The musician points out that being close to the public serves as inspiration for his compositions: “every composer is a reporter of his time”
Ivan Lins has built a successful career in music over the past five decades. In addition to scoring his own hits, the singer and pianist composed songs for Elis Regina, Gal Costa, Emílio Santiago, Simoneamong many others.
Although he has experienced the various facets of fame, the artist prefers to maintain a certain humility when conducting his musical work. In an interview with Lookeven said that he prefers to do free shows, as it is closer to the public’s reality.
“I don’t make music for alienated people. I do it for people who know the reality of the country. I like playing in public squares, for free, because there are people of all races, genders and social classes.”
Still according to Linswho is currently promoting the album My Heart Speaks, being close to his listeners serves as inspiration for his compositions. A comparison with journalism was even made by the musician.
“Every composer is a reporter of his own time. It is possible to tell the story of Brazil through our music.”
Ivan Lins and social consciousness
The work of Ivan Lins is known for demonstrating political positioning even in times of military dictatorship. Although she began with a romantic repertoire, the artist began to explore social themes over time.
In another interview with the newspaper The globe, the musician used the same argument that an artist “is the reporter of his time”. And he reinforced that positioning yourself is important, but not mandatory for those who work in the area.
“The artist is a reporter of his time. We transmit our reality through music. And Portuguese is very rich, easy to be metaphorical. ‘Start Again’ is considered a love song, but it’s political. It is against the [ex-presidente João] Figueiredo. One of the last verses talks about spurs, as he was a cavalryman. ‘Without your spurs…’ But I think they can only charge you when you side with the criminal. If the guy doesn’t feel like talking about politics, that’s his right.”
Regarding the politicization of his work, Lins reflects that, initially, he was even guided by his father — the military Geraldo Luis — to avoid this type of subject in compositions. However, the country’s reality in the 1970s led it to address such issues.
“There was a certain pressure (not to approach), but subliminally. I It is Ronaldo (Monteiro de Souza, his main partner on the first albums) we didn’t have much desire to politicize our music, it was more romanticism. My father was in the military, and Ronaldo He had military uncles. There was pressure from the family to avoid politicized songs. My father didn’t tell me not to do it, but he told me to avoid it. He knew the dick was eating. But there came a time when it was stronger than me. I started to see that the violence was too much, too harsh. I lost a friend who disappeared, Nelson, has not been found to date. Another friend was walking down the street, they caught him and beat him up, he even lost his testicles. They had nothing to do with anything. Very bad things happened. Then I spoke to the Ronaldo: ‘now let’s attack’. From 1973 onwards, we started to become more politicized. In 1974, I met the Victor Martins, which was already very politicized. As Vitormy music took a leap.”
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.
