Margareth Menezes

Biography

Margareth Menezes da Purificação (born 13 October 1962) is a Brazilian singer and politician from Salvador, Bahia. She currently serves as Minister of Culture under Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Her style is considered axé but her music also steers into samba and MPB, at times drawing on African rhythms and reggae.
Menezes is best known in Brazil for the debut single "Faraó (Divindade do Egito)" 1988 of Olodum and for "Me Abraça e Me Beija", a major hit in 1990. She also scored another hit with "Dandalunda", a song which reached notable popularity during the 2003 Salvador carnival.

Music career

Menezes achieved superstardom in her native Bahia, but only moderate success in the rest of Brazil. She is known for energetic live performances and regularly tours and performs at carnival celebrations.
In 1990, one of Menezes's tracks "Elegibô (Uma Historia De Ifa)" was used in the Mickey Rourke film Wild Orchid. This prompted Island Records in the US to release a compilation album of some of her older material from Brazil on their subsidiary label, Mango. The album, simply titled Elegibô, was a fast hit, reaching # 1 on the Billboard World Music chart at a time when David Byrne was championing Brazilian music in the US. The title track reached limited popularity in the US and Europe. The album also received a full release in the UK, Germany and France. A single, "Tenda do Amor", was released from the album in some European territories. Menezes toured internationally on the back of this album, getting some press in the process. A second US-released follow-up album Kindala×Kindala1991 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1Fé cega, faca amolada3:462Paz no mundo (Pwazon Rat)4:463Negrume da noite4:084Jet Ski4:135Negro Nagô2:486Vendaval temporal1:557Me abraça e me beija4:228Repique romântico3:459Kindala3:1010Menina Dandára3:1911Praga do céu3:2512Pot-Pourri 'Samba reggae'3:46, released late 1991, but repackaged in some territories from the Brazilian version of the same name, also achieved some success. This release also gave Menezes a minor hit album in France too.
In 2001, Menezes released the acclaimed Afropopbrasileiro (also known as "Maga") showcasing her fusion of afro-Brazilian beats. The album was produced by Carlinhos Brown and was well received both in Brazil and internationally. Menezes also co-wrote and performed on the 2003 hit "Passe Em Casa", from Tribalistas. This was another collaboration with Brown.
Her 2005 single, "Como Tu", a duet with Brazilian superstar Ivete Sangalo was released amidst much hype because Sangalo was achieving platinum album sales at the time. The track reached the lower reaches of the airplay Top 30 in Brazil but failed to emulate the success of recent Sangalo hits. The hit single was lifted from Menezes' 2005 album release Pra Você×Pra Você2005 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 10 tracks1Como Tu3:192Versos De Amor3:403Pra Você3:064Miragem Na Esquina3:385Contra o Tempo3:116Boleia Brasil3:357Só Eu E Mais Ninguém4:268Mesmo Assim3:199Chame Ele4:0210Abanaé2:57; the album received lukewarm reviews, possibly owing to a more pop-like sound than previous releases. A second, more reggae-influenced, single, "Miragem na esquina" performed poorly at radio.
In 2006, the album Pra Você received a Grammy nomination for "Best Brazilian Contemporary Pop Album".
More recently, Menezes participated on the track "Beijo Descarado" by Timbalada which achieved some airplay success in Brazil during the 2007 Carnival celebrations.
In 2010, an acoustic version of her 2008 album Naturalmente×Naturalmente23 June 2008 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 11 tracks1Gente3:572Cegos do castelo3:343Por que você não vem morar comigo?4:064Mulher do coronel3:395Lua no mar3:476Abuso de poder4:087O perdão3:578Febre3:469Matança4:0110Foi deus quem fez você3:4211Um caso a mais3:29 was released. The album was recorded at Ilha dos Sapos and featured guests like Gilberto Gil, Carlinhos Brown and Portuguese singer Luis Represas.
Menezes remains popular among contemporary Brazilian artists. She became Brazil's Minister of Culture on 1 January 2023.