Francisco Silva

Francisco Silva came up in the early 2000s with a debut album called 'Esse Meu Violão Chora.' The title track from that record became a kind of standard for the sertanejo scene in Brazil, one of those songs people know even if they don't know who sang it.

He's from Bahia, in the northeast of Brazil, and his music draws from the traditional sounds of that region. The writing tends toward the melancholic, built around acoustic guitar and straightforward arrangements. Another well-known song of his is 'Hino Oficial de Fagundes.'

His career has had some public difficulties, including a drug possession arrest in 2007 and a plagiarism accusation a few years later. He kept releasing albums through that period, like 'Alma Sertaneja' in 2007 and 'De Volta ao Começo' in 2009.