WOMAD

Lenine

From Brazil

Lenine is a multi-talented artist, being a singer, composer, arranger, musician and producer. In the early 80's he and his band were pioneered their own brand of Brazilian pop, with musical elements taken from traditional 'maracatus' - a Brazilian dance of African origin, with refrains from the state of Pernambuco.Over the next 15 years the maracatu became more universally accepted throughout Brazil as popular music, and brought with it a new vein of musical creativity, of which Lenine is one of the principal exponents. Originally from Recife, Pernambuco, Lenine has been living in Rio de Janeiro for the last 20 years and penetrated the world of the local samba, composing many successful songs to 'Suvaco do Cristo', one of the biggest attractions of the street carnival of Rio.A celebrated composer, he has written over 500 songs, some of which have been recorded by the likes of Dionne Warwick, Sergio Mendes, Margareth Menezes and Daude amongst others.Together with Marcos Suzano, he released 'Olho de Peixe', an album still worshipped by all fans of MPB (Brazilian Popular Music).In 1997 he released his first solo album 'O Dia Em Que Faremos Contato' (The Day in Which We'll Make Contact) - mixed at Peter Gabriel's Realworld Studios and released by BMG records in Brazil. It was considered a revolutionary MPB landmark, matching acoustics and electronic high-tech, the regional roots and the international pop language, giving new direction to the MPB and exploring new ground. This album gained two Sharp awards.In August 1999 Lenine released his second solo album 'Na Pressao' to great critical acclaim.