And now, the world
Daniela Mercury is moving beyond Carnaval, leaving the axé ghetto, breaking down the borders and taking on the world. Realizing Mercury's potential, Sony Brazil transferred her contract to Sony International.
Bruce Gilman
Daniela Mercury broke into stardom at the beginning of the 90's rippling her petite body and wavy elbow-length reddish-brown hair from the heights of the trios elétricos (wired-for-sound trucks). She became the muse of axé music. The press referred to her as the "Queen of Axé," the "Queen of Salvador," and the "Queen of Samba-reggae." Now she is moving beyond the disposable euphoria of Carnaval, is disconnecting these labels, and is leaving the axé music ghetto.
With familiar purpose and with her sights on the international market, Daniela Mercury has released her fourth disc, Feijão com Arroz. The title literally translates as "Beans and Rice," though colloquially the title suggests something like "Soul Food." Metaphorically, however, the title hints at a recipe with two main ingredients and at a dish that would be incomplete without both — one white, one black. Feijão com Arroz delivers the simplicity and complexity suggested by the title: straightforward arrangements that follow regional influences which have been thoroughly prepared. Like the beans and rice in any Brazilian home, the dish is traditional but has flavor and substance.
From the sound to the visual, Feijão com Arroz reveals a different Daniela Mercury, more elaborate and attentive to the details of production and with a clear desire to attain a work of international quality. The new disc unveils a personal quality that was absent on Daniela's last three discs. She has observed more closely and measured more carefully the spicing of this platter. To arrive at the 15 tracks, Mercury researched for over a year and a half, collecting and scrutinizing hundreds of compositions that display an inventory of unique Brazilian rhythms. For her new repertoire, Mercury invested in "new generation" composers who, like the new disc, are surrounded by soaring expectations.
The treatment of "À Primeira Vista" (On First Sight) by Paraibano (from the state of Paraíba) Chico César makes it just one of the many tunes on board with prominent hit potential. This romantic ballad has become the striking theme that accompanies the character of Liliana in Brazil's leading prime time novela (soap opera) O Rei do Gado (King of the Herd). Including a Chico César composition was no accident. César has been the most spectacular revelation of MPB (Música Popular Brasileira — Brazilian Popular Music) over the last two years (see Brazzil November '96). Daniela met with César at her studio in Salvador where they spent hours analyzing over 40 of his songs.
César was not the only "new generation" talent to be hooked by Daniela. Saxophone player and lyricist for the Mineiro (from Minas Gerais) pop group Skank, Chico Amaral, contributed "Minas com Bahia." The tune is a duet with Skank's guitar player, Samuel Rosa, sharing vocals with Daniela. Carlinhos Brown wrote two tracks for the project, the samba "Vide Gal" and the animated "Rapunzel," a wild frevo with a screaming guitar introduction. The track destined to be the disc's first hit is Ramon Cruz's searing "Feijão de Corda" (String Beans) performed by Tony Mola and Banda Bragadá in an arrangement that embraces sizzling fife and flute breaks in a forró groove.
Following closely is the samba-reggae "Vai Chover" (It's Going to Rain) by Boghan Costa and Gustavo de Dalva, two residents of the same favela (shanty town) where Carlinhos Brown was born. "I've chosen music that makes me sing from inside," Mercury explained. With this "Who's Who" group of "new generation" composers, Daniela has realized her goal of exhibiting the extraordinary talent of her peers, of giving these artists an exposure that has been long overdue. Enthusiasm for her new partners, however, did not prevent her being any less demanding nor did it prevent her from recording the samba "Você Abusou" rearranged as pagode. The tune was originally a hit of the duo Antônio Carlos and Jocafi, big hit makers in the early to mid 70's who just vanished in a haze.
While Mercury exacts levels of performance that can create a certain amount of anxiety, one of her finest talents is her ability to work with this anxiety and channel it positively into the music. When she is in the studio, a little before the musicians start to play, she closes her eyes near the microphone and imagines a multitude of excited fans moving in front of her. At the moment that the music starts, Daniela is already diving in a trance. She sings, she dances, she punctuates each word with the strength of a performer that is setting fire to a huge crowd. This exercise in visualization produces exciting results. Her studio recordings never fail to create the sensational energy level of a live performance, one of the widely recognized merits of her work.
