Zé Neto and Cristiano to DN Brasil. “It’s so beautiful to see our culture crossing borders”

O DN Brazil interviewed the duo Zé Neto and Cristiano, who will be in Portugal this week for two shows. The moment is for country music in the country, with recent performances by Henrique and Juliano, Xitãozinho and Chororó and Ana Castela.

You’ve been on the road together for more than a decade — how do you evaluate the moment you’re living in?

Cristiano: we have been saying that we are experiencing our best phase, and we really believe that. We overcame any problems in the past, and today we were able to deliver our best performance on stage. Zé is my brother, we understand each other in our eyes, it is my great luck to share the road with him.

How has your partnership evolved, musically and personally, from the first shows in bars/universities to international shows like those in Portugal?

Cristiano: Zé and I have been friends since childhood, we have been together at all stages of life, it is a partnership built primarily through a lot of affection, dedication and trust. We evolve together, with a team that works hard to deliver our best, we wouldn’t have been able to do it alone, we are very grateful to God, our fans, team and family.

Country music has changed a lot in recent years — how do you see these changes and how does the duo seek to stay relevant while honoring their roots?

Zé Neto: we are very passionate about the country music roots and we managed to bring some of these references into our songs too, the country music today has managed to mix with other rhythms, we think this is incredible, we ourselves have already partnered with Menos é Mais, Leo Santana, we are always attentive to changes in the music market, but without ever losing our essence.

You’ve spoken publicly about mental health, breaks, and personal challenges. What lessons did you take from all of this into this new phase of shows, tours and life? Do you think there is still a taboo on this subject in the artistic world?

Zé Neto: we understood the importance of taking care of ourselves, taking care of our family, always being close to those who love us well. I think that nowadays it is common to talk about mental health not only in the artistic world, but among friends. I always wanted to play fair with my fans, they needed to know the truth, and if in some way I managed to help normalize the matter, I’m very happy.

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How has the new project been received? Intense?

Zé Neto: too beautiful! The project was already incredible, but we feel that we evolve the event as a whole with each edition. It’s a very special show for us, it’s more than three hours of playing everything we love most, talking to the audience, it’s a very beautiful exchange of energy. We are looking forward to Portugal discovering the Intense.

Each time they return to Portugal, they see a different reception from the public. What do you most like to see/respond to when performing in front of Portuguese audiences? Is there anything that the public there does that impresses you?

Cristiano: Going to play in Portugal is always special, and every time we come back we have the opportunity to play in front of a bigger audience, that means a lot to us. You always welcome us very well, you sing loudly, and that impresses us! This time we’re going to present a different show, it’s three hours on stage, so be prepared to listen to a lot of modão, hits from Zé Neto and Cristiano, we’re going to have a beautiful party together!

The Lisbon show is scheduled to last more than three hours, covering all stages of his career. How do you prepare for this marathon show? And are there any surprises that haven’t been revealed yet?

Zé Neto: it’s a literally intense show hahaha we need more time to warm up our voices, and we try to be as rested as possible. Every show Intense It’s different, we have greater flexibility to adapt the setlist according to the public’s mood, and we always end up including requests when we receive them from the crowd.

You will perform older songs too, some rare from recent shows. How do you decide on your repertoire to please both those who have been following you since the beginning and those who have met you more recently?

Zé neto: when the party Intense was conceived, we started thinking about how we could put on a unique and special show, every time it’s a setlist different, we try to study what the public in the region likes most, hoping to please everyone and remember our entire career on stage, in addition to presenting songs that are references for us.

The list of country artists (and country folk!) coming to perform in Portugal is long. What accounts for this success of this musical style also outside the country?

Cristiano: it’s really beautiful to see our culture crossing borders, of course in Portugal we have a greater ease of playing songs, since we speak the same language, and I also believe that the arrival of many Brazilians to the country has had an influence, I know, that we are very happy whenever someone tells us that listening to Zé Neto and Cristiano in a bar, restaurant, is something that not even in our wildest dreams we could imagine.

What final message do you have for your fans?

_Zé Neto: we want to invite everyone to experience the Intenseit will be a day to remember for everyone, we are coming to meet you at our best and putting on a special show! We are prepared to enjoy at least three hours together on stage.”

amanda.lima@dn.pt