Singer-songwriter Flora Cruz released the EP “Flora Cruz no Som no Sebo” on April 24th, through Marã Música, presenting live versions of her tracks in an intimate and welcoming format. Recorded in partnership with the Som no Sebo project, the work revisits the artist’s repertoire with more organic arrangements, highlighting the strength of the lyrics, the personality of the band, and the raw energy of the performance. In an interview, Flora talks about the experience of recording her music in a close and affectionate environment, revealing new emotional layers of her songwriting journey.
The project “Flora Cruz no Som no Sebo” seems to reveal a more raw and intimate version of your music. What did this live format allow you to show about yourself that might have remained more hidden in studio recordings?
I think that live performance is always the purest representation of the feeling of the music, of what it represents to the artist. I always feel that live I can convey the message I wanted to express in the composition with greater depth.
You describe the experience as something light, among friends, almost like the sounds of a living room at home. How did this environment influence your emotional delivery during the recording?
It’s always so nice to be among friends making music; there’s a comfort in sharing the musical space with people who share the same love for art. The instruments seem to permeate the atmosphere, and everyone shares the same vibe.
Presenting the entire EP, in order, from beginning to end, for the first time, transforms the listening experience into a kind of narrative. What was it like to experience this repertoire as a complete journey, and not just as separate tracks?
It was very important to be able to tell the story of this EP and relive it almost physically, in a pleasant and intimate setting, I loved it.
You mentioned that the live versions made the lyrics more tangible and highlighted other details of the instruments. What surprised you most about rediscovering your own songs in this new arrangement?
Live music seems to permeate every fiber of the body and reverberates in a physical way that directly connects with the emotional. It was also the first live performance of these songs after their release, so it was really cool to see the work as a complete whole.
You have a very beautiful quote about “the rawest soul of music.” What, for you, is this rawest truth of a song?
It’s the part that touches you, the note that makes your skin crawl, the tear that you can’t hold back, the lyrics that speak to our deepest feelings—that has always been my desire with music: to connect with other people and their feelings, their experiences, their pain…
Her career path blends Brazilian and British influences, and she has walked a path that began early and included moments of great exposure, such as The Voice Brasil. At what point in your journey do you feel your artistic identity became clearest to you?
I had a lot of room to experiment, I tried everything I liked, I explored many paths and styles until I found what represented me most, where I felt most like myself. This EP was the first complete work where I could explore all these facets, I feel that I matured a lot and saw my path more clearly.
Som no Sebo has this intimate and personal feel to it, and it seems to resonate strongly with your world. What happened in this encounter between artist, band, and venue that made everything sound so organically yours?
The sound in the used bookstore is totally me, it felt so natural to be there.
In releasing this very personal and sensitive work, what do you most hope to evoke in the listener: identification, acceptance, emotion, or the feeling of being closer to who Flora truly is?
All of the above, haha. My musical mission is to make people feel what I feel when a song touches my soul. That’s what art is about, it’s meant to reach deep inside, where we’re afraid to go.
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