Fitacola

Fitacola started playing on the streets of São Paulo around 2010. Eduardo Rodrigues and Bruno Lima were the founders, and they kept things simple with street performances and local open mics. Their sound picked up bits of folk, pop, and reggae, but it was never about fitting a genre. It was more about the kind of songs that felt like they came from the neighborhood.

In 2017, they put out 'Acreditar,' a song that caught on quickly in Brazil. It wasn't a polished studio piece, but its straightforward message about holding on seemed to connect with people during a rough stretch. That single helped them reach a wider audience, and they followed it with albums like 'Liberdade Pra Viver' in 2019 and 'Nós Somos Um' in 2021.

Their lineup settled with Rodrigues on vocals and guitar, Lima on bass and vocals, Nicolas Stoklos on drums, and Felipe Henriques on keyboards. They've kept writing songs that lean into community and everyday struggles, tracks like 'Cabula' and 'Só uma vez' have that same direct, unadorned feel. They play a lot of shows, and the music still comes across as something you might hear from a band that hasn't forgotten where it started.