FERREIRA
Music
Music has been part of my life for as long as I can remember.
I was born into a family of musicians and storytellers. My grandmother would play piano for us when she wasn't sewing at her Singer pedal sewing machine. My mother and aunts loved to sing, and my uncle would play his 12-string guitar while the family gathered around. Long before television dominated our lives, we entertained one another through music, laughter, and shared moments.
Those evenings planted something deep within me. Rhythm, harmony, and a good ear became part of who I am. Looking back, it's no surprise that I would eventually become a singer, dancer, and choreographer.
My History with Music
When I was seven years old, I won a singing competition in Rio de Janeiro. I didn't know it then, but that moment was the beginning of a lifelong relationship with music.
Years later, I became the lead singer of Roberto Ferré e a Banda Abalôbangú, performing and sharing my passion for music with audiences throughout Brazil.
At twenty-seven, I joined the legendary Brazilian troupe Dzi Croquettes, where I had the opportunity to sing, dance, and perform as part of one of Brazil's most groundbreaking theatrical movements. One memory remains especially vivid. During a performance, I sang "Brasil" in front of its composer, Cazuza. Later that evening, at the cast party, he grabbed my arm and said, "Você é um Deus!" ("You are a God!")
To this day, I don't know exactly what he meant by those words. What I do know is that they came from one of Brazil's most remarkable artists—someone whose talent, courage, and voice left a lasting mark on Brazilian culture before his life was cut short by HIV/AIDS.
Life eventually led me in many directions. I moved to the United States, built businesses, taught puppetry, created visual art, and dedicated myself to personal growth and recovery. Music remained present, but for many years it was no longer center stage.
Then something unexpected happened.
Through recovery, self-discovery, and a renewed commitment to creativity, songs began appearing again. Not as memories, but as living ideas demanding to be heard.
The result is Re-Cover-It—a collection of songs that blend humor, honesty, recovery, gratitude, heartbreak, resilience, and hope.
These songs are not the beginning of my musical story.
They are the continuation of a journey that started with a little boy in Rio, surrounded by family, music, and love.
In many ways, Re-Cover-It is a reunion between Roberto and Beto—the artist I have always been.
