Jorge Mário da Silva, more commonly known by his

stage name A stage name is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. Such professional aliases are adopted for a wide variety of reasons and they may be similar, or nearly identical, to an individu ...

Seu Jorge (Seu, an abbreviation of "Senhor"; born June 8, 1970; ), is a Brazilian musical artist, songwriter, and actor. He is considered by many a renewer of Brazilian pop

samba Samba (), also known as samba urbano carioca (''urban Carioca samba'') or simply samba carioca (''Carioca samba''), is a Brazilian music genre that originated in the Afro-Brazilian communities of Rio de Janeiro in the early 20th century. Havi ...

. Seu Jorge cites samba schools and American

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun '' soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest att ...

singer

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris ( Judkins; May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, who is credited as a pioneer and influence by musicians across a range of genres that include rhythm and blues, pop, s ...

as major musical influences. Jorge is also known for his film roles as Mané Galinha in the 2002 film '' City of God'' and as Pelé dos Santos in the 2004 film '' The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou''. His musical work has received praise from many of his fellow musicians including

Beck Beck David Hansen (born Bek David Campbell; July 8, 1970) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He rose to fame in the early 1990s with his experimental and lo-fi style, and became known for creating musical colla ...

and

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

Biography

The first-born of four children (the others being Charles, Vitório and Rogério), Seu Jorge had a tough childhood in the neighborhood of Gogó da Ema, in

Belford Roxo Belford Roxo () is a city in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is a part of the metropolitan region of the city of Rio de Janeiro and was created in 1990. Its population was 513,118 in 2020 and its area is 79 km². Belford Roxo is one o ...

. He started working in a tire shop when he was only 10 years old, the first of various jobs such as

courier A courier is a person or organisation that delivers a message, package or letter from one place or person to another place or person. Typically, a courier provides their courier service on a commercial contract basis; however, some couriers are ...

, joiner, and potato peeler in a bar. Seu Jorge served in the Brazilian Army from 1989 to 1990 in Rio de Janeiro, but did not adapt to the military lifestyle and ended up being expelled, in January of 1990.Rivera, Leonardo. ''Seu Jorge: a inteligencia é fundamental''. MPM NETO Editora, 2015. The various professions never hindered Seu Jorge's dream of becoming a musician. Since his adolescence, he would frequent samba circles and funk parties with his dad and brothers, and early on started to perform singing at such events. It was there that, in 1990, the murder of his brother Vitório tore his family apart, and Seu Jorge ended up being

homeless Homelessness or houselessness – also known as a state of being unhoused or unsheltered – is the condition of lacking stable, safe, and adequate housing. People can be categorized as homeless if they are: * living on the streets, also kn ...

for around three years. The turnaround happened when Gabriel Moura, nephew of clarinetist

Paulo Moura Paulo Moura (15 July 1932 – 12 July 2010) was a Brazilian clarinetist and saxophonist. Born in São José do Rio Preto, where his father was the maestro of a marching band and encouraged his son to train as a tailor, Paulo instead studied in ...

, invited him to participate in a spectacle called ''The flour saga'' (known in Portuguese as ''A saga da farinha''), in which Gabriel was the musical director. He ended up participating in more than 20 shows with the Companhia de Teatro TUERJ, as singer and actor. Since he had no place to sleep, Seu Jorge slept in the theater, between 1993 and 1997 – the year where he joined the band Farofa Carioca.

Career

Seu Jorge has gained exposure through his work as an actor and soundtrack composer. He appeared in the critically acclaimed 2002 film '' City of God'' as

Mané Galinha ''City of God'' ( pt, Cidade de Deus) is a 2002 Brazilian epic crime film co-directed by Fernando Meirelles and Kátia Lund, released in Brazil in 2002 and worldwide in 2003. Bráulio Mantovani adapted the story from the 1997 novel of the sa ...

, directed by filmmakers

Fernando Meirelles Fernando Ferreira Meirelles (; born 9 November 1955) is a Brazilian film director, producer and screenwriter. He is best known for co-directing the film '' City of God'', released in 2002 in Brazil and in 2003 in the U.S. by Miramax Films, whic ...

and

Katia Lund Katia is a feminine given name. It is a variant of Katya. Notable people with this name Actresses and models * Katia Dandoulaki, Greek actress * Katia Margaritoglou, Greek fashion model and beauty contestant *Katia Winter (born 1983), Swed ...

, and then played Pelé dos Santos in Wes Anderson's '' The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou'', for which he provided much of the soundtrack in the form of

Portuguese language Portuguese ( or, in full, ) is a western Romance languages, Romance language of the Indo-European language family, originating in the Iberian Peninsula of Europe. It is an official language of Portugal, Brazil, Cape Verde, Angola, Mozambique, ...

cover version In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song relea ...

s of

classics. In June 2006, he performed at Bonnaroo music festival in Manchester, Tennessee and at the Festival Sudoeste TMN in

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of th ...

. He also performed at the Harbourfront in

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

. Jorge's performances are known for their excitement as well as for getting the crowd moving. In January 2010 he performed with

Thievery Corporation Thievery Corporation is an American electronic music duo consisting of Rob Garza and Eric Hilton. Their musical style mixes elements of dub, acid jazz, reggae, Indian classical, Middle Eastern music, hip hop and Brazilian music, including ...

at the Austin City Limits. His album 'América Brasil' had a limited Brazilian release in 2007 under his label Cafuné Gravadora, distributed in the UK by

Proper Music Distribution Stemming from a business started in 1988, Proper Music Distribution has grown to become the largest totally independent distributor in the UK, with annual sales of over £25million. It is a wholly owned subsidiary company of Proper Music Group L ...

