Seu Jorge

As a singer, Seu Jorge was part of the Brazilian band Farofa Carioca, writing most of the songs of their 1998 debut album Moro no Brasil. His first solo album was 2001’s Samba Esporte Fino, a pop album influenced by musicians iconic Brazilian artists Jorge Ben Jor, Gilberto Gil and Milton Nascimento, and released outside Brazil under the name Carolina in 2003. He followed up with the critically acclaimed 2005 album Cru (Raw), which The Guardian called “a magnificent record,” and which prompted Pitchfork to praise Jorge’s voice as “at once buttery, soulful, and fierce.” He since has gone on to release five studio albums and collaborate with the likes of Beck, Talib Kweli and even the fashion designer Rachel Roy.

As an actor, Jorge came to fame with his breakout performance as Knockout Ned in Fernando Meirelles critically acclaimed feature film City of God (2002). After his performance as the guitar strumming deckhand Pelé dos Santos in The Life Aquatic (2004), and the praise he received for his Bowie covers, Jorge released The Life Aquatic Studio Sessions, which, AllMusic wrote, “retains the original framing of the Bowie classics, while injecting a sunny island sweetness into their very core.”

Last Updated: February 2017