Died early in the morning this Friday (12), in Salvador, Bahian forrozeiro Zelito Miranda. The information was released this morning by the artist’s family and council.
Zelito was 66 years old, had his 30th birthday and died at home of lung problems. He left a wife and two daughters: Luiza and Clarice, who is nine months pregnant with a boy. The funeral is scheduled for later at 4:30 p.m. at Bosque da Paz Cemetery.
In 2021, Zelito had pneumonia and was admitted to the intensive care unit at Roberto Santos General Hospital (HGRS). He spent almost a month treating an infectious process in his lungs, but he was clear and oriented the whole time and has been playing shows quite normally for the past few months.
The “cabeludo,” as he was affectionately known, was a staunch advocate of regional culture, always striving to appreciate xote, baião, xaxado, and other Northeastern rhythms.
2 of 2 Zelito Miranda in the Parque de Exposições in Salvador — Photo: Thiago Del Rey/Governo da Bahia
Zelito Miranda in the Parque de Expositions in Salvador — Photo: Thiago Del Rey/Governo da Bahia
Zelito was born in Serrinha, which is about 170 kilometers from Salvador. His interest in music started in childhood. At the age of 8 he started to play the triangle. However, his professional career, which has already lasted four decades, only began at the age of 27.
Initially he flirted with MPB, Rock and played in the group Novos Bárbaros, which was successful in Bahia in the 80s. When he recorded his first album late in the decade, he adopted a diverse repertoire that he dubbed “Música Popular Nordestina”. From then on, at the request of the audience, he began to sing forró, inheriting the legacy of Luiz Gonzaga, the eternal king of Baião.
Besides Gonzagão, Genival Lacerda was another important name in Northeastern culture to inspire Zelito. Influenced by rock, MPB and the electro trio, the singer became known as “Rei do Forró Temperado”, defined as “a sound that preserves the tone of the genre but allows for new instruments, arrangements and melodies”. [assista ao vídeo abaixo, em que o cantor explica o que é o “forró temperado”]
Zelito Miranda explains what “Forró Temperado” is
Zelito’s style was authentic, irreverent and showed the multifaceted artist he was with experiences in other artistic manifestations such as visual arts, cinema and theater he was originally from Serrinhão, left the country and moved to the capital to study performing arts, but it was in the music that he found himself.
Zelito has recorded one DVD and 12 CDs and more than 220 songs. The artist created the “Forró no Parque” project, which was carried out for 12 years (suspended at the height of the Covid19 pandemic) in the Parque da Cidade de Salvador. The performances took place once a month, always on Sunday mornings, and attracted huge audiences.
The last time Zelito performed in public was in June in São João do Pelô in the historical center of the Bahian capital. This year, the singer celebrated the resumption of cultural and artistic activities during June parties after the twoyear suspension caused by the pandemic.
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