Influenced by a lifetime of living between Brazil, Angola, the US, Spain, Portugal, and currently the UK, Marcelo Frota is singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, better known as MOMO.
His hushed voice and crisp, cunningly-shaped guitar lines transform his delicate melodies into a universal language, admired far beyond MOMO’s native Brazil.
His 2006 debut album "A Estética do Rabisco" established him as the face of a new breed of Brazilian psychedelia, influenced by Os Mutantes, Milton Nascimento & Clube da Esquina and Tropicália. It was named one of the best albums of the year by the Chicago Reader.
Across six more albums, MOMO. further developed his gift of reinventing classic music genres, delving into indie pop and intimate acoustics. His impassioned songs have gotten the attention of some musical icons including Talking Heads icon David Byrne and Patti Smith, and got him invited to participate in a tribute album for Caetano Veloso’s 70th birthday, “A Tribute To Caetano”, alongside Devendra Banhart, Beck, Rodrigo Amarante and Os Mutantes.
Some inspiring collaborations have coloured his repertoire: Marcelo Camelo worked with him on his 2017 album “Voá" and Grammy Award-winner Tom Biller (best known for his work with Warpaint, Elliott Smith and Karen O) produced his 2019 album “I Was Told to Be Quiet”.
MOMO. is currently living in London and is resident at TRC (Total Refreshment Centre).
He is working on a new album featuring artists such as Alabaster DePlume and others.
“MOMO. is a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, but those identifiers only scratch the surface of the power of his vision. If he wasn’t on your music radar before, he should be now.”
