Yann Dufau, a remarkable figure in the artistic scene as a singer and actor, has traced a captivating trajectory in music and on stage. His beginnings in music aligned with his quest for authenticity and passion, as he took to the stages at prominent events in Rio de Janeiro, being a mainstay in the prominent Red Hot Chili Peppers tribute band, “Pepper Spray”. But the path to this greatness was not linear, he began to gain public at the famous Eclético – Gastronomia e Música, where he presented an eclectic repertoire and vibrant performances.
Her family’s influence, steeped in talent and appreciation for music, was a driving force in her journey. With a courageous start, Yann ventured onto the solo stage, guitar in hand, creating a unique show at the Colégio Celio Rodrigues Band Festival. That audacious spirit and his family’s musical heritage formed the solid foundation of his career.
Even in the face of adversity, Yann never gave up. During the pandemic, while considering leaving his artistic career, an unexpected invitation brought him back to the spotlight, showing that his passion was undeniably inextinguishable. His commitment led him to recognition, receiving the award for best supporting actor for his role in the musical “Cazas de Cazuza”.
Passion and talent have been the guiding threads of his journey, guiding him through uncertainties and challenges. His love of music and acting has allowed him to overcome obstacles while keeping his determination unscathed. For Yann, passion and talent are intertwined, pushing him to overcome challenges and constantly improve himself.
With her musical and theatrical passions, Yann gracefully balances both worlds. Theater enriches its music and vice versa. He is living proof that commitment, passion and creativity are the essential ingredients to overcome adversity and succeed in an artistic career, inspiring all those who walk this path. His final advice is simple but powerful: keep swimming, no matter what the circumstances.
Yann, you are a singer and an actor. In music, how was the beginning of your career? What led you to dedicate yourself to this passion of yours and become one of the great exponents in the main event bands in Rio de Janeiro and to be part of the main tribute to the Red Hot Chili Peppers in Brazil (the “Pepper Spray” band)?
Thanks so much for seeing it that way. About the beginning of my career in music, I’m going to use as a starting point the moment when I started to earn some money after singing for people (other than my family members at an alcoholic barbeque and the money wasn’t a few pennies affectionately coming from the my grandfather’s pocket). This happened in 2012, when I was selected by Thiago Garcia, exceptional music director, to join the group of singers (the famous “Waiters-Singers”) at the trendy and nostalgic Eclético – Gastronomia e Música, in Barra da Tijuca. A thematic show that attracted and entertained crowds for many years, and which contained a repertoire full of great hits from all decades, accompanied by very well-prepared and rehearsed performances (Broadway vibe), and also including mood boards, magic and lots of interaction with the audience. It was a great school, and it brought me a lot of “cancha” for the market that awaited me. As I’ve been in love with this type of “old school” repertoire since I was a child, I was able to combine what I already knew with everything else I didn’t know. And allied to the ever more polished experience of performing them live, interacting a lot with the audience, the subsequent invitations (from 2014 onwards) to sing in big bands from the Rio event scene turned out to be a very natural process, while also toured in “unplugged” mode (voice and guitar) through the bars and rock pubs of Rio’s nightlife. In the midst of this incursion, I was noticed and quoted to take over the vocals of the band Pepper Spray, in 2017. Which rhymes with “match”. And that’s exactly what happened. With them, my dear brothers Rafael Glaychman (drums and executive production),
From a young age, you demonstrated artistic abilities and an interest in music. How have these family influences and personal talents shaped your artistic path to date?
They shaped in an essential way so that my entire artistic path could be projected. First, for the childhood dream. Afterwards, floored by the teenage Yann’s appetite. Who, for example, soon after getting his first guitar at the age of 14 (8th grade at the time), went crazy and went to perform at the Festival de Bandas(!) at Colégio Celio Rodrigues, playing and singing alone(!) because there was no band. It was that or nothing. In front of a crowd of male and female students of all years (including girls who I would like to impress, but who could also be the biggest embarrassment up front “on national television”, and the oldest of the, at the time High School, salivating to practice due bullying with that brat too bold to go unpunished). From boldness came more boldness, for after years of being mentally paved, this path can finally be trodden by the adult Yann, with musical baggage extracted from a lifetime of listening to everything my father and older brother listened to. From them, easily, comes about 70% of my “musical training”, so to speak. And always looking for more and more. Styles, references. So we proceed. Nonstop.
