Musician Bruno Capinan connects to ancestral roots in new album
Credit to Author: Lisa Evans| Date: Tue, 06 Sep 2022 23:53:20 +0000
During the height of the pandemic, Brazilian-born Queer Canadian singer-songwriter Bruno Capinan had a dream of two enslaved men that fell in love on a slave ship travelling from Africa to Brazil. That dream would become the inspiration for Capinan’s newest album Tara Rara (in Portuguese translated to “Rare Desire”).
The idea of love under such horrific and devastating circumstances of slavery coinciding with what was happening in the world with anti-black violence with the death of George Floyd and the murder of Evaldo Rosa dos Santos, a black musician who was shot and killed by police in Rio, fueled Capinan’s artistic creativity. “I felt I had to take all those stories that are currently happening and instead of making something about the pain and trauma, make something that was the opposite,” says Capinan.
Capinan was born in Bahia, Brazil, an area referred to as the Africa of South America and the centre of the African diaspora, where the majority of African slaves disembarked in the country. Growing up in Brazil, as a black, non-binary person, Capinan was subjected to bullying based on their sexual orientation. “Growing up in Brazil was a bit traumatic for me. When I decided to come to Canada, I just wanted to be able to be myself and be free,” they say. Capinan moved to Toronto in 2002.
Capinan’s nickname as a child was “Buddha”, from the Buddhist God. In coming into their identity as non-binary, Capinan realized they are also “Tara”, the feminine counterpart in Buddhism which in Portuguese translates to “desire”. The word “rara”, the second part of the album title, translates to “Rare”, representing Bruno’s signature voice, and also a celebration of Capinan’s power as an individual. “Looking back and seeing how all the trauma played out through my young years I think they pushed me to be who I am today, but not everyone had the same power to do that.”
Capinan’s sensual lyrics connects Brazil and Africa ancestry while weaving stories of love and pain. Capinan has traced their family history to African slaves brought over to Brazil. In conversations with their family members Capinan has seen the depth of pain and trauma that has weaved its way through generations. They spoke of an older relative who said he hates black people, even though he himself is dark skinned. “Often what happens to black people in Brazil in order for you to resist all the pain, you have to hate your own people and hate your own self.” Capinan’s lyrics and soulful performances are an expression of being fully who they are, without barriers or prejudices placed upon themself by others or themselves.
While Capinan sings in Portuguese, their sensual energy and haunting melodies transcend language barriers and speaks to the soul in a language that connects us all; music. “If someone comes to my show and sees me on stage or sees my videos even if they don’t understand Portuguese if they feel inspired by the music then I’m inspiring people to be part of themselves that they could be but don’t necessarily know they could.”
Tara Rara is Capinan’s sixth album. They received international attention in 2010 with the debut release of their album Gozo. Their 2016 album Divina Graca captured the attention of British newspaper The Guardian which described their voice as “acrobatic, sensual, both angelic and profane”. Capinan also received two back-to-back nominations to the prestigious APCA (São Paulo Association of Art Critics) album of the year list, for their latest release “Leão Alado Sem Juba” (2020), and “REAL” (2019).
Capinan hopes that their music causes people to be transported and live in the moment. “Every time when I’m on stage, it’s my last performance,” says Capinan. “People often say they are very moved by what they see on stage, it’s because I do not take it for granted. I hope when people listen to my music that they stop to listen and they are transported somewhere else,” they say.
While Capinan may appear very serious on stage and in their lyrics, they say if they weren’t an artist, they could be a stand-up comedian. “I’m very sensitive but I’m very funny as well,” says Capinan.
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