The emerging of São Paulo ́s Nova MPB scene and its impact in Portugal in the 21th Century

This paper is about the impact of emerging artists based in São Paulo pointed by Brazilian media as Nova MPB in Portugal as being the contemporary representatives of MPB (Brazilian Popular Music), a category originally related to post-bossa nova singer-songwriters such as Chico Buarque, Elis Regina, Maria Bethânia, Caetano Veloso, and Gilberto Gil. Through my research, I identified a new scene developed in São Paulo after the revitalization of Baixa Augusta neighbourhood (São Paulo’s city centre area) and how its acceptance of European audience creates a symbolic capital (Bourdieu, 1979) that will legitimate New MPB as “good quality” Brazilian music. The MPB context stands as a sort of “erudite music” in the music industry in both Brazil and Portugal, being connected to cultural elite practices and high-educated audience.
During the fieldwork conducted throughout 2011 in Brazil, I have observed the increase of several music genres and styles, such as sertanejo, funk carioca, pagode, forró, and música romântica (brega), often marginalized by music criticism in the 20th century. Such growth is linked to the fact of Lula da Silva’s (2002-2009) and Dilma Rousseff’s (2010 - 2016) former presidential administrations have raised middle class in a significant way. Recent 2013 IBOPE (Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics) studies show such marginalized genres are associated to the poorest Brazilian population preferences. As these songs are the most played on the radio, Nova MPB remains the government's main choice for Lei Rouanet, a Federal Law that includes a program that finances cultural projects to represent Brazil abroad.