In just five years, Teto went from live broadcasts to international tours with his inspired trap that pleased the public – and surprised himself: “every day is a shock”
Fully highway Americana, under the sun of Pompano Beach, Florida, Roof celebrates. It feels like the end of a road movie good: it’s the end of the successful tour that covered six cities between Canada and the United States last March. It’s not his debut on Uncle Sam’s land – but it is his first tour with his own team. At the wheel of his own career, he is on top of the world – or rather, on the roof of the world.
A different world, it is true, than the one we Clériton Sávio Santos Silva imagined when he started recording his first songs. In 2020, at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, Teto had no idea that Brazilian trap would be his passport to a rockstar life, with more than six million monthly listeners on Spotify and overseas tours.
Teto’s career is a rare case. The singer managed to become popular in music right at the beginning, when he only had previews of songs, such as “M4” and “Drugs”, which were yet to be released. From preview to preview, he ended up earning the nickname King of Previews for a while.
Natural from Jacobina, Bahia, Teto saw music as a way to free himself from the limitations that his humble childhood had presented him with. “In my world, there weren’t many people with whom I identified, whether with the same experience or lifestyle,” he told Rolling Stone Brazil.
“Music was the only thing I found, something that I felt special doing and freed myself.”
It was by making music from isolation that he saw the chance to reach those who, also isolated, were looking for connection. His live broadcasts, where he showed the famous previews, did not have the professional level condition or investment that a career in music suggested. What he had was talent and charisma, which helped him make his song excerpts go viral.
With the public in his hands, Teto began to insist on this format to boost his career. So, he started making contacts and learning about the industry and the music market. Even without planning, those few previews managed to get him in the right people’s ear to put him in the position and at the moment he needed.
And what Teto needed at that moment was a group like 30PRAUMseal of Matue It is Clara Mendes, one of the people most responsible for the meteoric rise of trap in Brazil. With the company, the artist officially released the main hits, such as “zumzumzum”, “M4”, “Fim de Semana no Rio” and “Vampiro”. And it exploded.
“Buzzing is very relative. Proof of this today is the many names and talents we have in Brazil, in short. Doing what you love, genuinely, is what moves you above all else”, he reflects. “At all times I never saw myself in terms of the position I was in, the position of being. Every moment I want to renew myself and seek to be a better person, for my art and for my listener.”
To his accelerated beat, Teto adds the influence of other genres and musical styles. After his first successes rooted in trap, he began to experiment with afrobeat and MPB, for example. A natural turning point, he guarantees, as his short four-year career progresses.
“I started out really thirsty for the pot. [Atualmente] I can’t live a day without wanting to learn more and more to be an even better positioned person”, he explained. “I put myself in a position that I might not even want to be in, but we need to turn this key around! Every day is a shock.”
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.
