After a heady journey of almost half a century, Brazilian singer Cátia de França has finally taken her rightful place in the spotlight, thanks to an implausible ally — the revival of a nearly forgotten audio technology.
Hailing from the economically disadvantaged northeastern region of Paraíba, 77-year-old de França has been a creator of a distinct blend of music, a fusion of psychedelic rock enlivened by traditional rhythms and modernist poetry. Though her talent was profound, it remained largely unheard, despite her relentless tour across the nation during the 1970s and ‘80s.
The pandemic era found de França in self-seclusion, high up in a conservation area nestled in the mountains above the bustling cityscape of Rio de Janeiro. A place untouched by the whims of internet connectivity, she says.
Yet, the year 2021 was to bring an unexpected change. Out of the blue, her phone rang, and on the other end, the co-founder of an independent label in Sao Paulo was proposing to reissue de França’s 1979 debut album, “20 Palavras ao Redor do Sol” (20 Words Around the Sun), on vinyl.
Initially skeptical, de França slowly realized that it wasn’t a prank. There started her journey into the limelight, drawing new fans and alternative concert opportunities.
Her newfound fame isn’t an isolated incident; it resonates with an intriguing trend looming in Brazil. Last year was a landmark for vinyl records, grossly outselling CDs and DVDs for the first time in decades. Industry data from Pro-Musica indicate a more than 15-fold surge in revenue from 2019, making 2.2 million USD in 2023, excluding the imperceptible sales of second-hand records.
The market for used LPs in Brazil, although never completely extinct, got a fresh lease of life. Online record trading thrives today while collectors, local and international, scour fairs and old stores for rare Brazilian LPs to complete their collection.
Vinyl’s resurrection isn’t confined to Brazil. Over the past 15 years, the trend has gone global. The resurgence in the US has been quite remarkable, with revenues soaring to 1.4 billion dollars in 2023, helped in part by renewed interest in vinyl albums by popular artists like Taylor Swift.
In Brazil, this uptick in interest isn’t just driven by the mainstream artists. Vinyl represents a rediscovery of classic albums and a quest for new or previously ignored artists. By 2008, all the country’s vinyl factories had closed down, but inspired by an awakening in Europe and the US, Brazilian producer João Augusto and his partners decided to rebuild the vinyl dream. Hence, Polysom, a dormant vinyl pressing plant, was resurrected.
Another remarkable story is of João Noronha, a young and enterprising sound engineer from Brazil. He and a couple of friends began a record label called Três Selos in 2019, offering subscribers unique vinyl records by mail each month.
This vinyl renaissance guided Noronha and his partners to de França and her rare 1979 debut album. And in a world where bigger corporations are fighting for a slice of the pie, it’s the small, independent labels like Três Selos that have emerged as the saviors of Brazilian popular musicians often ignored by the industry.
Although de França doesn’t outshine the nation’s mainstream artists, she radiates under her own spotlight. She played to a packed venue in São Paulo on 19th April where a diverse audience of thirty and forty-somethings alongside their children cheered her on with chants of “Marvelous!” and “I love you!”
Proving herself to be the phoenix of her own lyrics, the 77-year-old singer’s story bears testament to perseverance and the enduring power of an artist. De França’s personal journey, now draped in woolen garments to ward off the cool evening air after her triumphant São Paulo show, is a silent ode to the rockstar she was meant to be. And finally, she is.
