Baco Exu do Blues launches ‘Fetiche’ and responds to criticism: ‘I don’t just talk about sex’

Who knows the Bacchus Exu of the Blues who sings “Drinking wine, breaking glasses / F*cking all over the house”, in “Te Amo Disgraça”, is not surprised by the verse that opens the title track of his new EP: “I control the vibrator in her panties while she drives”.

The artist released Fetish in the last week of June after a long research on the meanings behind the word that names the project. In the EP film, directed and written by Camila Cornelsentwo meanings are given to the noun: in mythology, it is an “object to which supernatural or magical powers are attributed and which is worshipped”, while in psychology, it is associated with an “object or part of the body that arouses sexual or erotic interest”.

When reflecting on the sexualization of black people, Spleen drew attention to the role of the Catholic Church in enslavement, stating that religious leaders argued that they had no soul.

“Desire becomes an issue for us, in a way. It seems that we are necessarily trapped in a box, and I saw this as a form of castration. For a long time, I wondered if this was also a way of containing black people,” he pondered in an interview with Rolling Stone Brazil.

This bothered me a lot, people putting it as if [o desejo por mim] It would be just because of my body. I’m a badass guy, I managed to rise financially in life, doing my own thing, I don’t consider myself a stupid person — I’m not the smartest person in the world, but I’m not a stupid guy either — I see myself as a good catch in every way. I also feel I have the right to be desired and to feel people’s desire in an original way. […] To me, it’s an immaculate wound.

That’s why, Spleen argues that Fetish It’s not about pure, applied sex: “I talk about sex in a way that I think is very beautiful, intelligent, sensitive, and that people aren’t used to talking about. I think it comes with layers. It comes with specific places. It comes with pain. It comes with feelings.”

Criticism

Bacchus Exu of the Blues is aware of the criticism related to his songs. Before releasing Fetishnegative comments about his work multiplied in publications linked to the EP. “Weak and repetitive content,” said one Instagram user, for example.

The author of “Me Desculpa Jay Z” responded to the criticisms of listeners who he believes did not understand his verses: “This type of content bothers me too, right? You see that when I write elaborate lyrics, talking about sex or toasting my freedom to talk about anything, people appear who get bothered.”

He also pointed out that such discomfort is generated by the expectations of those who consider black personalities responsible only for speeches about “misery and social pain”.

We are in 2024… There are many important people doing beautiful work, communicating about this, several books for people to study about it, several things. I want to talk about my life. I want to have fun making music. I want to live my moment and break this idea that a person with my face and my body has to literally talk about the subjects that they think this face and this body can talk about.

Spleen was sure he would “bring debates” by releasing the EP’s short film. He praised Cornelsen for the direction, stating that “she is the only person who could make this film without making it cheesy.”

The artist described the scenes in the video as the fruit of the protagonist’s imagination, who at various moments flirts with the character of Spleen. “And that leaves people with doubts, right? What are the reasons why she put me in her imagination like that?”, pointed out the singer.

“I knew it was a risky move to work with this, I knew it would bring debates. I knew it would bring conversations. I think that’s the role of the artist, right? Even though it’s a controversial topic, I think it’s important that it’s discussed, and I don’t necessarily have to give all the answers. I really believe in people’s potential to find their own answers,” he continued.

I always say that they are my reasons, my pains, my desires, but when they go out into the world, they become other people’s pains and desires.

The musician will give fans time to understand the messages included in the new project: “All my work has layers.”

Spleen confessed that “Casting Test”, a video that shows actors auditioning for the EP’s short film in a comical way, served to lighten the weight of the central theme of Fetish: “I want to talk about this heavy topic in a funny way. It’s crazy that it was so funny, that the central message of the thing ended up going unnoticed, and that’s f*cking funny too.”

You’ve heard 399,000 of my works. You know I don’t just talk about sex. Whoever says that is trying to do exactly what history has done: reduce me to a specific role.

Partnerships

“I often say that my songs ask for the right people for them,” he said. Spleen. In the case of “Sicilian lemon” and “pause from your sadness”, Young Piva It is Liniker were, respectively, the ideal artists for a partnership.

I’m a little wary of collaborations. If you stop and think about it, I have very few feats in my discography, and all the feats I’ve had are with people who, when I finished the song, I was sure it needed that person.

“Liniker brought a layer that completes [a música]”, he admitted Exu of the Blues. “In this song, I’m in a more cute place, and it goes to a more lustful place — and that’s exactly what I needed.”

“And the PivaI can’t imagine anyone else being able to jump on the ‘Sicilian lemon’ vibe,” he added. “I don’t know anyone who does what he does, musically, here in Brazil.”

Sounds

The winner of the Grand Prix of Cannes Advertising Festival He stressed that he doesn’t like to open up to his fans and prefers that they reach their own conclusions about the lyrics and sounds of his tracks.

Exu of the Blues stopped worrying about public pressure and tried to focus on his own voice during the creation process Fetish. “After QVVJFA?I was very afraid that I wouldn’t feel that desire to record again”, he assessed.

That’s why he challenged himself to “make a deal for an audience that knows almost nothing about music and for people who know a lot about music.” The artist didn’t go into detail about the new sounds included in the EP, but he did mention the use of samples:

The idea behind this EP was to play around with sounds. We wanted to make the songs with different instrumentals, but at the same time, we wanted the softness to be a common point. The idea was: if you play this EP 300 times, people won’t mind. But if they pay attention, they’ll understand a lot of things, they’ll understand the dynamics of the samples, they’ll understand the lyrics. There’s also a bass issue, which I think is more for musicians, more for producers…

In addition to beats reminiscent of reggaeton, Fetish includes an excerpt from “Sodade, Meu Bem, Sodade” — a well-known song sung by Nana Caymmi. Spleen revealed that “sodade” is his favorite track on the EP: “The lyrics to ‘sodade’ are some of the most beautiful things I’ve ever done.”