It has been almost two years since Tulipa's name (tulip in Portuguese) has been growingly associated with the most interesting projects of Sao Paulo's musical scene. She is also quoted among the most talented artists of the new MPB, with Céu, Tiê, Rogê, Lucas Santtana, Bárbara Eugênio (whose portraits I suggest you should read on the excellent website Noisey.com, dedicated to emerging artists around the world), Rodrigo Campos, Kiko Dinucci, Silvia Machete or Marcelo Jeneci, with whom she gave a series of shows. And this for two reasons. First of all, the two artists were very concerned about choosing, for their first (and great) albums, astonishingly lucid names in these times where things last so short a time: Tulipa's Efêmera (ephemeral), and Marcelo's Feito pra acabar (doomed to end). Then, we can rightfully assert that these new talents are the future of Brazilian music.

The title song Efêmera is the hit that opens the album straightaway. The melody is both simplistic and sophisticated, and the chorus, innocuous at first sight, really hits the spot: « Vou ficar mais um pouquinho para ver se acontece alguma coisa nessa tarde de domingo » (I will stay a little bit more to see if something happens on this Sunday afternoon). Following this ode to nonchalance, you can find, among ten other songs, Pontual, where she hints at how hard it is for her to arrive at the cinema on time. So sei dançar com você tells us how dance can be a new obstacle. Da menina is about her desire for just frivolous feminity, in conformity with her image of flower woman. Here is a series of pop, or even new wave, always perfectly accurate gems. As for ballads, Do amor and Sushi strike by their lightness, sophistication and romantism. In sum, they reflect this airy album, which seems so far from the stress and aggressiveness emanating from this hyperindustrialized megalopolis where the Ruiz family once settled.

Tulipa surrounded herself with her brother Gustavo, who is her producer and fine guitarist, and their father Luiz Chagas, who plays the electric guitar. The latter strived for many years when he played the guitar for Itamar Assumpção, a famous and missed emblematic figure of the Sao Paulo scene. They wrote and composed all the tracks of the album. They were accompanied by some musicians of the l’Orquestra Imperial, by the excellent drums player Duani and Mrs Mariana Aydar, who participated in the album, among other artists like Céu, Donatinho, Tiê, Juliana Kehl, Leo Cavalcanti, Iara Rennó and Tatá Aeroplano.

Finally, Tulipa's concert in Paris during her European tour has dramatically confirmed what we already thought about her: she has an incredibly attractive scenic presence, a certain gift for acting and she can hit high notes while putting a lot of humour into it. Ephemeral made to last.

TULIPA RUIZ efêmera

(CD: Totolo Label, distribution by Harmonia Mundi)