer que Te Amo" in a duet with Bebel Gilberto
.
and released his last album: Burguesia. Cazuza was openly
bisexual but was not active in the gay movement
. However his openness about being a person with AIDS helped to change public perceptions and attitudes about HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment.
and directed by Sandra Werneck called Cazuza: O Tempo não Para
("Cazuza: Time Doesn't Stop") was released.
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
and singer, born in Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
. Along with Raul Seixas
Raul Seixas
Raul Santos Seixas June 28, 1945 Salvador Northeast Brazil – August 21, 1989),was a Brazilian rock composer, singer, songwriter and producer.He is sometimes called the "Father of Brazilian Rock" and "Maluco Beleza"....
, Renato Russo
Renato Russo
Renato Russo was a Brazilian singer and songwriter. His first band was a punk rock band called "Aborto Elétrico" . The band then broke up and split in two different ones: "Capital Inicial" and "Legião Urbana"...
and Os Mutantes
Os Mutantes
Os Mutantes ) are an influential Brazilian psychedelic rock band that were linked with the Tropicália movement of the late 1960s. It was formed by two brothers and a vocalist, but has gone through numerous personnel changes throughout its existence...
, Cazuza is considered one of the best exponents of Brazilian rock
Brazilian rock
Brazilian rock refers to rock music produced in Brazil and usually sung in Portuguese.-Overview:Rock entered the Brazilian music scene in 1956, with the screening of the film The Blackboard Jungle, featuring Bill Haley's "Rock Around the Clock", which would later be covered in Portuguese by Nora...
music.
Early life and influences
Son of the phonographic producer João Araújo and the amateur singer Maria Lúcia Araújo, Cazuza always had close contact with music. Influenced since early childhood by the strong values of Brazilian music, he had a special preference for the sad, dramatic overtones of CartolaCartola
Angenor de Oliveira, known as Cartola , was a Brazilian singer, composer and poet considered to be a major figure in the development of samba.Cartola composed, alone or with partners, more than 500 songs.-Biography:...
, Lupicinio Rodrigues
Lupicínio Rodrigues
Lupicínio Rodrigues was a great composer of sambas from Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. He was the main exponent of a style of samba called Dor-de-Cotovelo. The term, literally "elbow pain", translates as "heartbreak".Rodrigues left his compositions to be recorded by many Brazilian composers...
, Dolores Durán, and Maysa. He began to write lyrics and poems around 1965. In late 1974, a vacation 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...
, England, acquainted him with the music of Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
, Janis Joplin
Janis Joplin
Janis Lyn Joplin was an American singer, songwriter, painter, dancer and music arranger. She rose to prominence in the late 1960s as the lead singer of Big Brother and the Holding Company and later as a solo artist with her backing groups, The Kozmic Blues Band and The Full Tilt Boogie Band...
, and the Rolling Stones, and he soon became a great fan. Cazuza enrolled in college in 1978, but abandoned the course of journalism
Journalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
three weeks later to work with his father at Som Livre. He moved later to San Francisco, where he came in contact with Beat literature
Beat generation
The Beat Generation refers to a group of American post-WWII writers who came to prominence in the 1950s, as well as the cultural phenomena that they both documented and inspired...
, becoming highly influenced by it.
Barão Vermelho
In 1980 he returned to Rio, where he worked with the theatrical group Asdrúbal Trouxe o Trombone (Asdrúbal Brought the Trombone). There he was noticed by the novice singer/composer Leo Jayme, who introduced him to a beginning rock band that needed a vocalist, the Barão VermelhoBarão Vermelho
Barão Vermelho is a Brazilian rock band. Formed in 1981 in Rio de Janeiro, it was originally led by songwriting duo Cazuza and Roberto Frejat , which assumed the vocals after Cazuza's departure in 1986...
. With this very successful eighties Brazilian rock
Brazilian rock
Brazilian rock refers to rock music produced in Brazil and usually sung in Portuguese.-Overview:Rock entered the Brazilian music scene in 1956, with the screening of the film The Blackboard Jungle, featuring Bill Haley's "Rock Around the Clock", which would later be covered in Portuguese by Nora...
band, who had their greatest success with "Bete Balanço", a song that was part of the soundtrack of a film, Cazuza began his career as a singer. In 1985, Cazuza took part in Rock in Rio
Rock in Rio
Rock in Rio is a series of music festivals held in three cities: Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, Lisbon in Portugal and Madrid in Spain.Four incarnations of the festival were in Rio de Janeiro, in 1985, 1991, 2001 and 2011, four in Lisbon, in 2004, 2006, 2008 and 2010, and two in Madrid in 2008 and 2010....
with Barão Vermelho
Barão Vermelho
Barão Vermelho is a Brazilian rock band. Formed in 1981 in Rio de Janeiro, it was originally led by songwriting duo Cazuza and Roberto Frejat , which assumed the vocals after Cazuza's departure in 1986...
, and around this time, 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,...
claimed he was the greatest Brazilian poet of his generation. It was also in this same year that Cazuza was infected with the AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
virus, precipitating his desire to leave the band in order to obtain a greater freedom in composition and expression, both musically and lyrically.
Solo career
After he left the band, Cazuza's music began to diversify, incorporating elements of the bluesBlues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
in songs such as "Blues da Piedade" (Blues of Compassion), "Só as mães são felizes" (Only Mothers Are Happy) and "Balada da Esplanada" (Ballad of the Esplanade), which was based on a poem of the same name by Oswald de Andrade
Oswald de Andrade
José Oswald de Andrade Souza was a Brazilian poet and polemicist. He was born and spent most of his life in São Paulo....
