Jorge Ben Jor

Combining samba with funk, rock and pop, for 60 years until today Jorge Ben Jor is one of the biggest stars in Brazilian music. Hugely important in the evolution of contemporary Brazilian music Jorge Ben became a bona fide pop star on the world stage. He authored several classic tunes that have become part of a common world songbook and he spearheaded the samba-soul-funk explosion of the seventies

At the age of 18, Jorge Ben released his first album in 1963. The single “Mas que nada” became a hit instantly. It has been covered by hundreds of artists worldwide such as Ella Fitzgerald, Al Jarreau and Sergio Mendes (feat. Black Eyed Peas) and remains the most played song in Portuguese in the world. Many other hits followed, such as "Chove Chuva", "Que Pena", "Fio Maravilha", "Pais Tropical" and "Taj Mahal" - from which Rod Steward's "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy" was plagiarized.

His songs are about love and about the everyday life in Brazil, about the afternoons at the samba and the football. His fans love Jorge Ben Jor for his simple messages celebrating life: “I live in a tropical country/Blessed by God/And beautiful by nature/In February there’s carnival/ I drive a beetle and have a guitar/ I'm a fan of Flamengo and my chick's named Tereza/ Sambaby sambaby …/I’m a young boy of average intelligence (oh yeah)/But even so I’m happy”. It is precisely his joy of being Brazilian that he so effectively transmits and therein lies the essence of his appeal.

Ben Jor's career now spans over 55 years and his songs and live concerts have always made millions of people sing and dance. He's still very popular and successful, and nowadays with a young audience again. Series of concerts are sold out when he plays the big cities, and in 2017 NIVEA promoted seven very large events with him in Brazil's main cities with 150-200k people each. In 2019, Jorge Ben Jor played Primavera Sound and Roskilde Festival at the main stages with great success.