Arnaldo Antunes emerged as a pivotal composer within Brazilian pop and rock circles, functioning as the de facto guiding force behind the Titãs. Tracks he authored found their way onto releases by Marisa Monte, Jorge Ben Jor, and numerous additional artists, while his stature as a poet gained recognition far beyond national borders.
During the final years of the 1970s he belonged to Aguilar e Banda Performática, the outfit behind an independent long-playing record. He next entered an eight-member collective titled Titãs do Iê-iê, which made its first appearance in August 1982 at São Paulo’s alternative Teatro da Lira Paulistana, the very venue where the vanguarda paulista movement took shape. In 1983 the ensemble shortened its name to Titãs, and Antunes appeared on seven of its albums before stepping away to pursue solo work. Among the major successes he created for the group are “Bichos Escrotos” (co-written with Sérgio Britto and Nando Reis), “Comida” (with Marcelo Fromer and Sérgio Britto), “O Que,” “Família” (with Toni Bellotto), “Miséria” (with Sérgio Britto and Paulo Miklos), and “O Pulso” (with Marcelo Fromer and Bellotto). Even while still a member he composed and issued volumes of poetry.
After his departure he kept supplying material to the band, contributing to Titanomaquia (1993), Domingo (1995), Acústico (1996)—on which he performed one track—and the 1998 anthology 84-94: Vol. 2. He also lent his presence to Golpe de Estado’s self-titled album in 1988. His own multimedia project Nome appeared in 1993, followed by Ninguém in 1995, Silêncio in 1996, and Um Som in 1998. Performers who have interpreted his songs include Marisa Monte (“Beija Eu,” “Volte Para o Seu Lar,” “Alta Noite,” “Bem Leve,” and “De Mais Ninguém,” the last two created jointly with the singer), Jorge Ben Jor (“Cabelo”), Gilberto Gil (“A Ciência em Si”), Rita Lee (“O Que Você Quer”), and Ney Matogrosso (“Comida”). Antunes likewise occupies a respected place in contemporary Brazilian poetry, his texts having entered international anthologies. He released the book Dois Ou + Corpos No Mesmo Espaço in 1997.
In 1999 he supplied the score and soundtrack for Grupo Corpo’s production O Corpo, which reached audiences the following year. Two years later he helped ignite Brazilian and European charts with Tribalistas, the joint venture formed with Marisa Monte and Carlinhos Brown. The album climbed to number twelve on world-music rankings and sold nearly two million copies, driven chiefly by the chart-topping single “Já Sei Namorar.” He established the Rosa Celeste label in 2004, which subsequently distributed his recordings through various partners: Saiba (2004), Qualquer (2006), Ao Vivo No Estúdio (2007), and Iê Iê Iê (2009). In 2011 he joined Edgard Scandurra and Toumani Diabaté for the pioneering album A Curva da Cintura on Mais Um Discos, which reached number five on European world-music charts. His solo Acustico MTV soundtrack followed the next year.
Disco, issued in 2014, contained songwriting partnerships with fourteen artists who set his poems to music, among them Caetano Veloso, Céu, Gilberto Gil, João Donato, and Monte. Já É appeared in 2015 with an extensive ensemble of musicians, featuring three collaborations with his Tribalistas bandmates: Brown, who supplied percussion for the entire album, and Monte. In 2017 Tribalistas unexpectedly reconvened to issue a second self-titled collection on Phonomotor Records. That same year Antunes released his fourth live album, Ao Vivo Em Lisboa, recorded at Lisbon’s São Luiz Theater on November 12 and 13, 2016, under the musical direction of André Tentugal and featuring guest appearances by Carminho, Manuela Azevedo, and Hélder Gonçalves.
