Emílio Santiago

Emílio Santiago, a masterful vocalist of sambas and other lively Brazilian rhythms, achieved widespread fame only after shifting toward romantic material. The Aquarelas Brasileiras series, overseen by Roberto Menescal for Som Livre, yielded seven albums that earned him both domestic and global recognition, four million units sold, six platinum certifications, seven gold records, and the Sharp prize.

While studying law, he chose to tap into the university student group’s vibrant cultural activities as a form of resistance to the dictatorship, since campus festivals offered aspiring performers valuable early platforms. Buoyed by audience response at those shows, he entered several televised competitions and placed third in one hosted by Flávio Cavalcanti on TV Tupi. From 1971 through 1975 he worked as lead singer with ballroom ensembles led by Anselmo Mazzoni, Maestro Formiga, and Ed Lincoln. His debut single appeared in 1973, after which he continued playing nightclubs; the first full-length album, simply titled Emílio Santiago, followed in 1975. In 1982 he captured the Rede Globo Festival with the song “Pelo Amor de Deus,” written by Paulo Bebétio and Paulinho Resende. Three years afterward he received the Best Interpreter award at the same event for “Elis Elis,” composed by Estevan Natolo Jr. and Marcelo Simões. By then firmly established as a romantic stylist, he maintained strong appeal through polished projects such as Perdido de Amor, his homage to Dick Farney.