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FLUORESCENT ADOLESCENT - Mallu Magalhães, the Brasilian Lily Allen

words by Jair Naves picture by Tatu (Agência de Música)

AFTER THE METEORIC RISE OF SINGERS LIKE LILLY ALLEN AND KATE NASH – who gained instant fame thanks to MySpace – it’s time for a young Brasilian to follow in their footsteps and gain notoriety for her songs via the wonders of the web. The artist in question is Mallu Magalhães, a talented folkrock singer from São Paulo who’s caused something of a stir due to her catchy tunes and the fact that she’s a mere 15 years old. The euphoria surrounding the young girl is such that many consider her to be the best new Brasilian artist of the year, an admirable achievment for someone who sings in English, has only recorded four songs and has performed live only a handful of times.

Unknown until a month ago, Mallu has quickly managed to cause a major commotion on the Brasilian music scene. She’s no longer a mere opening act for local bands; she’s now selling out shows in her own right, having become something of a media darling, and has drawn the attention of major fi gures in the recording industry.

Unlike CSS and Bonde do Rolê, Brasilian phenomenons who have had to deal with the strange situation of being rejected back at home, Mallu Magalhães has come up against little resistance in Brasil over the initial few months of her career. On the contrary; her MySpace page has had a record number of hits, her shows are selling out faster and faster and even the most ardent of critics seem to have been won over by the young girl, who has recorded an unusually charming version of Johnny Cash’s Folsom Prison Blues. In the long queue for her last show in São Paulo (when I tried in vain to see the acclaimed singer’s performance), you could see fans of all ages fi ghting it out to take photos with her.

Finally, Brasil has generated its own meteoric internetfueledhype-machine. Whether this is a positive or a negative phenomenon is not really the point. As long as Mallu keeps composing songs, nothing else really matters.