Ed Motta criticizes Maria Bethânia for scolding with musicians at show: ‘You don’t know harmony, you didn’t study music’

The irritation of Maria Bethânia, 78, with musicians during the penultimate performance of the tour with her brother, Caetano Veloso, on Saturday (15), in Rio de Janeiro, still reverberates. Singer Ed Motta, 53, made an outburst when recalling a similar situation at the Rock The Mountain festival in November last year in Petrópolis, also in Rio, when he fell out with a team coach in the middle of the show the singer was booed by the public due to the employee’s exhibition.

Motta does not mention the name of Maria Bethânia in the account and explains the reasons why she thinks people chase him while applauding the behavior of Caetano Veloso’s sister, 82, on stage. “I witnessed a famous Brazilian music singer facing a problem on stage, something recurring in her career. It is known how she treats musicians and collaborators,” he begins.

The interpreter of “Outlaw” and “Manuel” stresses that he never had problems with his musicians and that “the unfortunate problem” happened to a person who was in the team testing period. “I made a mistake craso during my concert. Because I complain, I have paid a price in my life that doesn’t stop.”

Soon after, Motta states that he feels persecuted in Brazil: “People chase me. The country … I have audiences all over the world. I could move anywhere, but I have no desire. I want to live here. It is absolutely disgusting and cowardly the treatment that is directed to me,” he says.

He also complains about the treatment he receives from the Brazilian press. “People have a weak head, influence everything. They put innocent people in jail by influence of the press. So I’m within this field, people persecuted by the cultural press of Brazil.”

Finally, the singer, who had already criticized Raul Seixas in 2022, now turns against Bethânia. “The audience applauds: ‘wonderful’, ‘necessary’ … a person who doesn’t know how to play or piano. He doesn’t know harmony, he didn’t study music, nothing. I know how to play piano, I studied music. But unfortunately, I don’t have the necessary respect in the country of beans and football.”