Paquitos tell where they are and reject their own documentary: ‘We have no controversies’

The enormous repercussion of the documentary “Pra Semper Paquitas”, available since the 16th on Globoplay, brought Xuxa’s former stage assistants back into the spotlight. But not just them. The public was also curious to know what happened to the male version of the group, the Paquitos.

A sort of Brazilian “Menudo (the famous Puerto Rican boy band in the 1980s)”, the Paquitos had a shorter career than their female counterpart. The group only existed between 1989 and 1992 and was made up of Alexandre Canhoni, Claudio Heinrich, Egon Junior (Gigio), Marcello Faustini and, at different times, Robson Barros and Yuri Martins.

The quintet also helped the queen of the shorties at Xou da Xuxa, but was less responsible for the children in the audience and more for eliciting screams from the teenagers in love. They were usually dressed in black with gold details or in tuxedos, always with wide shoulder pads — a fashion of the time.

The Paquitos followed the same path as their colleagues, investing in music and also in cinema. In parallel to the TV program, the boys also accompanied the presenter on tours, in addition to giving solo performances of their only album, released in 1990. The LP sold around 120 thousand copies, winning a gold record, with songs like “Very Prazer ” and “Paquidance”.

Talking to former members of the group is not an easy task. Each of them followed a different path, many started families and the majority currently live away from the artistic world. Few seem genuinely interested in addressing the past. They were all searched for by F5but only Canhoni and Faustini wanted to speak to the reporter.

Quoted with an air of villainy in the Paquitas documentary, the businesswoman and director of the attraction, Marlene Mattos, was not just strict with the stage assistants. According to Canhoni, the charge also extended to boys.

“I got scolded a lot from her, I was always hyperactive, impulsive, so it wasn’t easy,” he said in an interview with F5. “She was tough, but I understand: a team of young people traveling together was not easy to control.”

Faustini, however, remembers that the situation was much worse for young women. “Our contract was only with Xuxa Produções, so we traveled around Brazil with shows, we didn’t have the same contact and obligations as them”, he comments. “Everything was fine with us, nothing to complain about.”

DISTINCT PERSONALITIES AND FAMOUS GIRLFRIENDS

Canhoni, now 53 years old, was the group’s main vocalist. He stood out from the rest precisely because of his vocal talent. Xande, as he was called, sang practically all the songs on the LP. In dancing, he also demonstrated ease in choreography.

Asked if he managed his success well at the time, when he was just 18 years old, he commented that “it was all crazy: being on a weekly program, the shows, films, the glamor that surrounded us”. “I was certainly dazzled by all the access that fame gave me.”

Regarding his coexistence with Xuxa and Paquitas, he described it as “professional”, adding that everyone spent a lot of time together due to recordings, rehearsals and travel.

Meanwhile, Claudio Heinrich, 51, showed his artistic skills better after the group’s end. In 1995, he got an important character in the first season of “Malhação”, and soon became the network’s card champion. Five years later, he starred in the soap opera “Uga Uga”, playing a “white indigenous man” whose costume consisted of a simple thong.

Heinrich continued in the profession. He did several jobs at Globo and also at Record. His most recent appearance on TV was on the reality show No Limite, in 2023. F5he thanked the contact, but did not want to comment: “At the moment I am not giving interviews, who knows in the future…”.

When asked why he didn’t appear in the documentary “Pra Semper Paquitas”, he claimed scheduling incompatibility, ending the conversation. Currently, Heinrich has dedicated himself to his role as a martial arts instructor in Rio. During an interview with a podcast, former paquita and actress Juliana Baroni revealed that he and Leticia Spiller, 51, were lovers during the Xou da Xuxa days.

Marcello Faustini, 52, was apparently the shyest in the group. Owner of expressive green eyes, he also invested in a career as an actor and singer, did “Malhação” and some other works on TV and in theater. He also dated some famous people, such as actress Deborah Secco and former paquita and now actress Bianca Rinaldi.

Currently, Faustini has dedicated himself more to music. “I like my musical career more, I sing and play the piano, and I continue to perform around Brazil”, he said, summing up his relationship with Xuxa and the paquitas at the time as peaceful.

Gaucho Egon Junior, or simply Gigio, 54, had rosy cheeks and a mullet hairstyle. After the group ended, he tried to launch himself as an actor and appeared in the soap opera “Despedida de Solteiro”. In 1990, he was engaged to model Nani Venâncio and, according to reports at the time, the two broke up due to the beauty’s nudity in the opening of the first version of “Pantanal”.

Gigio ended up following other professional paths, founding a company linked to innovation strategies. He has lived with his family in Portugal for years.

The first to leave the group, Robson Barros, 54, swapped the stage for the backstage, to work in the music production area with his father. To this day, he dedicates himself to his events company in São Paulo.

Born in Pará, Yuri Martins, 51, was the last to join the paquitos team, replacing Robson in 1991. In an interview with a Rio newspaper, in 2023, he revealed that he had a quick “affair” with Ana Paula Almeida (Pituxita ) and a lot of friction with Canhoni in its heyday. He continues to live in the north of the country, works as a real estate agent, has three children and is already a grandfather.

Regarding the old conflicts, Canhoni replied: “I honestly don’t remember that rivalry.” “The departure of a member and his entry, after so many years, was uncomfortable”, admitted the former vocalist. “He arrived when the group was almost finished.” The feud was in the past and, today, they are friends.

As for the brief romance, Pituxita denied it. “At the time there was this speculation, but we never had anything, and I didn’t even have as much friendship with him as I did with Gigio; we were just work colleagues”, she said, who still maintains contact with most of them. Yuri could not be reached for comment.

MISSIONARY IN AFRICA

In addition to his vocal abilities, Canhoni also had a strong personality. Focusing on his solo career, he left the group in 1992. The following year, he released an LP and, soon after, went on tour across Latin America. In February 1995, when he was preparing to release a new album, the singer abandoned everything after experiencing a “divine calling”.

“I had an encounter with God that radically changed my life,” he said. “It was intense like everything else in my life. It was a journey of growth and knowledge.”

At the height of his conversion, he impacted the public after incinerating his entire previous collection (including records and costumes). Regarding regrets from the past, Canhoni replied that there are some because he matured and changed his vision, without going into details.

In 2002, his life took another turn when he visited one of the poorest countries on the African continent, Niger, where he founded a social project called AGD. The organization has daycare centers, nutrition programs, care for the sick and two training centers for women.

Despite the distance, he hasn’t lost his relationship with his old colleagues and says he always sees some of them when he comes to Brazil. “With social media I got closer to some Paquitas and had the chance to see them again, talk, introduce my wife and also remember the crazy things I did at the time”, he pointed out. “Of the boys, I also had contact with some online.”

‘THERE WILL BE NO DOC DOS PAQUITOS’

In addition to the shows in Brazil, the Paquitos also performed on programs on other broadcasters. The absence of a contract with Globo made it easier to advertise on other channels. With the exception of Yuri, they also made the films “Crystal Moon” (1990) and, in the same year, “Sonho de Verão”, a teenage comedy starring the Paquitas, which at the time was the box office record holder in the country, with more than two million viewers.

Asked about the end, Faustini said that the group fell apart after Canhoni left. “I think Marlene didn’t expect it and, after that, she got discouraged,” he says. “It was supposed to be Paquitos’ second LP.”

When asked if they would like their trajectory to become a documentary too, Canhoni, who has not yet seen the production of Paquitas, declared: “It’s not something I want, I never thought about it.” Faustini was more assertive: “There will be no Paquitos doc; we have plenty of cool and fun stories, but not controversial.”