Fans would find it hard to imagine the fiery Daniela Mercury singing lilting melodies into the microphone, and I doubt they will ever be able to disassociate her from the accentuated Bahian percussion that vibrates through most of her music. And the new disc does have its moments of vibration starting with the first track, a reggae called "Nobre Vagabundo" (Noble Vagabond) by Márcio Mello. But overall, Daniela is calmer. You can tell she has approached this new project introspectively. The rhythmic grooves are meticulously locked in and performed with a clarity foreign to her past works. The slow tunes reveal a Daniela whose spirit has settled. Mercury has prioritized the melody, the feminine side of the music. "Vestido de Chita," (Cotton Dress) her own composition, talks about a submissive, oppressed, unloved woman. The entire work reflects a certain equilibrium and tranquillity. Recently Daniela commented that Feijão com Arroz is a representation of the definitions in her own life.
During the last five months of the project Daniela lived more in the studio than at home. Daily she remained 12 to 14 hours locked in her 24 channel studio recording and rehearsing. The studio, Canto da Cidade (named after Daniela's second release), is where all the music for the new disc was recorded with the exception of Carlinhos Brown's samba "Vida Gal," which was recorded in Rio, with a razor sharp horn section and Carioca (from Rio) percussion. In the final phase of the recording, Daniela canceled all shows and interviews that were not directly related to the recording.
Although Mercury does not play an instrument or read music, she gave the final word on all the arrangements. To demonstrate to the players how she wanted a particular arrangement or a chord voicing, she would sing the line; with the percussion parts she would play the pattern on a surdo. Every detail of the project, from the actual recording process to the exquisite graphic layout and photography, was closely monitored. Daniela insisted the photos be taken by Mário Cravo Neto, the photographer and color specialist who added so much to the layout for Carlinhos Brown's Alfagamabetizado. Cravo Neto's exquisite close-up color detail and visual concepts are by themselves worth the price of the disc. From the posed shots of Daniela and a stunning black Baiana intertwined on the disc's front and back cover, through the 16 page booklet delineated in the bright colors so typical of Bahia, to the photo of Daniela standing arms raised inside the back cover; the packaging of Feijão com Arroz is lavish.
One can easily see that Mercury loves the process of creating a recording and why she makes parallels with child raising. "Working with music is similar to the up-bringing of a child. You take care of him, offer him the best education, but you cannot determine what is going to happen in the future. The same thing happens with a recording. The artist makes everything, orients her work according to the available information and her sensitivity, and is always looking for a dialogue with the public. But after the release, she no longer has any control over it. The lord of its destiny is the public."
The entire process involved with making Feijão com Arroz, including tune selection, arrangements, and rehearsals, made the supporting tour that much easier after the disc's release. And Daniela Mercury knows how to entertain a crowd. She performs every show like it's her last. Her total commitment to the audience, something she first demonstrated aloft the trios elétricos, is what is magical about Daniela and something that comes to her naturally. It is also part of the reason Daniela Mercury got to the top and has managed to stay there for over five years.
An enormous following packs all her shows. Her spontaneous happiness is an injection of vitality for her listeners. Each performance shines with brilliance and magnetism. The music is contagious. And with Brazil now in her hands, Daniela has opted for the international arena. She wants each show to have a broader universal appeal in order to compete outside Brazil. "When a cook in Scotland asked me for an autograph, I realized that my music was capable of communicating with cultures that are completely different."
Aurora Miranda once said that Carmen left no heir; she may have been mistaken. From the time of Carmen's first explosive appearance in the 1940's with her turban of fruit and her heaps of jewelry, no other Brazilian singer has come as close to attaining the diva's international recognition as Daniela Mercury. The New York Times called Daniela's music "international pop with finesse and power." Billboard said that she made Bahian music accessible without compromising its artistic essence. In Argentina she was awarded a gold record for O Canto da Cidade — over 900 thousand copies sold even before her first performance there and during an absolute recession.
There is a new "bombshell" and she's a Baiana and not from Marco de Canavezes, Portugal. Realizing Mercury's potential, Sony Brazil transferred her contract to Sony International. In addition, she was the only Brazilian artist invited to attend the annual Sony Music party in 1994. It was the first time in her life Daniela had to coax an audience to get up and dance. The crowd was enthusiastic and politely applauded but remained glued to their seats. She tried explaining that her music is about happiness and for dancing, but nothing changed. Eventually Sony's president stood up and a wave instantaneously followed. The guests had been waiting for permission from the "big boss."
Propelled by the all impulsive Sony label, the axé dynamo continues to have enormous sales in Asia. Her third disc, Música de Rua, was such a towering success in Japan that Mercury agreed to record a song in Japanese. The tune, "Sukiaki," is still in its adaptation phase. It is certain, however, that "Sukiaki's" rhythmic foundation will be totally Baiana.
