One of Rio de Janeiro’s most exciting singer-songwriters of the last fifteen years is now living in Los Angeles, where he stands on the verge of an overdue American breakthrough. Before the move, Latin Grammy nominee Rogê (pronounced haw-zheh) was the prince of Lapa, the bustling downtown center of Rio’s nightlife. Charismatic and scruffy, with a distinctively raspy yet boyish voice, Rogê born Roger José Cury - gained an avid following for his swinging samba-funk, tinged with Brazilian Soul. His acclaim rose when he cowrote the theme song for the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil.

He has completed his first American-made album, Curyman. Lavishly produced by the Budos Band’s Thomas Brenneck, a topsession guitarist and collaborator with the stars (Lady Gaga, Beyoncé & Jay-Z, AmyWinehouse), Curyman will launch Brenneck’s new label, Diamond West. The first single, “Pra Vida” (To Life), a joyous, celebratory samba, “is like a cry for redemption and resistance, of resilience,” says Rogê, “so that we don’t give in to sadness, to laziness, to a lack of desire to move on with life. It’s the certainty that a new day will dawn.”