Album released on the 9th marks the beginning of the solo career of the artist from Minas Gerais, formerly of Rosa Neon
It is with a pop touch and romantic lyricism that Marcelo Tofani released, this week (9), his first solo album, Fantasy of a Perfect Love. Released nine months after the first single from the new phase, “Certificar”, the album confirms the extent of the artist’s talent.
Combining elements of disco music, reggaeton, BH funk (funk with a Minas Gerais footprint from Belo Horizonte), as well as suffering, pisadinha, dancehall and afrobeat, the album “absorbs a lot of information, in a world full of information”, explains the singer.
“When I entered the studio to make this album, I decided to turn on the ”fuck-it” switch and make the music with my heart, the way I wanted to make it, whether in an X or Y rhythm, do you know why? First of all I am a pop artist. Pop is not a rhythm, pop is a genre that absorbs completely different rhythms. That is my greatest pleasure in music. I am an artist who listens and absorbs references from different styles and who does not manages, even if he wants to, to get inside the box of the genre. That ended up being the concept of the album.”
It is also the natural evolution of a career that began with the success of neon pinka group that shared with Marina Sena It is Baka. Here, though, he dabbles in lyricism and poetry, writing the songs as a journey through a relationship that – spoiler! – doesn’t end so well.
Fantasy of a Perfect Love also marks the launch of Tofani on the label The Quadrilhain Djonga. About the partnership, the singer spoke to Rolling Stone Brazil:
“Having signed with AQuadrilha is one of the symptoms of me being the personification of random rolê. I’m the guy who creates musical bridges between places that sometimes didn’t exist. For example, I’m one of the only artists from A’ Quadrilha who isn’t a rapper , and at the same time Djonga and I have been partners since the beginning of our careers, we’ve always done things together, he was a very important guy, not only in my solo career, but also in Rosa Neon.”
track by track
At the request of Rolling Stone Brazil, Marcelo Tofani detailed the album track by track. Below, the details, inspirations and backstage of the nine tracks from Fantasy of a Perfect Love. Press play on the disc and then check out what the artist said about each track.
1 – Till the Sunrise
That’s the intro to the record, it’s like “welcome to the fantasy world of perfect love”. It, in addition to having the name of the album in the lyrics, starts with the phrase “Do I like you or do I just like what we should be?”, which summarizes this story that I will tell in the next song. . I started producing it on my cell phone, freaking out over an organ sample that I thought was cool and then I took it to Gabriel Moulin’s studio, who has been my friend since I was 11 years old and the day we produced it, we had a big fight when deciding on the melody of the whistle. First time we fought in my life, I felt bad at the time but then it went away. The fight was really stupid, hahahaha.
2 – Certify
This song is the beginning of the story. The flirt. Two people seeing each other for the first time, looking at each other from afar and sending signals. I made this one after watching a Bee Gees documentary and being fascinated. I think you can see the reference in the falsettos and the half-disco vibe. I also started the production of this one on my cell phone and then I took it to Gabriel Moulin’s studio.
3 – Danger
Here, these two people are introduced and the lyrics talk about that sense of danger and wanting to let go. We wanted to do something like ragga, like “shape of you” with a Latin flavor. There’s a trumpet solo on this one that drives me crazy…
4 – Arrows
This one is with MC Anjim. in this part, the mad passion, the arrowed heart, the heavy chemistry and the advanced physics of the relationship take place. For me, it’s the most sexual song on the record. When MGZD and I did this one in an immersion, I clearly imagined the voice of the anjim even before I invited him. That was pretty crazy, I could hear it even though he hadn’t recorded it yet. There had to be not only a great representative of BH funk, it had to be HIM.
5 – Me and He Doesn’t Give
Here is the time when the relationship goes downhill. There’s someone in the way and a choice has to be made for the other person. It’s a sunny, very Brazilian song that talks about a difficult personal situation of mine but in a humorous way. I’m that type that laughs nervously when everything is going wrong. I had already written it a few months before starting the album and it fit like a glove. It’s a vector that goes right in the middle.
6 – I Don’t Change For Anyone
Ca time of my favorite. At least on this day that I have been writing this “track by track”, then it can change.
The lyric of “I don’t change for nobody” is a breakup lyric. Breakup with the other person you idealized and who was also idealizing you. About feeling erased by this other person’s projections and not being able to change for them anymore. It has a bittersweet feel to it, because while it moves you, you also get excited listening to it and want to dance. I also started this one on my cell phone and then produced it with Gabriel Moulin.
7 – NANANI NANO
NANANI NANÃO is drunk music with longing. a longing that does not pass. She’s a trap stoned and up in partnership with X SEM PEITA, rappers from the label I’m part of, AQuadrilha. We did this in a one night session.
8 – To forget (indescribable sax)
This one is still about that moment of drinking and acting stupid to try to forget someone, but when you hear that song, deep down you still think about that relationship. The sax is really indescribable: its melody is a mixture of motel music in that George Michael vibe with music that organized fans sing in stadiums, reminding me of my times as a goalkeeper… the beat hits the track a lot, it’s an accelerated reggaeton with a pinch of lambada. I think it’s really good to dance. I don’t know how to dance, but I like to make music for others to dance to.
9 – How did we end up?
The last track and the one with perhaps the deepest lyrics. It deals with that moment when you completely forget about the person you loved so much and shared so many stories with, you no longer remember why it ended, you saw two strangers and even her face slowly fades from your memory. I feel this with past loves, I think it’s a crazy phenomenon that I can’t understand. And so the cycle closes.
Source: Rollingstone
Earl Johnson is a music writer at Gossipify, known for his in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the industry. A graduate of USC with a degree in Music, he brings years of experience and passion to his writing. He covers the latest releases and trends, always on the lookout for the next big thing in music.
