Solar Sessions
Moods & Adalu present
Mãeana
Global Sounds
Mãeana and her «Pisa Nova»
Ana Cláudia Lomelino Gonçalves, better known as Mãeana (39 years old), began her career as a singer in the wonderful band Tono. In 2015, she released her debut album ‘Mãeana’ with unreleased compositions by Caetano Veloso and Adriana Calcanhotto. 6 years later, she released Mãeana 2, but it was only with her latest project, Mãeana sings JG (2024), that the artist became famous.
Her first gigs were at Casa da Mãe, an alternative venue in Rio Vermelho in Salvador, when Mãeana sang together with Bem Gil, João Gomes and João Gilberto and gave birth to her ‘Pisa Nova’. She dissected the jazz from the bossa nova and wrapped it around the bolero, while at the same time setting the heartbeat of the piseiro to new music: the electronic beats were swapped for the natural sound of the drum skin and the «vassourinha». From old to new: «Pisa nova».
A full 70 years separate the two Joãos, although their roots are very close. The bossa nova idol was born in Juazeiro, Bahia, while the Serrita-born Pisadinha hero grew up in Petrolina, Pernambuco. The cities lie opposite each other on the waters of the sacred «São Francisco» river. While one sang softly and quietly, the other surprised with his deep bass voice. One combined the highest standards with minimalism, while the other's trademark is energy and fast beats.
It was the merging of two seemingly completely different universes that led to Mãeana's listenership on Spotify growing exponentially, jumping from 40,000 to over 800,000 monthly listeners. In addition, all of her gigs are sold out and her presence at numerous music festivals is confirmed.
By combining the classical with the popular, the extraordinary with the everyday, the singer proves that Brazilian music offers fertile ground for experimentation and authentic forms of expression. Pisa Nova attracts a wide-ranging audience and transcends boundaries by demonstrating that cultural and temporal differences can indeed coexist and complement each other, so that ultimately everyone sings and dances together.
Quelle: adalu magazine // by Gabriela Abreu Souza