During a challenging period of the pandemic, you thought about giving up your artistic career. What made you reconsider that decision and continue following your passion for music and acting?
A call, in mid-2021, from director Rodrigo Pitta, inviting me to finally rejoin the cast and resume the musical “Cazas de Cazuza” (which had started the rehearsal process 10 days before the outbreak of #StayEmCasaMood, and was sadly “disparido à forceps” in March 2020). At the time of the call, I had just completed an MBA, focused on a career transition to the commercial area, and I was participating in a selection process at a large company, which initially had a total of 18,000 candidates from all over Brazil, and I had arrived at the penultimate of 5 steps. But there was no way. Request accepted, rehearsals booked, and there I was back on stage (yeah!)
Receiving the award for best supporting actor for his work in the musical “Cazas de Cazuza” was an important moment in his career. How would you describe that experience and the impact it had on your resolve?
The first prize, in reality, I received when I was chosen to be in the cast of “Cazas de Cazuza”, after my advisor, great actress, producer and always visionary Aline Peres (best in Brazil) plundered me enough to sign up for the auditions, because I felt it was “for me”. Consequently, being able to work with the cast I worked with, and especially with Rodrigo Pitta, Fernando Prata, Horácio Brandão and my genius Big Bro Jay Vaquer (all together, remnants of the genesis of this project that was so important and influential back in 2000), was a tremendous honor. And, in the end, the experience of receiving the “Musical.Rio” award was, of course, wonderful. Because it is a coronation, a hug in the soul after a lot of time dedicated and a lot of effort put into the whole process, by me and all my cast and crew mates. And of course, it has an absurdly special flavor to be able to receive the commitment of everyone who voted for us and the subsequent affection from them after the consolidation of the result. But regarding determination, I can safely say that it did not and could not have any impact, because it is something that, for me, does not depend on any circumstance or possibility of being nominated or not for an award. It is something that precedes any interest other than that of delivering a dignified, well-crafted, true, intense, visceral and as meticulous and profound performance as possible. My commitment is with the work, with the character, with the direction and with the public. That’s how it’s supposed to be. If I put the prize in front of all these elements, I’ve already started wrong. Determination comes first. Aiming to deliver the maximum. Glory comes as a consequence. That’s how I work. But regarding determination, I can safely say that it did not and could not have any impact, because it is something that, for me, does not depend on any circumstance or possibility of being nominated or not for an award. It is something that precedes any interest other than that of delivering a dignified, well-crafted, true, intense, visceral and as meticulous and profound performance as possible. My commitment is with the work, with the character, with the direction and with the public. That’s how it’s supposed to be. If I put the prize in front of all these elements, I’ve already started wrong. Determination comes first. Aiming to deliver the maximum. Glory comes as a consequence. That’s how I work. But regarding determination, I can safely say that it did not and could not have any impact, because it is something that, for me, does not depend on any circumstance or possibility of being nominated or not for an award. It is something that precedes any interest other than that of delivering a dignified, well-crafted, truthful, intense, visceral and as meticulous and profound performance as possible. My commitment is with the work, with the character, with the direction and with the public. That’s how it’s supposed to be. If I put the prize in front of all these elements, I’ve already started wrong. Determination comes first. Aiming to deliver the maximum. Glory comes as a consequence. That’s how I work. regardless of any circumstance or possibility of being nominated or not for an award. It is something that precedes any interest other than that of delivering a dignified, well-crafted, true, intense, visceral and as meticulous and profound performance as possible. My commitment is with the work, with the character, with the direction and with the public. That’s how it’s supposed to be. If I put the prize in front of all these elements, I’ve already started wrong. Determination comes first. Aiming to deliver the maximum. Glory comes as a consequence. That’s how I work. regardless of any circumstance or possibility of being nominated or not for an award. It is something that precedes any interest other than that of delivering a dignified, well-crafted, true, intense, visceral and as meticulous and profound performance as possible. My commitment is with the work, with the character, with the direction and with the public. That’s how it’s supposed to be. If I put the prize in front of all these elements, I’ve already started wrong. Determination comes first. Aiming to deliver the maximum. Glory comes as a consequence. That’s how I work. If I put the prize in front of all these elements, I’ve already started wrong. Determination comes first. Aiming to deliver the maximum. Glory comes as a consequence. That’s how I work. If I put the prize in front of all these elements, I’ve already started wrong. Determination comes first. Aiming to deliver the maximum. Glory comes as a consequence. That’s how I work.
