Tropicália and MPB
Music of the tropicália trend drew from an eclectic variety of sources, combining contemporary music genres, including bossa nova, rock, and even psychedelic influences, with folk music rooted in indigenous, Portuguese, and African traditions. Politically defiant and socially conscious lyricism was also a feature. By the late 1960s, criticism of the government was rarely tolerated by military leaders, forcing many out- spoken artists to seek exile. Among these were the leaders of the tropicália movement— Caetano Veloso (b. 1942) and Gilberto Gil (b. 1942), who were briefly jailed in 1969 and then fled to London. Their departure marked the end of the tropicália period. They returned to Brazil in 1972, when amnesty was granted to all musicians. Though tropicália was short-lived, upon their return to Brazil Veloso and Gil found themselves at the forefront of MPB (Música Popular Brasileira). This “new” label for Brazilian popular music had its roots in the Vargas era of the 1930s, when national radio was used to promote regional music styles of diverse populations and cultural backgrounds into a single unified Brazilian national identity. The acronym resurfaced in the mid-1960s as regional music and artists were again highlighted on national radio and television broadcasts.