Ivete Sangalo was recently described as enjoying Robbie Williams like fame in her native Brazil but truth be told the status she enjoys is more of Madona like proportions. The multi-multi-million selling singer, and queen of carnival in her home state Bahia took the UK by storm in a string of recent London shows. As part of her whirlwind international tour Ivete managed to fit in three sell-out London shows as well as appearing at World Cup parties in Germany and at Portugal’s Rock in Rio festival. She performed at the Shepherds Bush Empire on June 21st, at the Hammersmith Apollo on June 23rd and at the chic central London Brazilian hangout Guanabara on June 21st.
The intimate nature of Guanabara provided fans the rare opportunity to get close and truly appreciate the performance of a star who more often than not finds herself performing to millions during carnival in the Bahian capital Salvador or to stadiums full of adoring fans. With a capacity of only 600 and its elegant décor the Guanabara show left fans in no doubt that they were witnessing something special.
Much of Ivete’s success can be attributed to her refusal to remain bound to any one musical genre. This was reflected in her live performance as she bounced seamlessly between samba, reggae, rock, pop, samba-reggae, samba-rock, axé . . . Regardless of one’s musical tastes, and I say this only because Ivete’s sound is one that is uniquely Brazilian and has no easy equivalent in the UK, the beauty and sheer power of her voice are undeniable. She is more than just a pretty voice however and regularly leaves audiences worldwide mesmerised by her hypnotic dance moves and energy packed shows - just as she did at Guanabara.
Ivete chose to end with a rather unusual rendition of John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’ – her way of saying thank you London. Her English left rather a lot to be desired yet considering the almost complete absence of non-Brazilians in the crowd this hardly seemed to matter. This was a predominantly Brazilian affair and London’s Brazilian contingent turned out in force; well, those lucky enough to score a highly sought after ticket did anyway. There were a few non-Brazilians present, dragged along by adamant partners and friends; and they too soon found themselves bouncing around and all left raving about the phenomenon that is Ivete Sangalo.
For more information on Ivete Sangalo who’s new album ‘Ivete Sangalo’ has just been released by Universal Music in the UK see www.ivetesangalo.comwww.ivetesangalo.com
For more on Guanabara including details of upcoming events see www.guanabara.co.uk
Words By: Joe Kent
