Jorge Mário da Silva, more commonly known by his

stage name A stage name or professional name is a pseudonym used by performers, authors, and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. The equivalent concept among writers is called a ''nom de plume'' (pen name). Some performers ...

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

samba Samba () is a broad term for many of the rhythms that compose the better known Brazilian music genres that originated in the Afro-Brazilians, Afro Brazilian communities of Bahia in the late 19th century and early 20th century, It is a name or ...

. Seu Jorge cites samba schools and American soul singer

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris (; Judkins; born May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American and Ghanaian singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th c ...

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), known mononymously as Beck, is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He rose to fame in the early 1990s with his Experimental music, experimental and Lo-fi mus ...

and

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer, songwriter and actor. Regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, pa ...

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. 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 organization 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, also known as houselessness or being unhoused or unsheltered, is the condition of lacking stable, safe, and functional housing. It includes living on the streets, moving between temporary accommodation with family or friends, liv ...

for around three years. The turnaround happened when Gabriel Moura, nephew of clarinetist Paulo Moura, 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. He is cousins with Brazilian singer Dudu Nobre, and is of Cape Verdean descent.

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, 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 (2002 film), City of God'', released in 2002 in Brazil and in 2003 in the Un ...

and Katia Lund, and then played Pelé dos Santos in

Wes Anderson Wesley Wales Anderson (born May 1, 1969) is an American filmmaker. Wes Anderson filmography, His films are known for themes of grief, loss of innocence, and dysfunctional families. Due to his films' eccentricity, distinctive visual and narrative ...

's '' The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou'', for which he provided much of the soundtrack in the form of

Portuguese language Portuguese ( or ) is a Western Romance language of the Indo-European language family originating from the Iberian Peninsula of Europe. It is the official language of Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Portugal and São Tom� ...

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 release ...

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, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

. He also performed at the Harbourfront in

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

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

Austin City Limits ''Austin City Limits'' is an American Concert, live music Television show, television program recorded and produced by KLRU, Austin PBS. The show helped Austin become widely known in the United States as the "Live Music Capital of the World", an ...

. His album 'América Brasil' had a limited Brazilian release in 2007 under his label Cafuné Gravadora, distributed in the UK by Proper Music Distribution. In May 2010, Now-Again Records 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. 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 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, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

. According to a DNA test, Seu Jorge is 85.1% African, 12.9% European and 2% Amerindian. He belongs to haplogroup R1b, suggesting that his paternal lineage probably derives from Western Europe. In 2022, Seu Jorge embarked on a U.S. tour with Daniel Jobim, performing classic bossa nova compositions in tribute to Tom Jobim, João Gilberto, and other icons of the genre. That same year, he headlined Rock in Rio Lisboa, blending samba and MPB in a set that was well received by both the public and critics. In 2023, Jorge appeared in a minor role in Wes Anderson's film '' Asteroid City''.

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 *''Soundtrack'' (2017) as Cao *'' Paraíso Perdido'' (2018) as Teylor *'' Abe'' (2019) as Chico *'' Marighella'' (2019) as Carlos Marighella *'' Brotherhood'' (2019, TV Series) as Edison *'' Executive Order'' (2020) as Andre *''Pixinguinha, Um Homem Carinhoso'' (2021) as Pixinguinha *'' Asteroid City'' (2023) as Cowboy *''Anderson Spider Silva'' (2023) as Benedito * '' The Best Mother in the World'' (2025)

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 21st-century Brazilian composers Brazilian male film actors Brazilian emigrants to the United States Brazilian singer-songwriters Brazilian soul singers Hollywood Records artists People from Belford Roxo Música Popular Brasileira singers Latin Grammy Award winners Brazilian people of indigenous peoples descent Afro-Brazilian male actors 21st-century Brazilian male actors Because Music artists Afro-Brazilian male singer-songwriters Brazilian male singer-songwriters Now-Again Records artists Latin music songwriters IFFI Best Actor (Male) winners Brazilian people of Cape Verdean descent Male actors from Rio de Janeiro (state) Multishow Brazilian Music Award winners