‘We are used to giving moral foundations to those who come from the outside and forget to look at ourselves. That’s Brazil”, said rapper L7nnon at the start of his presentation last Sunday, at Lollapalooza, in São Paulo. The singer criticized Canadian artist Drake, the main attraction of the day at the festival. He canceled his performance at the last minute, upsetting fans who had bought tickets to see him. This is not the first time the man has belittled the Brazilian public. In the 2019 edition of Rock in Rio, among other manifestations of distaste, Drake banned his presentation from being shown by Multishow shortly before it happened, much to the frustration of those who did not have the opportunity to be at an event of this magnitude. How long are we going to keep clapping like this? Till when shall we see what comes from outside with enchantment that amazes us?

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There are some Tuesdays, always crying at night watching TV. Reason? Leticia Colin. He starred in “Where is my heart”, a ten-episode series aired by Globo. The production is readily available on streaming, and I know the accolades it has picked up, but I haven’t seen it yet. In the story, the actress plays doctor Amanda, a chemical addict addicted to crack. The drama was very strong, and the translator gave himself completely to the scene which moved me. At the same time I saw her, affected, I asked myself what were the limits of Letícia’s talent. Because, at the same time, I’m following his other appearance on the Todas as flores soap, whose second season starts this week on Globoplay. In João Emanuel Carneiro’s plot, he embodies the loathsome villain Vanessa.

Aside from her actions, this little girl’s utterance of not measuring the consequences to get what she wants caused so much anger, that even I laughed. But it was a desperate laugh from thinking: “It’s even worse that there are people like that”. The loathsome has a blind sister who saves him by donating his bone marrow. But that doesn’t make him sensitive. Vanessa dropped gems like: “I can’t believe the blind girl found a boyfriend who also has a car!” or “Life can’t be so rough on me. I was exchanged for a blind woman.” Festival of prejudice and coldness. Similarities to real life are unfortunately not accidental.

How can the same artist morph so much, causing great emotions in those who see him? Talent, dedication to his craft, respect for the public who will spend his work… These will be some of the answers. But not only. In addition to the way she views her profession, Letícia displays an admirable attitude as a person. When I see him posing as a citizen, he always seems empathetic. Last week, citing a recent example, he participated in the “Encontro” program on a difficult day, when the mother of one of the young people who witnessed the grievous attack on a school in São Paulo was present. The episode ends with people getting injured and a teacher being killed. Paying attention to conversation, he is a respectful listener and offers his honest opinion. She even stated how tragedies like this had befallen her as the mother of a son. And this worldview makes a huge difference in an artist’s conveyance, because the raw material for his work comes from other people, from life.

But why did I start talking about gringo rappers and end up quoting young Brazilian artists? Because Letícia Colin is our thing! I use it as a reference now, because the emotion it evokes is fresh in my mind. Not that she needs me to explain her brilliance, because she’s been recognized for so many things: she’s been nominated for an Emmy for the series I mentioned, she’s filled one lead role after another… And the best part is, she’s one of so many people in a very strong cultural scene like Brazil. I don’t even need to finish a line here to talk about our MPB wealth either. The world has been aware of this for some time. But what about us?

On a visit I made to Cuba, the telenovela “Avenida Brasil” was shown there. The commotion the series generated was so impressive, to the point that Carminha, a character unforgettable by Adriana Esteves, became the nickname for the flu that hit them at the time. When they found out I was Brazilian they stopped me to ask about the story. I experienced a similar sensation in Argentina, another country among so many who are fascinated by what we produce. Do we all know how much they appreciate us out there?

Art has no boundaries. We need to know what other people are doing to inspire us, learn, combine different references and create new things… But always remember that, in this field, we owe nothing to anyone. Drake can’t gauge Brazil’s relevance. And we don’t need a Drake show around here.