Sérgio Britto (, born Sérgio de Britto Álvares Affonso(September 18, 1959) is a Brazilian musician, best known as a member of the rock band
Titãs
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 30-year career, such as new wave, punk rock, grunge, MPB and electronic mu ...
, for which he contributes with lead vocals, keyboards and, more recently, the bass guitar. He has also released three solo albums.
Childhood
Sérgio Britto is the only
carioca of the group, but left Rio de Janeiro when he was a baby. He lived with his siblings Rui and Gláucia in
Brasília
Brasília (; ) is the federal capital of Brazil and seat of government of the Federal District. The city is located at the top of the Brazilian highlands in the country's Central-West region. It was founded by President Juscelino Kubitsche ...
when in 1964 the military
took over Brazil. Their father, the federal deputy Almino Afonso, head of
PTB at the
Chamber of Deputies
The chamber of deputies is the lower house in many bicameral legislatures and the sole house in some unicameral legislatures.
Description
Historically, French Chamber of Deputies was the lower house of the French Parliament during the Bourbon ...
and enemy of the
dictatorship
A dictatorship is a form of government which is characterized by a leader, or a group of leaders, which holds governmental powers with few to no limitations on them. The leader of a dictatorship is called a dictator. Politics in a dictatorship a ...
had to leave the country in order not to be arrested. One year later, when Sergio's younger brother Fábio was born, they left the country. During his nine years of exile in
Chile
Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the eas ...
, he was alphabetized in
Castellano.
He grew up listening to
Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classic ...
,
Chopin, and other
classical music composers, which his father listened to frequently. Until he turned 13, he wished to be a
painter
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ...
. He discovered
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developm ...
' ''
Help!'' album, and from there on he would be strongly interested in music. When he was 14, he was back to Brazil and began taking piano lessons. At that time, he listened to
Yes
Yes or YES may refer to:
* An affirmative particle in the English language; see yes and no
Education
* YES Prep Public Schools, Houston, Texas, US
* YES (Your Extraordinary Saturday), a learning program from the Minnesota Institute for Talente ...
,
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
Emerson, Lake & Palmer (informally known as ELP) were an English progressive rock supergroup formed in London in 1970. The band consisted of Keith Emerson (keyboards), Greg Lake (vocals, bass, guitar, producer) and Carl Palmer (drums, percu ...
,
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist and singer Pete Townshend, bass guitarist and singer John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They are conside ...
,
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are c ...
,
The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys are an American Rock music, rock band that formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian Wilson, Brian, Dennis Wilson, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and frie ...
and much
MPB. Meanwhile, he would try to play his sister's guitar.
In São Paulo, he studied at Colégio Equipe. While the others Titãs members took part of festivals and shows, he would compose alone at home or read the texts of
Torquato Neto. Those texts helped Britto when composing songs like "Go Back", a hit that would appear in Titãs'
debut album. Simultaneously, he would compose the song "Os Olhos do Sol", which was recorded only in 2000, when Britto released his first solo album. At Equipe, he met
Arnaldo Antunes and they started to co-write songs. When Titãs unofficially met, in 1981, Britto made his debut in a band.
He once started studying
Philosophy at
University of São Paulo
The University of São Paulo ( pt, Universidade de São Paulo, USP) is a public university in the Brazilian state of São Paulo. It is the largest Brazilian public university and the country's most prestigious educational institution, the best ...
, but left the course before its end to focus on the music.
Career with and without Titãs

Britto has co-composed the majority of Titãs' songs, including hits like "
Marvin", "
Homem Primata Homem is a surname meaning "man" in Portuguese. Notable people with the surname include:
*Diogo Homem (1521–1576), Portuguese cartographer
*Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo (born 1974), French musician, record producer, singer, songwriter, DJ, film di ...
", "Comida", "Miséria" and "
Epitáfio
"Epitáfio" is the fifteenth single by Titãs, released in 2002. It was included in the soundtrack of telenovela ''Desejos de Mulher''. As a B-side, the single featured an acoustic version of the song. Unlike the whole band, producer Jack Endino b ...
".
In 1994, Britto formed the band
Kleiderman, with the drummer
Roberta Parisi
''Roberta'' is a musical from 1933 with music by Jerome Kern, and lyrics and book by Otto Harbach. The musical is based on the novel ''Gowns by Roberta'' by Alice Duer Miller. It features the songs " Yesterdays", " Smoke Gets in Your Eyes", "L ...
and Titãs member
Branco Mello. The group released only one album, ''Con el Mundo a Mis Pies'' (With the World at my Feet). In 2001, Britto showed his solo works with the album ''A Minha Cara'' (My Face), reuniting songs composed by him, with the help of
Marcelo Fromer
Marcelo Fromer (December 3, 1961 – June 13, 2001) was the guitarist of Brazilian rock band Titãs. One of the founding members and also the band's manager, he died in 2001, after being hit by a motorcycle while jogging.
Early life and youth
...
and Arnaldo Antunes.
Five years later, he released another solo CD, called ''Eu Sou 300'' (I am 300).
In 2009, Titãs released ''
Sacos Plásticos
''Sacos Plásticos'' ''(Plastic Bags)'' is the thirteenth studio album released by Brazilian rock band Titãs. It is their first studio album since 2003, their longest non-album gap, and also the first released through Arsenal Music and with produc ...
'', the first album in which Britto played the bass guitar. After original bassist
Nando Reis left the group, Titãs hired Lee Marcucci as a session musician from 2002 to 2009. Since then, Britto and Mello have been sharing bass duties, with Britto taking over the bass only on the songs with vocals by Mello.
In 2019, singer
Érika Martins
Érika Cristiano dos Santos (born 4 February 1988), commonly known as Érika, is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays for Corinthians and the Brazilian women's national team. Érika played as a forward for her clubs and Brazil's yout ...
released the song "A Verdade Liberta", written by Britto.
Personal life
Britto lives in
São Paulo
São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for 'Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the Ga ...
, is married to Raquel Garrido and is the father of José, born in 1999 and Raquel. He composed one tribute song for each of them in his album ''Eu Sou 300'': "Raquel (DDD)" and "José". In 2007, his daughter Julia was born.
Discography
With Titãs
Solo albums
* 2000 - ''
A Minha Cara'' (''My Face'')
* 2006 - ''
Eu Sou 300
The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...
'' (''I Am 300'')
* 2010 - ''SP55''
With Kleiderman
* ''Con el mundo a mis pies''
Guest appearances
References
Britto’s page at Titãs official web site
External links
Titãs official website
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Britto, Sergio
1959 births
Living people
Brazilian keyboardists
20th-century Brazilian male singers
20th-century Brazilian singers
Brazilian songwriters
Brazilian composers
Musicians from Rio de Janeiro (city)
Titãs members
Brazilian rock musicians
Brazilian bass guitarists
Male bass guitarists
Melodica players
University of São Paulo alumni