Metá Metá: sociocultural knowledge through contemporary song

• Grant number: 20/13473-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: September 01, 2021
• End date: September 28, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - History
• Principal Investigator: Marcos Francisco Napolitano de Eugenio
• Grantee: Sheyla Castro Diniz
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Filosofia, Letras e Ciências Humanas (FFLCH). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated scholarship(s): 23/09815-9 - Metá Metá: sociocultural knowledge through contemporary Brazilian song, BE.EP.PD

Abstract

Juçara Marçal (1962), Kiko Dinucci (1977) and Thiago França (1980), who participate in what journalists and researchers call the new independent Brazilian scene, have formed the Paulistano trio Metá Metá since 2008. Their albums, solo works, and partnerships have already won important awards and several positive reviews, in Brazil and abroad. Such repercussion, which is refractory to what is considered mainstream and to multinational record labels is the result of the new dynamics of production and circulation of cultural goods made possible by the internet, as well as a renewed stance by the artist when managing his own career. Highlighting a part of this scene also called "new MPB" will allow capturing and problematizing aspects that are still inexpressive in the existing mappings. Therefore, it is suggested that Metá Metá modus operandi, dispensing businessmen, collective financing, and culture incentive programs, would be a summary not only of musical entrepreneurship but also of an accurate perception of the shrinkage of a horizon of expectations that would increase from 2013 in Brazil. Based on the author previous studies on Brazilian music in the light of the contributions of cultural materialism, this postdoctoral project aims to understand and interpret the socio-historical content of this contemporary music, whose language is marked by experimentalism, sound research, local and globalized references fusion and the reinterpretation of Afro-diasporic traditions as well as approaches that are sensitive to today's struggles and burning issues, without, however, being a partisan song. The attempt of these musicians and their partners to face the exhaustion of forms seems to be closely related to the conjuncture crisis that Brazilian society is going through, which is the main hypothesis to be explored and discussed. (AU)