It was while listening to Lenine’s latest album, EITA, which ranks among my top albums of 2025, that I discovered Gabriel Ventura, a highly original singer-songwriter from Rio de Janeiro. It comes as no surprise that Gabriel Ventura collaborated with the iconic Recife musician Lenine, as both share a desire to blend Brazilian tradition with rock and electric influences.
Pra me lembrar de insistir is Gabriel Ventura’s second full-length album, in addition to his EP. Ventura clearly carves his own path, outside the clichés often associated with Brazilian music. No samba, no bossa nova, no funk.
Instead, we find ourselves in a meditative and experimental form of rock. The album features harp, clarinet, and plenty of guitars and percussion. While certainly influenced by Europe and the United States, this is unmistakably Brazilian music. From 2025. Open, inclusive, exploratory.
Gabriel Ventura sings in Brazilian Portuguese, delivering introspective lyrics. What we have here is a perfectly singular universe—one to keep an eye on. A new face of a more experimental Música Popular Brasileira. And a captivating one.
