Dona Onete performs for the first time at Womex 2019
In October 26 at 9:45 p.m., Dona Onete, a 80-year-old singer, will perform on the Pakkahuone Stage. Born in Cachoeira do Arararí, in the State of Pará, Onete is known as the muse of “carimbó chamegado”, a rhythm created by her that is, in her words, “carimbó with a pinch of pepper”.
With a solid international career, in 2017 she was the only Brazilian artist to feature in the World Music Charts Europe Top 20, with her song “Banzeiro”. In 2018, Dona Onete had over 8 million views on YouTube on her music video of “No Meio do Pitiú”, chosen as the song of the year and included in the Top 20 Tracks by DJ Gilles Peterson, from BBC UK and Worldwide FM. In the same year, she toured through Mexico and Europe and participated in festivals such as Roskilde in Denmark and Mimo in Portugal.
Still in 2019, the singer intends to release four new music videos and her third album, “Rebujo”. Besides Brazil, her tour includes Australia, New Zealand, Mexico and over ten European countries including Finland, where she will perform on the Pakkahuone Stage at Womex. Last September, with her most recent work, the artist was # 1 in the World Music Charts Europe (WMCE) and in the Transglobal World Music Chart (TWMC). Her album was also top ranked by The Arts Desk, a critics association in the United Kingdom.
Although Dona Onete has a long career as a song writer, her first album was released only in 2012, and since then she has been creating several dancing rhythms with typical sounds from the North region of Brazil. “Pará music is based on mixtures, so I started creating songs about love in a slower sexy rhythm, and that’s how ‘carimbó chamegado’ was born”, says the singer, who has already recorded with Daniela Mercury, Gaby Amarantos and Aíla, among other Brazilian music major artists.