Guilherme Arantes

Biography

Guilherme Arantes (born July 28, 1953, in São Paulo, Brazil) is a Brazilian singer-songwriter and pianist who has become one of the most influential figures in Brazilian popular music. As a teenager, he was a member of the band Os Polissonantes, which featured Brazilian actor Kadu Moliterno on bass guitar. In 1969, Arantes co-founded Moto Perpétuo with fellow students from São Paulo University's architecture course, a progressive rock band that blended international rock influences with Brazilian MPB traditions from the Clube da Esquina movement. The band released an album in 1974 on the Continental label, with Arantes composing 9 of the 11 tracks, but he left the group in 1975 to pursue a more personal and emotionally direct pop style.

Arantes' solo career took off immediately when his song "Meu Mundo e Nada Mais" (My World and Nothing More) was selected by Rede Globo for the telenovela Anjo Mau in 1976, becoming a major hit and launching his national touring career. His self-titled debut album, released the same year on Globo's Som Livre label, established him as a rising star. Throughout the late 1970s and 1980s, Arantes became a prolific hitmaker, writing 23 additional songs for telenovela soundtracks and achieving remarkable commercial success. During the 1980s, he set a record for collecting the highest royalties among Brazilian songwriters, surpassing Caetano Veloso, Chico Buarque, and Gilberto Gil, and placed 12 songs at number one on the charts. He is credited with pioneering the new wave genre in Brazil with "Perdidos na Selva" in 1981, considered the country's first new wave song.

Beyond his solo achievements, Arantes has been recognized as a master songwriter whose compositions have been recorded by numerous major Brazilian artists including Elis Regina, Maria Bethânia, Caetano Veloso, Roberto Carlos, Gal Costa, and Belchior. He is one of the few Brazilian pianists to be recognized as a Steinway Artist, joining an elite group that includes Franz Liszt, George Gershwin, and Duke Ellington. His 2017 album Flores & Cores was ranked the 13th best Brazilian album of that year by Rolling Stone Brasil. As of 2021, Arantes has relocated to Ávila, Spain, and is preparing a new album for release in early 2026 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of his career.

Fun Facts

• Arantes is one of only a handful of Brazilian pianists to achieve Steinway Artist status, placing him in the company of legendary musicians such as Franz Liszt, George Gershwin, and Duke Ellington.
• He pioneered the new wave genre in Brazil with the song "Perdidos na Selva" in 1981, which is recognized as the country's first new wave composition.
• During the 1980s, Arantes set a record for collecting the highest royalties among Brazilian songwriters, surpassing major figures like Caetano Veloso, Chico Buarque, and Gilberto Gil, and placed 12 songs at number one on the charts.
• Arantes was born at noon on July 28, 1953, in the Pro Matre hospital in the Bela Vista neighborhood of São Paulo, and is a Leo with a Scorpio ascendant according to his astrological profile.

Associated Acts

• Moto Perpétuo

Musical Connections

Mentors/Influences

• Tom Jobim - Received praise and recognition from the legendary Brazilian composer during the 1980s (General career recognition) [1980s]

Key Collaborators

• Elis Regina - Recorded two of Arantes' compositions; had a brief romantic relationship and musical partnership ("Só Deus é Quem Sabe" and "Aprendendo a Jogar" (Learning to Play)) [1980]
• César Camargo Mariano - Provided musical arrangement and support for Arantes' work with Elis Regina ("Aprendendo a Jogar") [1980s]
• Claudio Lucci - Guitarist and co-founder of Moto Perpétuo with Arantes (Moto Perpétuo (1974)) [1969-1974]
• Diógenes - Drummer in Moto Perpétuo, described by Arantes as the best drummer he had ever seen (Moto Perpétuo (1974)) [1969-1974]

Artists Influenced

• Mano Brown - Influenced by Arantes' songwriting and musical approach (General influence on musical style) [Contemporary]
• Vanessa da Mata - Influenced by Arantes' songwriting and musical approach (General influence on musical style) [Contemporary]
• Marcelo Jeneci - Influenced by Arantes' songwriting and musical approach (General influence on musical style) [Contemporary]
• Tulipa Ruiz - Influenced by Arantes' songwriting and musical approach (General influence on musical style) [Contemporary]
• Curumin - Influenced by Arantes' songwriting and musical approach (General influence on musical style) [Contemporary]
• Céu - Influenced by Arantes' songwriting and musical approach (General influence on musical style) [Contemporary]
• Bruna Caram - Influenced by Arantes' songwriting and musical approach (General influence on musical style) [Contemporary]

Discography

Albums

Top Tracks

1. Meu Mundo E Nada Mais (Lance Legal)
2. Cheia de Charme (Despertar)
3. Cheia De Charme (Lance Legal)
4. Um Dia, um Adeus (Guilherme Arantes)
5. O melhor vai começar (25 Anos)
6. Êxtase (25 Anos)
7. Pedacinhos (Bye, Bye So Long) (Lance Legal)
8. Planeta água (25 Anos)
9. Amanhã (Lance Legal)
10. Meu Mundo e Nada Mais

External Links

• Spotify
• Wikipedia
• MusicBrainz

Tags: #brazilian-pop, #brazilian-rock, #brazilian-traditions