Biography
A Brazilian musician named Felipe Puperi fronts the project Tagua Tagua, which merges tropical soul, supple indie pop, and psychedelia into a polished whole. After playing in the São Paulo space rock outfit Wannabe Jalva, Puperi started Tagua Tagua toward the end of the 2010s. Early momentum came from two EPs that preceded the 2020 debut album Inteiro Metade. European tours and several U.S. appearances followed, after which the act joined the Brooklyn indie roster of Wonderwheel. For the 2023 release Tanto, Puperi leaned further into soul and R&B, resulting in a lush, sun-drenched set of love songs.
Puperi served as frontman for Wannabe Jalva during the band’s mainstream breakthrough in Brazil. Their energetic concerts and 2011 debut album secured major festival appearances with international acts including Pearl Jam, X, Vampire Weekend, and the Rapture. Following the group’s dissolution in the mid-2010s, Puperi developed a solo outlet that retained some space rock and psych textures from his prior band while incorporating pop, soul, funk, and a distinctly Brazilian sensibility. Under the Tagua Tagua name he issued the 2017 EP Tombamento Inevitável and followed it a year later with Pedaço Vivo. The bright, funky 2019 single “Peixe Voador” landed on the soundtrack of the soccer video game FIFA 20, widening the project’s reach.
Inteiro Metade arrived in 2020 as the first full-length. Puperi handled most of the recording and performance himself, crafting a dreamy, soulful psych-pop album that his ex-Wannabe Jalva bandmate Tiago Abrahão mixed. Domestic traction led to another European tour and a string of SXSW performances in Austin, Texas. These activities drew the attention of Wonderwheel, which signed Puperi and issued the follow-up Tanto. The 2023 album adopted a more relaxed, dreamlike tone, drawing on retro soul while pairing it with brighter, contemporary production values.
Puperi served as frontman for Wannabe Jalva during the band’s mainstream breakthrough in Brazil. Their energetic concerts and 2011 debut album secured major festival appearances with international acts including Pearl Jam, X, Vampire Weekend, and the Rapture. Following the group’s dissolution in the mid-2010s, Puperi developed a solo outlet that retained some space rock and psych textures from his prior band while incorporating pop, soul, funk, and a distinctly Brazilian sensibility. Under the Tagua Tagua name he issued the 2017 EP Tombamento Inevitável and followed it a year later with Pedaço Vivo. The bright, funky 2019 single “Peixe Voador” landed on the soundtrack of the soccer video game FIFA 20, widening the project’s reach.
Inteiro Metade arrived in 2020 as the first full-length. Puperi handled most of the recording and performance himself, crafting a dreamy, soulful psych-pop album that his ex-Wannabe Jalva bandmate Tiago Abrahão mixed. Domestic traction led to another European tour and a string of SXSW performances in Austin, Texas. These activities drew the attention of Wonderwheel, which signed Puperi and issued the follow-up Tanto. The 2023 album adopted a more relaxed, dreamlike tone, drawing on retro soul while pairing it with brighter, contemporary production values.
Albums
Singles
