Seu Jorge

Seu Jorge is an elegant, stylish man, the kind to stand out in the middle of a crowd. A tall, dark figure, he has the ability to turn a tee-shirt into a dinner jacket or a dinner jacket into a tee-shirt.

Of course, before he became Knockout Ned in the now cult movie “City of God”, Jorge had extensive personal experience of the world depicted in the film. His childhood in the favelas of Rio left him with a formidable tenacity and a political commitment that has lasted to this day. He lived on the street and taught himself to play guitar, doing odd jobs to scrape a living. But then he was taken on by a theatre company and through acting exorcised the ghosts of his past once and for all.

So, to music. In the mid-90s, he formed a group called Farofa Carioca, whose infectious, groovy pop samba soon became popular in Rio. After a string of concerts, they recorded a single album and brash, ultra-charismatic charmer Jorge became the talk of “Cidade Maravilhosa”.

Feeling a little cramped by the group, he began a solo career with an album produced by Mario Caldato (Beastie Boys) entitled “Samba Esporte Fino”. Released to critical acclaim, it became the 1999 album of the year in Brazil. But it was the cinema and Fernando Meirelles that really made Seu Jorge a household name, his tailored role in “Cidade de Deus” (or City of God) rocketed him to international stardom.

Not content with his newfound celebrity in Brazil, in winter 2004, he worked on The Life Aquatic, a major Disney production directed by Wes Anderson (The Royal Tenenbaums), starring Bill Murray, Angelica Houston and Willem Dafoe.

Taking a break between Brazilian art film-making and Hollywood, Jorge went to France to recharge his batteries and made a new solo album, “Cru”.

Produced by Gringo da Parada (one of the founders of Favela Chic) for his new label FLA FLU PROD and mixed by Renaud Letang, “Cru” is the real thing, not just musical window-dressing. Its lyrics range from the political commitment of “Eu sou Favela” to the words of love of “Tive Razao”, while the sounds include a tense cover of Gainsbourg’s “Chatterton”, a softer take on Elvis’s “Don’t”, M laying down guitar on “Tive Razao” and the irony of “Mania de Peitao”. With its bossa, stripped-down rock and song, “Cru” is an uncategorisable and completely generational record.

Brazil’s greatest artists, Caetano Veloso, Chico Buarque and Jorge Ben already see Seu Jorge as a worthy successor.



Above: 'Carolina' live, this track is featured on the album that we released