Rio singer Marina Íris debuts online

Note from BW of Brazil: Let’s just be real. A song sung by a black woman featuring black women as the main focus and primary presence of a music video? It’s simply not something you’re going to see very often in Brazil’s music industry, even among black artists. Remember this blog’s reviews of popular funk videos, Ludmilla’s “Hoje”, MV Bill’s “Vibe da Noite” videos? OK, maybe you’d argue, “Well, those are just three videos”, but the fact is, if you spent just 24 hours looking at videos for MPB and Samba artists, you’d see that the pattern is pretty much the same. If you want success, the skin color of the people featured in your video should be white.

It’s for this very reason that we celebrate videos such as Luciana Dom’s “Seu Bem”, Larissa Luz’s “Bonecas Pretas” and Sean Kuti’s “Black Woman”. These artists weren’t afraid to challenge the aesthetic standard and presented settings which featured a black couple, the issue of the absence of black dolls in stores and the strength and essence of black women, respectively. I would say that, according to the visuals of the video we present today, the budget was probably very low, but it doesn’t matter. The visuals, as well as the song itself, are powerful and inspiring plus it brings black representation. Take a look below for yourself and while you’re at it, learn a little about the artist behind the song.

“Negra” – Marina Íris

“Black is the color of love, but also the color of the struggle” – Video for song “Negra” by Marina Íris released

The video for the song “NEGRA” composed by Iara Ferreira and Luis Barcelos in now available online. It is a Lotus production in partnership with the singer Marina Íris. Let’s flood the networks of love and struggle, share!

Singer Marina Iris in a still from the video “Negra”

Raised in Méier in the suburbs of Rio de Janeiro, where she lived with her mother Vera and her brothers until her 25th birthday, today Marina lives in Glória, near Lapa, a neighborhood where she regularly presents his work.

Daughter and stepdaughter of samba singers, respectively Celso Lima and Gisa Nogueira (sister of singer and composer João Nogueira), since a young age Marina has identified with samba, which for her represents more than a musical genre, but a lifestyle that says a lot about the city and its customs.

In spite of the great relationship with the music from a young age, it was only in 2007, in the Letters program of UERJ (State University of Rio de Janeiro), with meeting with two musician friends, Maurício and Manuela, that Marina began to sing professionally. And she has not stopped since.

It was also at the university that she met her friend Andréa, who presented to her not only life in Villa Santo Antônio, home of a super receptive family in Oswaldo Cruz, but also the possibility of collecting among friends, with feijoadas and rodas de samba (samba circles), to pay for her first record. And so it was: after many parties, bingos, raffles, the disc was completed.

After a first release aimed at friends, people involved in the album and the press, the singer released her work at a popular price at Centro Cultural Carioca.

Today Marina divides her life between dedication to music and work as a journalist – so that her voice is spared, the singer no longer works as a teacher.

A finalist of the 3ª Amostra do Concurso Novos Bambas do Velho Samba (3rd Sample of the New Samba Masters Contest of the Old Samba), for her presentation the singer brought a little of 1950s/60s Carnival in Rio de Janeiro.

In recent years, she has performed shows honoring great composers. She’s sung verses by Paulo Vanzolini, João Nogueira, Cartola, Dorival Caymmi, Nássara, Pedro Caetano and Mario Lago in seasons in the most traditional houses of Rio, such as Semente, Bola Preta, Tom Bar, Carioca Cultural Center, Carioca Music Reference Center, Rio Scenarium.

Since 2012, Marina regularly performs on the stage of Carioca da Gema, in Lapa. Today she commands Friday nights receiving guests of the new generation of Brazilian music, such as Maíra Freitas, João Martins, Chico Chico.

Her debut album was released in December 2014 at the Teatro Rival. She’s been performing her work in SESCs (cultural centers), concert halls and festivals in several cities, states, and countries including São Paulo, Maranhão, Curitiba, Salvador, Berlin (Germany), Cologne (Germany) and Rietberg (Germany).