Nasi is very critical of the current state of Brazilian music. The lead singer of Ira!, one of the biggest rock bands in Brazil, has strong comments about the two most popular musical genres in the country today: country music and funk.
The topic was addressed by the singer in an interview with the reporter Gabriel Zorzetto for the newspaper The State of S. Paulo. At the time, he made it clear that he did not seek to be “nostalgic or “pessimistic” by pointing out that several talents were in the past.
“Obviously there are young talents, but that was a time of great lyricists, like Renato Russo, which played a lot on the radio. Nowadays the thing is to sing with autotune [recurso que corrige erros e imperfeições vocais] and the voices are all the same.”
Still from Nasi’s point of view, the strong dominance of country music and funk in the mainstream scene is negative for the music industry. Especially because, in his opinion, both genres bring very notable artistic problems.
Initially, when discussing “musical hegemony”, he criticized the country music:
“Every hegemonic musical movement is bad for the genre itself. Do you want to talk about country music? AND Chitãozinho & Xororó backwards. That’s not country music. All with the same timbre, nasal. I was shocked to discover that there is a guy who writes songs for the guys. He rhymes ‘kiss’ with ‘beer’ and makes the formula.”
He then amended comments about Rio funk. He said:
“And in Rio funk, unlike rap – which has content and reflects the reality of the outskirts – the MCs only talk about ostentation, cheap sexism.”
Today’s song ‘is trash’ for Nasi
In another interview, from 2023, conducted by the journalist Marcelo Vieira to the website Igor Miranda, Nasi was invited to reflect on the reasons why so many Brazilian bands from the 1980s and 1990s continue to sell out their shows. Three specific undertakings were highlighted, all of them involving some nostalgia: the farewell tour of skankthe reunion of the original formation of Titans and the tour that celebrates the 25th anniversary of Jota Quest.
Without mincing your tongue, Nasi pointed out what all this means:
“Today’s music is shit! [Risos] It’s rubbish, man!”
In other words: the public’s interest in old songs would be proof that the current moment is not good at all.
Afterwards, the singer also commented that Brazilian rock from the 1980s received a lot of criticism for its alleged lack of quality. For him, the game ended up changing in a very visible way.
“You know that joke, ‘It used to be worse’? Because they criticized national rock a lot in the 1980s. Nelson Motta that ‘national rock is the AIDS of Brazilian music’. So I tell you, in the past it was worse, then it got worse. [Risos]”
Recently, Nasi released the solo album RockSoulBlues. The work brings together versions of songs by artists who served as an influence on the Ira! singer. Erasmo Carlos, Martinho da Vila and Tim Maia are among those celebrated.
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.
