Siba

Origin

Recife, PE

Years active

1992

Genres

manguebeat, maracatu de baque solto, ciranda, mpb, rock

Instruments

voz, rabeca, guitarra, viola nordestina

Biography

Sérgio Roberto Veloso de Oliveira, widely known as Siba, is one of the most influential names in contemporary Pernambucan music. Born in Recife in 1969, he began his professional career in 1992 as one of the founders of the band Mestre Ambrósio. The group was fundamental to the Manguebeat movement, uniting elements of northeastern popular culture, such as cavalo-marinho and maracatu, with a pop and experimental aesthetic. During this period, Siba stood out not only as a guitarist, but as a virtuoso of the rabeca.

Following the dissolution of Mestre Ambrósio in 2002, the musician moved to Nazaré da Mata, in the interior of Pernambuco, where he deepened his studies and experience in the traditions of the Zona da Mata. There, he founded the group Fuloresta do Samba, composed of local musicians, and became a master of maracatu de baque solto. This immersion resulted in fundamental partnerships, such as the album recorded with Mestre Barachinha and the Violas de Bronze project with researcher Roberto Corrêa, consolidating his reputation as an active researcher of rural rhymes and rhythms.

Starting in 2012, with the release of the album Avante, Siba began a new phase in his solo career, exploring more electric and urban sounds. With production by Fernando Catatau (from the band Cidadão Instigado), he fused the poetics of traditional rhymes with distorted guitars. His subsequent works, such as De Baile Solto and Coruja Muda, continue to investigate the intersection between politics, popular culture, and modernity, keeping him as a central figure in the renewal of Brazilian music.