Sorriso Maroto

Five friends who formed Sorriso Maroto launched their career in 1997 by playing at private gatherings and intimate events across São Paulo, unaware that they would rank among the genre’s most favored acts within ten years. The quintet embraced pagode, the samba offshoot that groups such as Grupo Fundo de Quintal and Zeca Pagodinho had popularized in Rio de Janeiro during the early 1980s, and quickly attracted a devoted following. Bruno (voice), Cris (pandiero, percussion), Sergio (violao), Fred (surdo, percussion), and Vinicius (keyboards) soon graduated from after-hours functions to the city’s leading nightclubs. Their self-titled debut album appeared in 2002 and sold briskly throughout São Paulo. Polished stagecraft and photogenic appeal helped the members draw receptive crowds on national tours. The 2003 follow-up Por Voce climbed onto Brazil’s Top Ten charts and lingered for an extended run. Its accompanying tour yielded the concert recording Por Voce: Ao Vivo, which arrived in 2005 to widespread enthusiasm. That live success cleared the path for the band’s third studio effort, Diferente, issued the following year. While much of Brazilian pop adopted a rock-oriented approach, Sorriso Maroto’s blend of traditional instrumentation with modern arrangements established the group as one of pagode’s foremost touring and recording acts of the mid-2000s.