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Margareth Menezes | |
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_(cropped).jpg) Menezes in 2023 | |
| Minister of Culture | |
| Assumed office 1 January 2023 | |
| President | Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva |
| Preceded by | Sérgio Sá Leitão (2018) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Margareth Menezes da Purificação (1962-10-13)13 October 1962 (age 62) Salvador, Bahia,Brazil |
| Spouse | |
| Musical career | |
| Also known as | Maga |
| Genres | |
| Occupations | |
| Instruments | |
| Years active | 1980–present |
| Labels |
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| Website | www |
Musical artist | |
Margareth Menezes da Purificação (born 13 October 1962) is a Brazilian singer and politician fromSalvador, Bahia.
Her style is consideredaxé but her music also steers intosamba andMPB territory, at times drawing on African rhythms and reggae.
Menezes is best known in Brazil for the debut single "Faraó (Divindade do Egito)" 1988 ofOlodum and for "Me Abraça e Me Beija", a major hit in 1990. She also scored another hit with "Dandalunda", a song which became the unofficial anthem of the 2003 Salvador carnival.
Menezes achieved superstardom in her native Bahia, but only moderate success in the rest of Brazil. She is famed 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 filmWild Orchid. This promptedIsland 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 titledElegibô, was an instant hit, reaching # 1 on theBillboard World Music chart at a time whenDavid Byrne was championing Brazilian music in the US. The title track itself became a regular staple at clubs playing so-called world music throughout the US and Europe. The album also received a full release in the UK, Germany and France. A single, "Tenda do Amor", was also released from the album in some European territories. Menezes toured internationally on the back of this album, generating a lot of press in the process. A second US-released follow-up albumKindala, 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 highly acclaimedAfropopbrasileiro (also known as "Maga") showcasing her trademark fusion of afro-Brazilian beats. The album was produced byCarlinhos Brown ofTribalistas fame and was well received in Brazil and internationally.
Menezes also co-wrote and performed on the 2003 Tribalistas hit "Passe Em Casa", from the million-sellingTribalistas album.
Her 2005 single, "Como Tu", a duet with Brazilian superstarIvete 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 releasePra Você; the album received lukewarm reviews, possibly owing to a more poppier sound than previous releases. A second single, the reggae-tinged "Miragem na esquina" performed poorly at radio.
In 2006, the albumPra Você received aGrammy nomination for "Best Brazilian Contemporary Pop Album".
More recently, Menezes participated on the track "Beijo Descarado" byTimbalada which achieved some airplay success in Brazil during the 2007 Carnival celebrations.
In 2010, an acoustic version of her 2008 albumNaturalmente was released. The album was recorded at Ilha dos Sapos and featured guests likeGilberto Gil, Carlinhos Brown and Portuguese singer Luis Represas.
Menezes remains one of the most dynamic and popular of the contemporary Brazilian artists achieving international recognition.
She becameBrazil's Minister of Culture on 1 January 2023.
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| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by Sérgio Sá Leitão (2018) | Minister of Culture 2023–present | Incumbent |
| International | |
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