. In May 2010,

Now-Again Records Now-Again Records is a Los Angeles–based music imprint that specializes in reissues and compilations of funk, soul, and psychedelic rock from the 1960s to the 1980s. Founded in 2002 by Eothen "Egon" Alapatt as a subsidiary of Stones Throw Record ...

announced that Jorge's new album, Seu Jorge & Almaz, a collaboration with drummer Pupillo and guitarist Lucio Maia from Nação Zumbi and bassist and composer Antonio Pinto would be released in North America, Japan, Australia and New Zealand on July 27 and in Europe on September 14. The album has been described as "how powerful Brazilian soul music can be." In 2011, he collaborated with

on the

Mario C. Mario Caldato Jr. (born February 24, 1961), also known as Mario C., is a Brazilian-born record producer and studio engineer best known for his work with Beastie Boys, Jack Johnson in the US, Marcelo D2 and Seu Jorge in Brazil. Early life C ...

remix of "Tropicália" for the Red Hot Organization's most recent charitable album " Red Hot+Rio 2." In 2012, he collaborated with American fashion designer

Rachel Roy Rachel Irene Roy (born January 15, 1974) is an American fashion designer. Early life and education Roy was born in San Bernardino County, California, and raised in Seaside, California, as a member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. She gr ...

on a line of sportswear, footwear, jewelry and handbags. In 2015, he was nominated for the 16th Latin Grammy Awards in the Best Brazilian Contemporary Pop Album category. On September 8, he performed after lighting the cauldron in the 2016 Summer Paralympics opening ceremony in

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...

. According to a DNA test, Seu Jorge is 85.1% African, 12.9% European and 2% Amerindian. He belongs to

haplogroup R1b Haplogroup R1b (R-M343), previously known as Hg1 and Eu18, is a human Y-chromosome haplogroup. It is the most frequently occurring paternal lineage in Western Europe, as well as some parts of Russia (e.g. the Bashkirs) and pockets of Central ...

, suggesting that his paternal lineage probably derives from Western Europe.

Solo discography

* '' Samba Esporte Fino'' (2001) * '' Cru'' (2005) * '' The Life Aquatic Studio Sessions'' (2005) * ''América Brasil O Disco'' (2007) * ''Seu Jorge & Almaz'' (2010) * ''Músicas para Churrasco, Vol. 1'' (2011) * ''Músicas para Churrasco, Vol. 2'' (2015)

Filmography

*'' City of God'' (2002) as Mané Galinha - Knockout Ned *'' Moro no Brasil'' (2002) as Himself *'' The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou'' (2004) as Pelé dos Santos *'' House of Sand'' (2005) as Massu - 1910-1919 *'' Elipsis'' (2006) as Coyote *'' Sleepwalkers'' (2007) *'' The Escapist'' (2008) as Viv Batista *'' Carmo'' (2008) as Amparo de Jesús *'' The Elite Squad 2'' (2010) as Beirada *'' Anderson Silva: Like Water'' (2011, Documentary) as Himself *'' Reis e Ratos'' (2012) as Américo Vilarinho *'' E Aí... Comeu?'' (2012) as Seu Jorge, o Garçom *'' City of God - 10 Years Later'' (2012) *'' Pelé: Birth of a Legend'' (2016) as

Dondinho João Ramos do Nascimento (2 October 1917 – 16 November 1996), nicknamed Dondinho, was a Brazilian footballer who played as a centre forward. He was the father, mentor and trainer of Pelé. During his own playing career, Dondinho played for a ...

*''Soundtrack'' (2017) as Cao *'' Paraíso Perdido'' (2018) as Teylor *'' Abe'' (2019) as Chico *'' Marighella'' (2019) as

Carlos Marighella Carlos Marighella (; 5 December 1911 – 4 November 1969) was a Brazilian politician, writer, and guerrilla fighter of Marxist–Leninist orientation. He was accused of engaging in "terrorist acts" against the Brazilian military dictatorsh ...

*'' Brotherhood'' (2019, TV Series) as Edison *''Pixinguinha, Um Homem Carinhoso'' (2021) as Pixinguinha *''Medida Provisória'' (2022) as Andre

DVDs

* ''MTV Apresenta Seu Jorge'' (2004) * '' Ana & Jorge: Ao Vivo'' with Ana Carolina (2005) * ''Seu Jorge – Live at Montreux'' (2006) * ''América Brasil Ao Vivo'' (2009) * ''Músicas para churrasco ao vivo'' (2012)

References

External links

* – official site * – official site * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Jorge, Seu 1970 births Living people Afro-Brazilian composers Brazilian male film actors Brazilian emigrants to the United States Afro-Brazilian male singers Brazilian singer-songwriters Brazilian soul singers Hollywood Records artists People from Rio de Janeiro (state) Música Popular Brasileira singers Latin Grammy Award winners Brazilian people of indigenous peoples descent Afro-Brazilian male actors Because Music artists Afro-Brazilian male songer-songwriters Now-Again Records artists Latin music songwriters IFFI Best Actor (Male) winners