Rodrigo Amarante: The Voice of Narcos and a Brazilian Music Legend at Pohoda 2027
Brazilian singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, composer and arranger Rodrigo Amarante will perform at Pohoda 2027. You might not know his name, but you almost certainly know his voice. He wrote and performed Tuyo, the haunting theme song for Netflix's Narcos, which earned him a Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Main Title Theme Music in 2016. Today, the song has almost half a billion plays on Spotify.
12. November 2026
Rodrigo Amarante was born in Rio de Janeiro in 1976. He first rose to prominence as a member of Los Hermanos, one of Brazil's most celebrated rock bands, writing and singing much of their material across four acclaimed albums. He was also a founding member of Orquestra Imperial, the Rio-based samba big band that revived the gafieira samba tradition in the early 2000s. Its members also included Seu Jorge and Moreno Veloso.
After moving to the United States, he formed the indie rock band Little Joy with The Strokes drummer Fabrizio Moretti and Binki Shapiro. But his musical journey goes far beyond his bands. He has recorded, arranged and written music alongside icons of Brazilian and international music, including Gilberto Gil, Gal Costa, Tom Zé, João Donato, Norah Jones and Natalia Lafourcade.
He launched his solo career in 2013 with his debut album Cavalo. His second album, Drama (2021), was met with critical acclaim. Uncut named it their Album of the Month, Mojo named it its World Music Album of the Year for 2021, and NPR ranked it No. 45 on its list of the 50 best albums of 2021. Rodrigo Amarante also composes for film. He wrote the scores for Entebbe (2018) and His Three Daughters (2024).
Now based in Los Angeles, Rodrigo Amarante is writing a new album, due out in 2027. At Pohoda, you can look forward not only to Tuyo and songs from Cavalo and Drama, but perhaps also to a first taste of the new record. His concerts blend Brazilian samba, bossa nova and tropicália with indie folk and a gentle melancholy that draws you into a world of his own.