Bahian artists Lucas Santtana and Gilberto Gil release “A História da Nossa Língua,” a collaboration celebrating the richness and complexity of Brazilian Portuguese. The lyrics draw on Latim em Pó by Caetano Galindo and will appear on Santtana’s upcoming album.
The partnership reconnects a long history between the two musicians; Santtana played flute on Gil’s Unplugged project in 1994. Their new track frames a “linguistic road trip,” tracing the evolution from Vulgar Latin in Italy to Tupi-Guarani influences in Brazil while touching upon themes of cultural heritage, identity, and colonial memory.
“I immediately thought of inviting Gil to sing with me,” Santtana said. “He is an artist who officially symbolizes the connection between popular music and the Brazilian language — exactly the theme of my song. He was the one who introduced me to the Brazilian music scene through the Unplugged DVD. This collaboration unites the opening chapter of my musical journey with its most recent chapter.”

