São Paulo-based singer-songwriter Céu opens her new song “Coreto” with notes that sound almost like digital fireflies, setting a synthesized nighttime scene that soon warms into a dizzying dance ballad. Her voice floats higher — Céu has never needed to push too hard to hit those crystal-clear notes — and gentle handclaps push the beat forward.
“I think I have always been an artist that lives in between the indie and mainstream worlds,” says Céu. “Coreto” exemplifies that balance, with a catchy chorus and a satisfying structure in unlikely harmony with the sharply minimal electronics and distinctly silken vocal tones that are the hallmark of a Céu song. “It’s a reflection on [living in between],” she continues, “about contrasts and an invitation to dance, to enjoy.”
And inviting it is. It’s one of Céu’s more overtly soothing and swaying singles, drawing as it does on the renowned artist’s “love for soul music and ballroom music”. As her voice winds skyward, gently powerful, it’s as fresh as and maybe even more well-polished than it ever has been before in Céu’s brilliant career since debuting on Six Degrees in 2007. In combination with recent single “Corpocontinente” and its more melancholy shades, this new track bodes well for Céu’s upcoming fifth album, the excitingly titled APKA!
Listening to “Coreto”, it’s no surprise to learn that the team behind APKA! is the same team behind Céu’s last album, 2016’s gorgeously pixelated Tropix, which similarly focused on starlit keyboards and creative uses of open space. Still, as this new single tells us, Céu is not only a trailblazer but also an artist who can reach out to a wide crowd. “It’s something I’ve always enjoyed, playing a little bit with the idea of having my music on the radio.” There’s no question that “Coreto” is ready to be loved by a large listening public.
APKA! comes out on 24 April via Six Degrees Records.