Udo Acioli

Udo Acioli came up in Juazeiro, Bahia, where his father played accordion. He started a band called Tradição as a teenager, mixing Brazilian folk with pop. His first album, Raízes do Nordeste, came out in 1991 and got some attention.

In 1994, he released the song Declaração, which became a hit but also drew accusations that it borrowed too much from a traditional folk tune. Acioli said it was his own work. Around that time, he dealt with a neurological condition that affected his voice for a while.

He kept making records into the 2000s, like Raízes do Mundo and No Coração do Brasil. His music often pulled from forró and baião rhythms, sometimes with pop or rock touches. He played with musicians like Marcelo Jeneci on guitar and collaborated with artists including Gilberto Gil.