Give me a North: Patrícia Bastos | Amapá

PORTUGUESE

Me dá um norte! Give me a North!
A column about Amazonian music and culture by Felipe Cordeiro.

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PATRÍCIA BASTOS | AMAPÁ

Directly from Macapá, in the far north of Brazil, the singer from Amapá, Patrícia Bastos, is without a doubt one of the greatest Brazilian voices of recent times. This is not only due to her clear and precise vocal expression, capable of fascinating anyone upon first listen, but also because of the wealth of cultural information that her extensive discography conveys.

In total, she has released eight albums that exalt, promote, and affirm Afro-Amazonian musical expressions such as "marabaixo" and "batuque," contributing richly to the broader understanding of Black, Indigenous, and Amazonian musical traditions in 21st-century Brazil.

Patrícia Bastos is increasingly securing her place in the imagination of Brazilian music and continues to garner well-deserved recognition: she was the first artist from Amapá to perform at Rock in Rio (2019) and has won the Prêmio da Música Brasileira twice. In 2016, her album “Batom Bacaba” was nominated for the Latin Grammy in the category Best Portuguese Language Roots Album.

This year, the singer released the album “A Voz da Taba”, which carries the rich, Afro-influenced rhythms of the Amapá drums, along with deeply moving lyrics. One of these verses is by the poet Joãozinho Gomes, in the opening track "Jeito Tucuju," where Patrícia sings alongside Caetano Veloso: “Whoever has never seen the Amazon / will never understand the life of a people / of Brazilian soul and color / its riverside conquests / its new rhythm.”

A key song in Patrícia Bastos' repertoire is "Mal de Amor," one of the most beautiful musical laments ever created in Brazil. The song is a collaboration between musician Val Milhomem and poet Joãozinho Gomes and speaks of the mythical origins of “marabaixo”, the foundational rhythm of the state of Amapá.

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Hi, I’m Felipe Cordeiro, singer, guitarist, and music producer from Pará (Amazon, Brazil), and I had the joy of being invited by Bossa to write this column about Brazilian popular music made in the Amazon. I hope we connect here and that the content I bring helps you dive into the extraordinary musical universe of northern Brazil. Let me guide you!

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