Along your artistic journey, what were the main challenges you faced and how did you overcome them?
What is not lacking for those who live the “artistic journey” are challenges. So, fatally, like all my professional colleagues, I collect some episodes (lol). From having to, at a certain point, reconcile artistic activities with other remunerated activities, which allow you to close your account at the end of the month, but which sacrifice your rest and recovery time to perform 100% of both (but like the boss, neither the customer nor the public are there if you could sleep last night or not, if you could eat well or not or if you are balancing a thousand dishes…). Going through, in times of amateur theater, having to sell tickets on the street, at traffic lights, going from car to car, because Cia Teatral arrived at the place of the play on the day of the presentation and the local production company simply had not done its job. Zero disclosure. Consequently, no tickets sold. At the time of the presentation. Either we’d spend the whole day trying to sell tickets like a raffle on the street, even approaching the dogs, or we’d come home with a play in our pocket, rehearsed for months. And we managed to get 60 people in the audience. The feeling on that day of the applause at the end was as if he had scored a goal in a classic at Maracanã. I get goosebumps just remembering it. And more recently, a serious injury I suffered in the middle of the “Cazas de Cazuza” season at Teatro Claro Rio and it made it difficult for me to even walk indoors. Let alone execute what Deco, my character, asked of me. Anyone who watched it knows what I’m talking about. But a bad vase doesn’t break, come on! Haha ha approaching even the dogs, or we would come home with a piece in our pocket, rehearsed for months. And we managed to get 60 people in the audience. The feeling on that day of the applause at the end was as if he had scored a goal in a classic at Maracanã. I get goosebumps just remembering it. And more recently, a serious injury I suffered in the middle of the “Cazas de Cazuza” season at Teatro Claro Rio and it made it difficult for me to even walk indoors. Let alone execute what Deco, my character, asked of me. Anyone who watched it knows what I’m talking about. But a bad vase doesn’t break, come on! Haha ha approaching even the dogs, or we would come home with a piece in our pocket, rehearsed for months. And we managed to get 60 people in the audience. The feeling that day of the applause at the end was as if he had scored a goal in a classic at Maracanã. I get goosebumps just remembering it. And more recently, a serious injury I suffered in the middle of the “Cazas de Cazuza” season at Teatro Claro Rio and it made it difficult for me to even walk indoors. Let alone execute what Deco, my character, asked of me. Anyone who watched it knows what I’m talking about. But a bad vase doesn’t break, come on! Haha ha a serious injury that I suffered in the middle of the season of “Cazas de Cazuza” at Teatro Claro Rio and it made it difficult for me to even walk indoors. Let alone execute what Deco, my character, asked of me. Anyone who watched it knows what I’m talking about. But a bad vase doesn’t break, come on! Haha ha a serious injury that I suffered in the middle of the season of “Cazas de Cazuza” at Teatro Claro Rio and it made it difficult for me to even walk indoors. Let alone execute what Deco, my character, asked of me. Anyone who watched it knows what I’m talking about. But a bad vase doesn’t break, come on! Haha ha
How do you see the power of passion and talent in overcoming adversity, based on your own experience?
They go hand in hand. If there is no passion, there is no motivation. And the question of determination and commitment comes from there. And when there is, it takes talent to overcome adversity. Or at least determination (always her!) to exercise wit, presence of mind. Knowing that there will always be an opponent (adversity) trying to steal my ball motivates me to train and increase my dribbling repertoire.
As said before, in addition to the musical side, you are also an actor. How do you reconcile these two passions and how does each influence the other in your career?
It’s really hard to reconcile that. Theater rehearsals and presentations, for example, with a concert schedule. But thank God I count on the partnership, kindness and understanding of my production partners on both sides, who give me loopholes so that I can reconcile both and never curse me personally (just for thinking. Beautiful). And both the music and the interpretation are inserted in both contexts. If I’m in a play that isn’t a musical, or in an audiovisual scene, there’s music in the midst of “processing thoughts and subtexts during the scene”. If I’m in a musical theater show, I don’t even need to say. And if I’m at a show, with a band, I’m the interpreter of the songs. So it’s all there in this crunchy naughty combo.
What advice would you give to other artists facing difficult times and looking to achieve success in their artistic careers?
Keep swimming, motherf*ckerr! #PeaceAndLove
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