Titãs () are a Brazilian rock band from São Paulo. Though they basically play pop/alternative rock, their music has touched a number of other styles throughout their 40-year career, such as new wave, punk rock, grunge, MPB and electronic music.
They are one of the most successful rock bands in Brazil, having sold more than 6.3 million albums as of 2005 and having been covered by several well-known Brazilian artists and a couple of international singers. They were awarded a Latin Grammy in 2009 and have won the Imprensa Trophy for Best Band a record four times.
Titãs started with a rather unusual line-up of nine members (including six lead vocalists): Nando Reis (bass guitar, vocals), Branco Mello (vocals), Marcelo Fromer (Rhythm guitar), Arnaldo Antunes (vocals), Tony Bellotto (Lead guitar), Paulo Miklos (sax, mandolin, harmonica, vocals), André Jung (drums), Sérgio Britto (keyboards, vocals) and Ciro Pessoa (vocals). Pessoa quickly left the band even before their debut album, Titãs, was released. André Jung was the initial drummer, but just after Titãs he also quit and was replaced by Charles Gavin, establishing their classic line-up.
Since then, the band lost five members who were never officially replaced: in 1992, Antunes left to pursue a solo career. In 2001, Fromer died after being hit by a motorcycle in São Paulo. In the next year, Reis also left the group to focus on his solo albums. In 2010, Gavin left due to personal reasons. The most recent change was the departure of Miklos, who wanted to focus on personal projects. After Fromer's death and Reis' departure, the band performed with some session guitarists and bassists, but ended up having Mello and Britto as full-time bassists (with Britto performing only when Mello sings) and Miklos as the rhythm guitarist. After Gavin left, the band has been working with Mario Fabre, a session drummer. For Miklos' position, they hired Rita Lee's son Beto Lee.
The band has released their latest studio album in 2018, titled Doze Flores Amarelas.
History
1981-1985: Formation and first works
Most of the band members (except for guitarist Tony Bellotto and drummer Charles Gavin) met at Colégio Equipe in São Paulo at the end of the seventies and, after their first live performance at the school itself in 1981, the band began to perform live in several night clubs around the city. Their very first performance was at the Mário de Andrade Library - on that occasion, Nando Reis played the drums. The first lineup was: Arnaldo Antunes (vocals), Branco Mello (vocals), Marcelo Fromer (rhythm guitar), Nando Reis (bass guitar), Paulo Miklos (sax and vocals), Sérgio Britto (keyboards and vocals), Tony Bellotto (lead guitar), Ciro Pessoa (vocals) and André Jung (drums). It was a pop/new wave-styled band, with a rather conventional sound and odd looks, with tender and little ball neckties.
The band's name has its roots in their early sessions, at Bellotto's parent's home library, where there were books such as Titãs da Ciência, Titãs do Esporte, Titãs da Literatura (Science Titans, Sports Titans, Literature Titans), among others, and that inspired them to create the name Titãs do Iê Iê. Their first shows happened on 15 and 16 October 1982, at Sesc Pompeia.
In 1984, Pessoa left the band, unwilling to exchange the local night clubs for popular TV shows. Soon after, the band signed with the WEA label to record their first album, Titãs, produced by Pena Schimdt, and featuring songs previously recorded with Pessoas's vocals. Although poorly promoted and hardly a success, the band spawned their first hit: "Sonífera Ilha", later recorded by singer Moraes Moreira. Following the release, Reis briefly left the band, willing to focus on another group he played at (salsa act Sossega Leão, in which he was a percussionist and crooner), but two weeks later he changed his mind and was accepted back.
In 1985, with Charles Gavin replacing André Jung on drums (the latter going on to Ira!), their second album, Televisão, produced by Lulu Santos, was released with tighter arrangements than their debut album. Not only was the title track a great hit, the album was more heavily promoted than the first one and brought more opportunities to the group. Still, it sold below expectations.