; showcasing increasingly intimate lyrics, like those in "Só se for a Dois" (Only If It Will Be as a Couple), as well as opening itself up to influences from Brazilian pop music with interpretations of Cartola's
Cartola
Angenor de Oliveira, known as Cartola , was a Brazilian singer, composer and poet considered to be a major figure in the development of samba.Cartola composed, alone or with partners, more than 500 songs.-Biography:...
"O Mundo é um Moinho", Raul Seixas's
Raul Seixas
Raul Santos Seixas June 28, 1945 Salvador Northeast Brazil – August 21, 1989),was a Brazilian rock composer, singer, songwriter and producer.He is sometimes called the "Father of Brazilian Rock" and "Maluco Beleza"....
"Cavalos Calados" (Silent Horses) and Caetano Veloso's
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,...
"Esse Cara" (This Guy).
Contrary to what usually happens once an artist leaves a band that has made them famous, Cazuza's solo career proved to be more successful than that of his former group. "Exagerado" (Exaggerated), "O Tempo não Pára" (Time Doesn't Stop), and "Ideologia" (Ideology) were his greatest hits and proved to be a great influence on subsequent Brazilian musicians.
In 1996, Cazuza was featured in the AIDS benefit album Red Hot + Rio
Red Hot + Rio
Red Hot + Rio is a compilation album produced by Paul Heck as part of the Red Hot AIDS Benefit Series intended to promote AIDS awareness. This installment is a contemporary tribute to the Bossa nova sound, especially the music of Antonio Carlos Jobim...
produced by the Red Hot Organization
Red Hot Organization
Red Hot Organization is a not-for-profit, 501 3, international organization dedicated to fighting AIDS through pop culture.Since its inception in 1989, over 400 artists, producers and directors have contributed to over 15 compilation albums, related television programs and media events to raise...
, performing the song "Preciso Dizer que Te Amo" in a duet with Bebel Gilberto
Bebel Gilberto
Bebel Gilberto is a Brazilian popular singer often associated with bossa nova. She is the daughter of João Gilberto and singer Miúcha. Her uncle is singer/composer Chico Buarque...
.
Final years
In 1989, he admitted publicly for the first time that he had AIDSAIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
and released his last album: Burguesia. Cazuza was openly
Coming out
Coming out is a figure of speech for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people's disclosure of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity....
bisexual but was not active in the gay movement
Gay pride
LGBT pride or gay pride is the concept that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people should be proud of their sexual orientation and gender identity...
. However his openness about being a person with AIDS helped to change public perceptions and attitudes about HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment.
Death
Cazuza died in Rio de Janeiro on July 7, 1990 at the age of 32 from an AIDS related illness. He was buried at the Cemitério São João Batista Botafogo, in Rio de Janeiro. Cazuza's mother set up the Viva Cazuza Society (Sociedade Viva Cazuza), a charity which sponsors AIDS prevention and provides a home for HIV-positive childrenBiopic film
In 2004 a biopic film starred by Daniel de OliveiraDaniel de Oliveira
Daniel de Oliveira was born in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil on June 19 1977.He voiced both The Mumble and Chicken Little for Brazilian audiences.He's married to Brazilian actress Vanessa Giácomo.-Soap Operas:...
and directed by Sandra Werneck called Cazuza: O Tempo não Para
Cazuza - O Tempo Não Pára
Cazuza - O Tempo Não Pára is a 2004 Brazilian movie about the life of singer Cazuza. The film is directed by Walter Carvalho and Sandra Werneck. It stars Daniel de Oliveira as Cazuza. The film is based on the book by Cazuza's mother, Lucia Araujo...
("Cazuza: Time Doesn't Stop") was released.
With Barão Vermelho
- 1982: Barão VermelhoBarão Vermelho (album)Barão Vermelho is the first album by Brazilian rock band Barão Vermelho, released in 1982. The album includes the song "Todo Amor Que Houver Nessa Vida" , which became one of the band's classics.- Track listing :...
- 1983, Barão Vermelho 2Barão Vermelho 2Barão Vermelho 2 is the second album by Brazilian rock band Barão Vermelho, released in 1984. It includes their first hit "Pro Dia Nascer Feliz", which became one of the band's classics.- Track listing :# "Intro/ Menina Mimada"# "O Que a Gente Quiser"...
- 1984: Bete Balanço (Original Soundtrack)
- 1984: Maior AbandonadoMaior AbandonadoMaior Abandonado is the third album by Brazilian rock band Barão Vermelho, released in 1984. It is their most critically acclaimed and generally considered their best album. It contain their biggest hit "Bete Balanço"...
, 100,000 - GOLD - 1992: Barão Vermelho Ao Vivo
Solo
- 1985: Exagerado, 100,000 - GOLD
- 1987: Só se for a dois, 70,000
- 1988: IdeologiaIdeologia (Cazuza's album)Ideologia is a 1988 album recorded by Cazuza, the third in his solo career. It won the Prêmio Sharp for best album in 1988 and sold more than 150,000 copies....
, 150,000 - GOLD - 1988: O tempo não pára, 1,000,000 - DIAMOND
- 1989: Burguesia, 250,000 - PLATINUM
- 1991: Por aí, 50,000
Films
- Bete Balanço, 1984
- Um Trem para as Estrelas, 1988
- Cazuza - O Tempo Não PáraCazuza - O Tempo Não PáraCazuza - O Tempo Não Pára is a 2004 Brazilian movie about the life of singer Cazuza. The film is directed by Walter Carvalho and Sandra Werneck. It stars Daniel de Oliveira as Cazuza. The film is based on the book by Cazuza's mother, Lucia Araujo...
, 2004 (biopic)