Zé Ibarra is one of the key figures in Rio de Janeiro’s pop renaissance. Known from the Latin Grammy-winning collective Bala Desejo and the band Dônica, he has also toured with Brazilian legend Milton Nascimento – which says something about his standing in his homeland.
As a solo artist, Ibarra has performed in Japan, Portugal and the US, and recently completed a tour supporting Seu Jorge. In February 2025, he released his second solo album AFIM on Mr Bongo. It’s a melting pot of sun-kissed MPB, jazz, pop and progressive rock, moving between intimate guitar pieces and more maximalist soundscapes with fuzz guitars and string arrangements by Jaques Morelenbaum.
Ibarra describes the album as “a chance to explore sides of myself that had not yet been organized in an album: a certain darkness, a more cinematic musicality, a desire for new soundscapes.” The result is eight tracks where each song explores a new side – from the stripped-down singer-songwriter to the romantic arranger.
Structurally tight pop meets freely dreaming melodies, sentimental strings and jazz rhythms, carried by a voice that moves effortlessly between registers. Zé Ibarra is part of the new generation of MPB artists who honor tradition by stretching it. One of Brazil’s most exciting names right now.
