Scenen er sat for en af de stærkeste kvindelige stemmer inden for brasiliansk rap-jazz. Med en magnetisk scenepersonlighed og en vokal, der spænder fra præcise flows til sensuelle fraseringer, er São Paolo-baserede Tássia Reis et talerør for afrobrasiliansk kultur i al dens mangfoldighed. Veludført og swingende mikser hun silkeglat jazz med samba, funk carioca og legesyg pop. Koncerten er en del af Copenhagen Jazz Festival 2023.

Når man taler om brasiliansk rap-jazz, er Tássia Reis ikke til at komme uden om. Hun brød igennem for ti år siden med singlen “Meu RapJazz”, som skaffede hende en plads i det internationale rampelys. Med en ægte chef-attitude har hun tilkæmpet sig en plads på den brasilianske rapscene på et tidspunkt, hvor den stadig var et mandligt territorium. Med Erykah Badu som sit personlige forbillede har hun fundet sin egen vej til musikscenen med en kompromisløs tilgang, som trækker tråde tilbage til afrodiasporisk kultur i al dens strålende mangfoldighed - lige fra førnævnte Erykah Badu og Beyoncé og Rihanna, såvel som brasilianske nationalklenodier som Djavan og Alcione.

Tássia Reis er opvokset i et miljø, hvor samba og karnevalskultur var allestedsnærværende. Med den kulturarv i bagagen og en nysgerrig og åben attitude satte hun sig for at udforske andre forgreninger af den musik, hun havde fået ind med modermælken. Det blev til en rejse ind i jazzen, som resulterede i singleudgivelsen “Meu RapJazz” fra 2013. Herfra bredte hendes musik sig til resten af verden, som blandt andet resulterede i en medrivende koncert på Roskilde Festivals Gloria-scene i 2019.

Med en legesyge på tværs af genrer har Tássia Reis det hele: Hun er sofistikeret som jazz, offensiv som rap, medrivende som samba og legesyg som pop. Og med et fokus på aktuelle sociale dagsordener taler hun ind i debatterne om emner som racisme, tykfobi og social ulighed. Vi glæder os til at overlade scenen på ALICE på Stairway til den brasilianske komet.


In English:

Years ago, due to one of those randomnesses in life, a young woman at the beginning of her career managed to find one of her great inspirations, who gave her the following advice: always be honest and truthful. And so it was. Black, full, powerful and with nothing to prove, Tássia Reis has been following the words she heard from Erykah Badu and her work is a reflection of that. Authentic and true are adjectives that describe well everything that comes out of the mind and mouth of the artist who started her career as a rapper at a time when the scene was still a predominantly male territory.

Without worrying about challenging the status quo or about allowing herself to be stigmatized, Tássia comes, always and in a growing movement, absorbing the world at her whim, rejecting conventional roles and aesthetic standards to follow her path as she well understands and, above all, without falling into clichés.

Trying out all the options available on the menu, Tássia makes her own musical buffet with what she has in mind, at hand, so she has no shortage of raw materials. Grown in an environment where samba was always present, including the vibe of many carnivals with their samba plots, the artist went along her journey exploring other possibilities, such as jazz. So, 10 years ago, she released the track ‘Meu RapJazz (2013)’, which definitely put her in the international spotlight. Once again impeccable, the narrative is clean and acidic as a good rap demands and the melody, of course, brings the sophistication of jazz. While the piano plays, softly, keeping the track's elegant proposal, the voice, also soft and absolutely sensual, opens up: “I don't have time to lose, I want to win for myself and fight for you if it's up to me, I'll deserve the respect that I learned that I must fight to have, that made me stronger. If I wasn't sagacious, I'd be on another ride”. Simple as that, the message is given.

Committed out of spontaneity and not out of obligation, the artist has been actively taking a stand on racism, social inequality and fatphobia, but also on relationships, sex and love. Thus, it is not false to say that the artist brings to her work life as it is, in all its completeness of themes.

The same applies in the musical sphere. Bringing a great heritage of Afro-Brazilian culture, particularly samba and pagode, added to a strong influence of artists who represent, in different musical strands, black culture in all its magnitude, ranging from Erykah Badu already mentioned before to Beyoncé and Rihanna, passing through Brazilian national icons such as Djavan and Alcione, the artist, recognized as one of the most prominent rap voices in Brazil, was never satisfied with marked places, which allowed her to remain open to exploring other paths.

Following her exploratory journey, ‘Próspera’, her third album, released in 2019, which was acclaimed by specialized critics and considered one of the best albums of the year by APCA (Associação Paulista de Críticos de Arte), illustrates well the artist’s ability to flirt with other rhythms and expose, with a certain mockery, her existence or rather, of all of us. In ‘Dollar Euro’, for example, Tassia does not miss the opportunity to mock her own economic rise and, even more, expose racism. ”They cannot put up with the black ones / Who work hard and make money money / They only think that chicks like me are there to serve (Who?)”

Used to tell it like it is, Tássia does not follow any agenda, except hers. Dancing according to her music, with each work she is freer, without filter, as is the case of her new single, ‘Rude’. Launched at a time when the country was still under the effect of very heavy energy, being led by conservative and extremist politics, expressing was even more urgent and necessary.

This way, bringing a mix of Drill with funk carioca and samba, the new track is an explosive mix of entire truths and precise beat, where the artist detonates themes such as money, career, lifestyle, aesthetic standards and so on, causing ‘Rude’ to hang out without asking for permission, almost like a punch. The most interesting, however, is that listening once is asking for more. "Hahahahahahahaha/ Oh, and isn’t it hot?" she teases, ending the song and hitting it, once again, in full. Yes, listening to ‘Rude’ is more than hot, it is an experience that, in one way or another, creates a connection with the protagonist, making the listener want to know more about that ‘ride’, perhaps even to be part of it. This is one of Tássia's talents, being able to engage the audience with her narrative that, rude or not, only delivers truths. How not to want more?

Thus, in a crescent, Tássia remains firm in her protagonism that can come packed with jazz, rap, drill, funk, pop, samba doesn’t matter because what makes this artist what she is, giant in her talent, is her ability to tell stories, to be heard above other voices, leaving her message, rude, soft, sensual, as you want, or rather, as she wants, because one thing is certain, Tássia Reis is the boss, she is in charge.