PEDRO MAFAMA

(PT)

There was a time when Pedro almost threw it all away, more than once. The first, out of fear, for thinking that his music might not be that interesting for others, leading him to constantly postpone the much-desired step of coming out as an artist. On the contrary, his music not only interested but enthralled, as was quickly understood when he edited the EPs. Bad reputation and so much salt, in 2017 and 2018, respectively, making known a song made of kuduro, kizomba, afro-house, R&B, hip-hop, but also fado and several references to Portuguese popular music. From one moment to the next, he was elevated to the status of the great hope of new Portuguese music, becoming a recurring figure on the stages of clubs and festivals more attentive to novelty. And it was then that he almost lost himself again, deceived by the apparent success, “like that young football player who is signed by a big club, but after a year nobody hears about him”, in his own words. However, he returned in a big way, in 2021, with the acclaimed debut album Down This River, in which he recovered, in the light of a certain urban contemporaneity, tradition, the popular and also “some forgotten or hidden connections, which are also part of what it means to be Portuguese”. He was also one of the producers of the disruptive Guilhermina House, the album that redirected Ana Moura's career in new directions and last month she edited her second album of originals I was in the abyss but I took a step forward, which includes the already successful Road and Right price.