- Title: UNITED KINGDOM: VIRGINIA RODRIGUES IS BRAZIL'S NEW FEMALE SINGING STAR
- Date: 28th November 1998
- Summary: RODRIGUES PERFORMING WITH BAND
- Embargoed: 13th December 1998 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: NOVEMBER 9, 1998
- Country: United Kingdom
- Topics: Entertainment
- Reuters ID: LVAAG7LWSVECE364BTXGVMNEW9P6
- Story Text: In the world of showbusiness, everyone loves to hear a true tale of rags-to-riches and that of Virginia Rodrigues, is no exception.
Picked from obscurity a couple of years ago by Caetano Veloso - one of Brazil's most popular singers - Rodrigues has enjoyed meteroric success in her homeland.So much so, that critics recently dubbed her "The new voice in Brazilian music."
Virginia Rodrigues' journey to stardom began in Salvador de Bahia, the slums outside Salvador.The area is said to be the New Orleans or the Havana of Brazil, a place where African culture blends with Portuguese influences.
Rodrigues is a woman of humble origin.Her mother sold produce at the local market but was too poor to be able to pay for formal music lessons for her daughter.Instead, Rodrigues' talent was spotted in her early days at school and was nurtured by caring teachers through informal training.
She spent her youth singing in both Protestant and Catholic church choirs.At the age of 12, Rodrigues began working as a manicurist to help her family makemeet.
She also worked as a domestic and a cook.She took up piano lessons, but was unable to keep up the payments and was forced to stop.Instead, she concentrated on singing.
"I started because I always loved to sing, I always enjoyed music.At my house we didn't have a record player only a radio, but father also used to sing a lot and listen to music," she said.
It was while singing in a choir that Rodrigues was to participate in a theatre production of the Olodum Theatre; a company which recruits from the poorest favellas to create street theatre...and that's where she got her big break.
One evening, Caetano Veloso, the Brazilian singer, spotted her.He has since spoken of how moved he was by Rodrigues' voice: "To hear this song in the heavenly voice that left the round body of a robust black woman moved me greatly," he said.
After the performance, Rodrigues met Veloso and the rest, as they say, is history.
Veloso encouraged Rodrigues to work with him on an album, and the extraodinary result was overnight success with "Sol Negro" (Black Sun), an album which has taken Brazil by storm.
Besides showing off Rodrigues' rich contralto, the record marks a return to an older more roots-oriented vision of samba.With musical direction by Veloso, the album also features guest appearances by Milton nascimento, Gilberto Gil and Djavan - other heroes of Brazilian music.
Rodrigues however, did have a lot of input on the record's making, in particular on the choice of percussion instruments played.
"I had a say on the picking of the instruments because I love percussion a lot and I have a special love for acoustic instruments..for guitar, violin, percussion I like a lot"
she said.
Following the miraculous success of "Sol Negro" in Brazil - it reached the number one slot - offers have been pouring in for the singer to travel outside her homeland.
Having won stunning reviews for her concerts in Rio De Janeiro and Sao Paulo, Rodrigues has been lured to headline festivals in Lisbon and Berlin and recently embarked on a showcase tour of European capitals which ended with a mini-tour of the States finishing in Miami on November 22.
For all the success Rodrigues has achieved, her feet remain firmly on the ground and she says although she's obviously happy so far, she's a long way to go before she's reached the ultimate goal.
In the meantime however, Rodrigues likes to concentrate on giving great performances and insists there is only one way to ensure success.
"I try to prepare myself spiritually, because if the spirit is not okay then nothing goes okay.That's first for things to flow.And the rest we just let the gods take care of it," she said.
"Sol Negro" was released in North America and Europe on September 14, 1998 on Hannibal Records. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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