Jorge Mário da Silva, more commonly known by his stage name Seu Jorge (Seu, an abbreviation of "Senhor"; born June 8, 1970; Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈsew ˈʒɔʁʒi]), is a Brazilian musical artist, songwriter, and actor. He is considered by many a renewer of Brazilian pop samba. Seu Jorge cites samba schools and American soul singer Stevie Wonder as major musical influences.[2] Jorge is also known for his film roles as Mané Galinha in the 2002 film City of God and as Pelé dos Santos in the 2004 film The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. His musical work has received praise from many of his fellow musicians including Beck and David Bowie.

Seu Jorge
Background information
Birth nameJorge Mário da Silva
Born (1970-06-08) June 8, 1970 (age 54)[1]
OriginBelford Roxo, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
GenresMPB, samba, rock, soul, funk
Occupation(s)Musician
Singer-songwriter
Actor
Websiteseujorge.com

Biography

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The first-born of four children (the others being Charles, Vitório and Rogério), Seu Jorge had a tough childhood in the neighborhood of Gogó da Ema, in Belford Roxo. He started working in a tire shop when he was only 10 years old, the first of various jobs such as courier, joiner, and potato peeler in a bar. Seu Jorge served in the Brazilian Army from 1989 to 1990 in Rio de Janeiro, but did not adapt to the military lifestyle and ended up being expelled, in January of 1990.[3]

The various professions never hindered Seu Jorge's dream of becoming a musician. Since his adolescence, he would frequent samba circles and funk parties with his dad and brothers, and early on started to perform singing at such events. It was there that, in 1990, the murder of his brother Vitório tore his family apart,[4] and Seu Jorge ended up being homeless for around three years. The turnaround happened when Gabriel Moura, nephew of clarinetist Paulo Moura, invited him to participate in a spectacle called The flour saga (known in Portuguese as A saga da farinha), in which Gabriel was the musical director.[5] He ended up participating in more than 20 shows with the Companhia de Teatro TUERJ, as singer and actor.[6] Since he had no place to sleep, Seu Jorge slept in the theater, between 1993 and 1997 – the year where he joined the band Farofa Carioca.[7]

He's cousins with Brazilian singer Dudu Nobre, and is of Cape Verdean descent.[8]

Career

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Seu Jorge has gained exposure through his work as an actor and soundtrack composer. He appeared in the critically acclaimed 2002 film City of God as Mané Galinha, directed by filmmakers Fernando Meirelles and Katia Lund,[9] and then played Pelé dos Santos in Wes Anderson's The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, for which he provided much of the soundtrack in the form of Portuguese language cover versions of David Bowie classics.[10]

In June 2006, he performed at Bonnaroo music festival in Manchester, Tennessee[11] and at the Festival Sudoeste TMN in Portugal. He also performed at the Harbourfront in Toronto, Ontario. Jorge's performances are known for their excitement as well as for getting the crowd moving. In January 2010 he performed with Thievery Corporation at Austin City Limits.[12]

His album 'América Brasil' had a limited Brazilian release in 2007 under his label Cafuné Gravadora, distributed in the UK by Proper Music Distribution. In May 2010, Now-Again Records announced that Jorge's new album, Seu Jorge & Almaz, a collaboration with drummer Pupillo and guitarist Lucio Maia from Nação Zumbi and bassist and composer Antonio Pinto would be released in North America, Japan, Australia and New Zealand on July 27 and in Europe on September 14. The album has been described as "how powerful Brazilian soul music can be."[13]

In 2011, he collaborated with Beck on the Mario C. remix of "Tropicália" for the Red Hot Organization's most recent charitable album "Red Hot+Rio 2."[14]

In 2012, he collaborated with American fashion designer Rachel Roy on a line of sportswear, footwear, jewelry and handbags.[15]

In 2015, he was nominated for the 16th Latin Grammy Awards in the Best Brazilian Contemporary Pop Album category.[16]

On September 8, he performed after lighting the cauldron in the 2016 Summer Paralympics opening ceremony in Rio de Janeiro.[17]

According to a DNA test, Seu Jorge is 85.1% African, 12.9% European and 2% Amerindian. He belongs to haplogroup R1b, suggesting that his paternal lineage probably derives from Western Europe.[18]

In 2023, Jorge appeared in a minor role in Wes Anderson's film Asteroid City.

Solo discography

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Filmography

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DVDs

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  • MTV Apresenta Seu Jorge (2004)
  • Ana & Jorge: Ao Vivo with Ana Carolina (2005)
  • Seu Jorge – Live at Montreux (2006)
  • América Brasil Ao Vivo (2009)
  • Músicas para churrasco ao vivo (2012)

References

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  1. ^ "Seu Jorge". Music Millennium. Retrieved March 28, 2012.
  2. ^ Garsd, Jasmine. "First Listen: Seu Jorge, 'Seu Jorge And Almaz'". NPR. Retrieved March 28, 2012.
  3. ^ Rivera, Leonardo. Seu Jorge: a inteligencia é fundamental. MPM NETO Editora, 2015.
  4. ^ Vídeo: entrevista com Seu Jorge. Roda Viva. TV Cultura, 14 de novembro de 2005.
  5. ^ Biografia de Gabriel Moura
  6. ^ "Seu Jorge". Caras. Retrieved January 10, 2012.
  7. ^ "Farofa Carioca". Dicionário Cravo Albin da Música Popular Brasileira. Retrieved January 10, 2012.
  8. ^ Nação, A. (November 25, 2023). "Cantor brasileiro Seu Jorge vai ter nacionalidade cabo-verdiana – A Nação – Jornal Independente" (in European Portuguese). Retrieved November 26, 2023.
  9. ^ "PBS Arts : Examining the Career of Seu Jorge". Pbs.org. Retrieved March 28, 2012.
  10. ^ "Seu Jorge Biography". Starpulse.com. June 8, 1970. Retrieved March 28, 2012.
  11. ^ "Bonnaroo 2006 Lineup Announced". Stereogum.com. February 1, 2006. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
  12. ^ "Great Music. No Limits". Austin City Limits. Archived from the original on November 3, 2011. Retrieved March 28, 2012.
  13. ^ Seu Jorge & Almaz (Sounds and Colours)
  14. ^ Saturday (June 11, 2011). "SKOA - [Listen] Beck and Seu Jorge "Tropicália (Mario C 2011 Remix)"". Some Kind of Awesome. Retrieved March 28, 2012.
  15. ^ Wilson, Julee (May 24, 2012). "Rachel Roy, Brazilian Musician Seu Jorge, Launch New Macy's Clothing Collection". Huffington Post. Retrieved May 24, 2012.
  16. ^ "La lista completa de nominados a los Latin Grammy 2015". Infobae (in Spanish). September 23, 2015. Retrieved October 1, 2015.
  17. ^ Wheelchair Jumps and Dancing With Robots at Paralympics Opening NBC, Sep 8 2016
  18. ^ "Seu Jorge: 'Se fosse 100% negro, lutaria por indenização' - 30/05/2007 - Ciência e Saúde - BBC". Cienciaesaude.uol.com.br. Retrieved March 28, 2020.
  19. ^ "Medida Provisória at Globo Filmes". Globo Filmes (in Brazilian Portuguese). April 14, 2022. Retrieved April 25, 2022.
  20. ^ "Pixinguinha, Um Homem Carinhoso at Globo Filmes". Globo Filmes (in Brazilian Portuguese). November 11, 2021. Retrieved April 24, 2022.
  21. ^ "Anderson Silva movie: Here's the trailer and release date for the feature film being developed around the life of the UFC legend". Sportskeeda. November 4, 2023. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
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