Singer-songwriter Isabel Teles Veloso de Mesquita, better known as Belô Veloso, was born in Santo Amaro, Bahia, Brazil on August 19, 1971.
Every Friday in the Brazilian region of Bahia, most people dress in white in homage to Oxala, an African god from the candomble religion, a faith followed by more than half of the people in Bahia. “Oxala is the god of the pureness, beauty, peace, joy, friendship, harmony and union,” explains Belo Velloso, the niece of two of Brazil’s most popular musicians, Caetano Veloso and Maria Bethania.
As a child in the state of Bahia, the Brazilian region with the most profound African cultural influences, Velloso was exposed firsthand to the work of some of the greatest names in MPB, or popular Brazilian music, as well as samba, bossa nova, and other traditional Brazilian styles. She moved to Rio at the age of 19 to pursue a career in music, and was helped by her famous aunt and uncle through guest appearances on her first album.
“Bahia is a place full of rhythms with very original sounds,” says Velloso. “It is a mix of the African drum with the swing of the Brazilian samba. This gave to Bahia originality and a great cultural importance. I grew up with the poetry from Bahia. A place that values the culture, the composition, the melody, the rhythm. A place full of natural beauty from the sea.”
“I started recording at a time when few Brazilian artists were paying attention to all of Bahia’s rhythms,” Velloso says. “So the influence of Bahia’s rhythms, like axe and ijexa have been significant for the mixture of pop, rock and the style of MPB that I was doing.”
Velloso grew up watching the charismatic stage performance of Bethania and is clearly influenced by her aunt’s choice of singing lyrics of importance and with positive messages to the Brazilian people. From her uncle, whom she calls “the Brazilian music philosopher,” the younger Velloso learned “musical importance and the melodic quality to touch the heart of his audience.”
Discography
Belô Velloso (Velas, 1996)
Um Segundo (Velas, 1997)
Marés (PlayArte, 1999)
Acústico (PlayArte Music, 2000)
Pegue ou Largue (PlayArte Music, 2002)
Oliver Twist (BMGV Music, 2004)
Belô Samba (BMGV Music, 2006)
Versão Brasileira (BMGV Music, 2009)
http://www.belovelloso.com.br
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
