João Gomes says that composing requires patience, and that music raises self-esteem

After starring in the show compared to a “sample of the apocalypse” in Mossoró (RN), João Gomes established himself as a phenomenon of the piseiro in his debut in São Paulo. There were four sold-out shows, Thursday (2) and Friday (3), at Centro de Tradições Nordestinas and the festivals Garota Vip, and Noite do Piseiro, on Saturday (4).

Born in Serrita, in the hinterland of Pernambuco, the 19-year-old singer sold out both nights at the São Paulo edition of the “PIZRO” festival. They were also at the Tarcísio do Acordeon event, which brought the audience to tears by honoring Marília Mendonça, Biu do Piseiro and Vitor Fernandes. At Garota Vip, by Wesley Safadão, João ended up getting in trouble with the fans after posing for a photo with DJ Ivis, a defendant for domestic violence.

Despite the full audiences, however, scenes were not seen like those of the musician’s other performances that went viral last week, ranging from a fan tearing his shirt, excited, singing “Sofrência”, to a couple having sex in the audience, without worrying about the surrounding audience. João Gomes declined to comment on the images.

The singer, who already has more than 8 million followers on Instagram and 6 million monthly listeners on Spotify, made the floor shake with the packed house dancing the step. With tickets that went from R$300 on the last batch, distribution of Danke chocolates at the door and the sale of typical foods, the event symbolized the relaxation of restrictive rules, albeit with caution.

‘I HAVE THE PASSWORD’

A shy boy, but with a strong and serious voice, João tries to explain what the “password” is that he mentions in several of his songs and gives the name to his first album. The catchphrase emerged from an episode lived with his brother still in Serrita, he says.

“When I was still there in the sertão with my brother, a boy took the drum to play and asked: ‘how do you play it?’ My ‘bro’ said: ‘you have to have the password.’ and at the time of inspiration I wrote the rest”, he reported, in an interview with F5.

Author of most of his successes, he says the main ingredients for his creative process are sincerity and patience.

“I wait for inspiration to come, it’s very natural. You have to be very sincere when singing, because you’ll sing for the people who like you. It’s no use singing something and it’s not true. You have to be patient, wait for the words to come, that everything works out,” he says.

COWBOY FOOTPRINT

Before his sudden fame, João believed that he would be “a man like grandpa” and would live “for the love of the vaquejada”, as he sings in one of his main hits, “Que Nem Vovô”.

“I thought I would become a cowboy more than an artist, but it happened. I never felled an ox. My grandfather was a cowboy and I admired it, I wanted to be like him, that’s why I wrote these lyrics. Today I think I prefer to sing for the cowboys, sing for everyone the guys in the vaquejadas”, he says.

With old-fashioned romantic lyrics, which clash with the “sticking” content of current hits in the same genre, João says he believes that music has the power to bring self-esteem and well-being to those who listen.

“When I went to write ‘My Piece of Sin’ I thought a lot about women’s self-esteem. Women, today, to raise their self-esteem, put a filter on TikTok, post a bunch of pictures. And I say: ‘you are the most beautiful, a piece of life of happiness’. Music has this power to bring self-esteem. We have to make our words the strength for the crowd,” he says.

GRANDMOTHER’S PRIDE

In the words of his grandmother Josilene, a companion on the road and a well-known figure to those who follow the singer’s social networks, João is a well-bred boy with a good heart, but who “loves a review”. Before every show, he and his band “turn the dressing room into a church,” he says.

“That’s what our family is. We have a lot of faith. We raised him that way, so it’s gratifying to see him in this place today”, boasts Josilene, who accompanied her grandson in the dressing room.

After selling out two shows in São Paulo, teaching Fátima Bernardes to dance the step at Encontro (Globo) and participating in the Raul Gil Program (SBT), João followed with his grandmother and team to Jaguariúna, in the interior of São Paulo, where he performed at the Rodeo Festival.

In the year he broke out in Brazil, the boy from Serrita who dreamed of becoming a cowboy also learned to face up to the ills of the world. “We go along the road and discover the world, and see that the world is not so wonderful, as Belchior used to sing”, he philosophizes.

“I pray in the dressing room every day. Before, I prayed for the dream to work out, so that our family could support itself. Today, I pray for all the evil that exists. The evil will never end, but I pray that it doesn’t come to us and the people we love. May it not reach the hearts of good people,” he says.