This year Mercury performed two shows in the United States and has intensified her performances in Mexico. As mentioned, she is already well accepted in Argentina. Next summer her efforts will be concentrated in Europe where she has good penetration and a large following, especially in Italy. Until then, she plans to position herself well enough to capture the attention of the most important international producers.
Reaching an international market appears certain for Daniela Mercury. Her schedule is filled with shows in Latin American, and her international invitations to perform leave her little time for much else. The new ambassador of Brazilian music has become a major commodity in the Brazilian market place. She appears in TV commercials for yogurt, beer, shampoo, and a product that assists mothers in preventing the dehydration of their infants. Furthermore, she was the star of Antarctica's Carnaval advertisements and of an add campaign by the National Bank.
While she is well on her way to becoming a shining star of World Music, she is unfailingly loyal to Salvador and says that she owes everything to Bahia, where her music originated. Even with all her triumphs and a life style that is frantic at times, her love for Salvador has not diminished. She adores Carnaval and its clamorous music. Her performances continue to bring money and tourists to the state. Since her first appearance in the Bahian Carnaval, tourism has jumped from 1.9 million in 1991 (the year of her first release) to 2.7 million in 1996.
She recently finished writing the preface to the book Carnaval Baiano: Business and Opportunities, to be published by the Serviço de Apoio às Micro e Pequenas Empresas (Service of Support for Small Businesses). In this preface, she talks about the enormous advantages Salvador has for entertainment and for mixing culture with business. In fact, it was through Mercury's guidance and vision that Bahia's Carnaval was revolutionized. In 1996, abandoning the traditional trios elétricos routine of remaining in the center of the city, she adopted an alternative shoreline circuit that went to the Farol da Barra (Barra lighthouse) and continued all the way to the Ondina district where the biggest hotels are concentrated, thereby creating two official circuits, one that opens space for local investments. Bahia's industry, after all, is an industry of pleasure, culture, and tourism.
The expansion of Carnaval has created a domino effect. Private restoration of the Pelourinho — the cultural center of Salvador — has increased, and the governor of the state was moved to combine the positions for Secretaries of Culture and of Tourism. In addition, the Balé Folclórico da Bahia has been rejuvenated and now has an agenda that is booked until 1999, with 90% of their shows in Europe and the United States. "Everything is guaranteed to return to Bahia," confirms Bel Marques, the singer for Chiclete com Banana and now the Secretary of Culture for the city of Salvador, a position that was once occupied by Gilberto Gil.
Originally from the backlands, Daniela is no stranger to the melancholy of life. Before reaching the top of MPB, she was forced to make many sacrifices. Her career has been so uncompromisingly planned that the "boomerang of success" has dramatically affected her once solid family structure. Fans used to stand outside of her home and stare at it until two in the morning. She often had to eat with the lights off. In March of 1993 when she was admitted to the hospital for an operation, her hospital room was invaded by the media. She hadn't told anyone about the surgery, yet the press somehow discovered the details. Her family received up-dates on her condition through the papers.
Initially, her reaction to fame was similar to other artists whose lives are often interrupted by their fervent fans. She would go to the shopping centers with an icy feeling in her stomach prepared to face an assault of the multitude and media. Today, she no longer feels suffocated and receives responses to her work and affection from her fans cordially. She doesn't want to be outside of everyday reality. To avoid the delirium of fame she clings to spirituality by attending candomblé ceremonies.
At 31 years of age, separated from her husband, Daniela's priorities are her work and her two children, Gabriel, 11 and Giovana, 9. Satisfied with her new single status and pampered by Sony Music, Daniela has few worries. "I am now in a more rational moment of my life, less intuitive." Her love life is in second place to her devotion to her family and her passion for Salvador.
Brazilian music may not be in its most brilliant phase, but anyone can lay a sure bet on Daniela's success. She has transformed and impassioned Bahian music and is in tune with her people, her city, and the sentiments of the market. The only difficulty lies in gauging how far she can travel on the international path. For now, everything is in the hands of Sony Music, but will happen only because of a charismatic talent that Brazil hasn't seen for a long time.
Bruce Gilman plays cuíca for Mocidade Independente Los Angeles (MILA), received his MA from California Institute of the Arts, and teaches English and ESL in Long Beach, California. You can reach him through his E-mail: cuica@interworld.net
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