A success on stage, “Belezas São Negócios Acesas Por Dentro” comes out as an album this Tuesday (26) – a tribute to Gal that reflects Filipe’s journey in search of gender affirmation and against depression: “now, this is my repertoire too “
“Who am I?” was the first question. “Who am I to sing Gal Costa?”Filipe Catto reacted hesitantly to SESC’s invitation to prepare a tribute to Gal earlier this year: ‘I was moved, but I thought: ‘is it necessary?'”
Instigated, the singer from Rio Grande do Sul set out on a poetic journey, based on an intuitive – or spiritual – call: “My pomba-gira tapped me on the shoulder and said: ‘you stop with this impostor syndrome, you have 15 years of career , you are a singer and you can sing Gal Costa'”.
Now, almost six months after its premiere, the project Beauties Are Things Ignited Insideinitially thought of as a show, became an album in the hands of Filipe Catto and Modern Jewelry Discs. More than a clipping from Filipe’s celebrated tribute to Gal – whom the artist got to know ‘in the dressing rooms of life’ -, it is a powerful and true record of Catto herself on her journey of self-discovery:
“I had drafted those ideas, rehearsed those songs, but that feeling when I put on the costume, when I saw myself in the mirror with that image, when I went on stage and faced all my dysphoria, and sang practically naked on stage… Something happened there.”
With 10 tracks and released this Tuesday (26), the album [ouça após o texto] brings together hits that won the world in Gal’s voice. In a scenario where tributes to the work of the Bahian singer, who died in 2022, abound, Catto stands out for bringing to the tribute a dialogue with her own trajectory due to her sexuality, her sensuality and the affirmation of her place in the world:
“I wanted to sing Gal’s classics, like ‘Vaca Profana’, ‘Vapor Barato’, ‘Divino Maravilhoso’, but also the songs that spoke about me, after all this moment of my understanding and affirmation of gender. This is Gal for me. She has something of an affirmation of visceral and powerful and sexual and intense femininity, extremely paradigm-breaking, which I, in a way, humbly, felt first hand in my journey in recent times.”
Thus, Filipe still includes the most personal moments of the show in the album – those that reflect his own story. This is the case of “Oração da Mãe Menininha”, “Nada Mais” and “Sem Medo Nem Esperança” – a track that, according to her, reflects well and better a difficult part of her trajectory in recent times.
Beauty that lights up
When the project arrived for Filipe at the beginning of the year, she was facing a moment of exhaustion – or a “hangover” from the previous years, as she herself defines it. In the midst of recording her fourth studio album, scheduled to be released next year, she ended up going through a depressive process that she resisted during the hardest years of the pandemic.
“When the pandemic passed, I fell into a very concrete depressive process – this was during the recording of the album. And I was no longer able to handle that project, I needed a break. And this project with Gal came a bit like a lifeboat -lives. It was literally what pulled me out of rock bottom.”
From the top of the stage, in front of Gal, she had to face herself and used the tribute to reconnect with a passion for performance, for the stage, for the scene – ‘an injection of lust in me, because I was practically Courtney’s little girl Love, dragging me through the sewers of São Paulo, doing all sorts of bad things.”
Unpretentiously, the production of the show – and the album – ended up heading towards a more rocky interpretation of Gal. Accompanied by a power trio Michelle Abu (battery), Fábio Pinczowski (guitar and musical direction) and Gabriel Mayall (bass), Catto took his questions to the stage in the form of music – “What is it like to experience this goddess with divine tits? This unholy cow? This tigress?” – and found herself, visceral and elevated, both on stage and in the studio, doing “one of the most fun things I’ve ever done.”
“I don’t think we can ignore certain life experiences, but in fact Beauty is Things Ignited by Inside was the work that grabbed me by the scruff of the neck, took me from rock bottom, put me back in the place that I am, that I am. passionate, which is the stage”, says Filipe.
Show and physical album
After the launch on digital platforms this Tuesday – the anniversary date shared between Filipe and Gal – Beauties Are Things Ignited Inside it will become physical media, CD and K7, in addition to vinyl: “it’s very symbolic because it’s my first little vinyl”.
And the show continues on tour, with a performance scheduled for this Thursday, 28th, at Casa Natura Musicalin São Paulo, in addition to other shows already scheduled – including two sets already scheduled at Blue Note São Paulo by the project Rolling Stone Sessions.
“Above any tribute, I’m on stage. Even though I’m singing Gal’s repertoire – and she’s very present there, as an emblem, after all – it’s a show of Filipe Catto singing his songs. Singing his repertoire. A From now on, this is my repertoire too.”
Listen Beauties Are Things Ignited Insidein Filipe Cattobelow:
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.
