Zezé Di Camargo

The sertanejo duo Zezé Di Camargo & Luciano rose as a defining act in Brazilian country music, moving 16 million units across the ten albums they issued between 1991 and 2000. From 1998 onward they broadened their reach by weaving pop and romantic elements into their arrangements, repertoire, and presentation.

Zezé Di Camargo first established himself as a composer once Chitãozinho e Xororó, Leandro e Leonardo, and Sula Miranda scored hits with his material, which then opened the door for him to record alongside his brother Luciano. Their self-titled debut appeared in 1991 and carried the songs “É O Amor,” later covered by Maria Bethânia, and “Eu Te Amo,” both placed on the soundtrack of the soap opera Perigosas Peruas; the project surpassed 1.1 million copies.

The follow-up, released the next year, found traction with “Coração Está Em Pedaços,” “Muda de Vida,” and “Coração Na Contramão.” The third album included Willie Nelson’s contribution to the track “Eu só Penso Em Você,” a version of “Always On My Mind,” and broke through on the strength of “Saudade Bandida” and “Faz Mais Uma Vez Comigo.”

The fourth release moved more than 1.5 million copies behind the single “Vem Cuidar de Mim.” In 1995 the duo turned toward the Hispanic market with an album that presented Spanish-language adaptations of their earlier material. By 1996 cumulative sales of their prior work had reached seven million units.

The following year “Toma Juízo” and “Felicidade, Que Saudade de Você” drove sales past 1.6 million. Another milestone arrived when Julio Iglesias recorded Di Camargo’s composition “Dois Amigos,” an achievement for the two upcountry brothers of humble origin. Their eighth album sold 1.5 million copies on the momentum of “Pra Não Pensar em Você.”

The first live album was captured in 2000 and revisited signature tracks including “Vem Ficar Comigo,” “Vivendo por Viver,” “Coração Está em Pedaços,” “Felicidade, Que saudade de Você,” “Pão de Mel,” and “Amor Selvagem.”