BIO

Lucas Cirillo

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is a multifaceted Latin Grammy nominee and composer, music director, producer, arranger, and harmonica player with over two decades of experience in the music industry. His artistry is rooted in a deep exploration of Afro-Brazilian, Indigenous, and contemporary music forms, which he brings to life through innovative and boundary-pushing projects. Lucas is renowned for seamlessly blending genres such as jazz, blues, hip-hop, and traditional Brazilian music, focusing on uncovering and honoring ancestral musical roots while crafting forward-thinking compositions.

 

As the creator and executive producer Oroboro, Lucas leads A Timeline, his most important musical endeavor. Oroboro is the debut album of A Timeline and exemplifies Lucas’s fusion of sounds, featuring collaborations with renowned artists like Xenia França, Maria Gadú, Rashid, Fejuca, Ana Karina Sebastião, and Ricardo Braga. This groundbreaking work melds Afro-Brazilian and Indigenous rhythms with modern hip-hop influences and Hermeto Pascoal’s "Universal Music" approach. The album was very well received and praised by specialized media, and it garnered significant attention, including selection for Instrumental Sesc Brasil, the country’s most prominent program for instrumental music, which led to a dedicated documentary, workshop, and concert in 2023. Lucas also directed and produced a series of online concerts in 2021 and the single "Mojuba," featuring Japanese artist SASUKE.

 

Lately, A Timeline has been working as a music-producing core, collaborating with artists such as Theodoro Nagô, Iuna Falcão, YAZI, and Xenia França. These collaborations highlight the project's evolving influence and versatility in the music industry.

 

Lucas has also demonstrated his versatility through his work as the music director and producer for Iuna Falcão. He produced her debut album, Transe, which fuses traditional Maranhão music with urban sounds and features collaborations with Lazzo Matumbi, Xenia França, and Theodoro Nagô. His genre-blending skills are also evident in his role as a composer and songwriter for Xenia França’s Latin Grammy-winning album Em Nome da Estrela (2023), and her double Grammy-nominated album Xenia (2018), and for Melly in her Latin Grammy debuted album Amaríssima (2024) . For his contributions, Lucas earned a Latin Grammy nomination for Best Portuguese Songwriting in 2018 with the song Pra Que Me Chamas and became a member of the Latin Grammy Academy.

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In addition to his production and composition work, Lucas is an accomplished harmonica player. He co-founded Aláfia, a pioneering band that blends Afro-Brazilian rhythms with urban styles. Over the years, he played a crucial role as a composer, arranger, and performer on the band’s albums, touring extensively across Europe, South America, and Brazil, and sharing the stage with luminaries such as Elza Soares, Criolo, and Liniker. His innovative approach is also evident in his work with Afrocidade, where he created the band’s brass and woodwind section, performing on national TV shows and major festivals, including Coala Festival and Lollapalooza Brazil, alongside artists like Luedji Luna and Rincon Sapiência.

 

Lucas’s talents extend to film scoring, having composed for a variety of films and documentaries. Notably, one of his compositions, Breu, was synced in Executive Order (2020), directed by Lázaro Ramos, and he composed for Baobab Flowers (2017), a Brazil-U.S. documentary collaboration which won the Audience Award for Best Documentary Short at BlackStar Film Festival in 2017. He has also contributed to other high-profile productions such as Transpatagônia and the Canadian danceplay Gaia, showcasing his adaptability and artistic vision in visual media.

 

A strong believer in continuous learning and growth, Lucas has studied under masters such as Letieres Leite, who introduced him to the Bahian Percussive Universe (UPB) method, and Itiberê Zwarg, with whom he explored Hermeto Pascoal’s Universal Music theory. He has also participated in online composition classes with Hans Zimmer, further enriching his expansive knowledge of composition and musical arrangement.

 

Throughout his career, Lucas has been recognized with several prestigious awards and grants, including the Natura Musical grant and a PROAC award for his work with Aláfia. His collaborations have led to performances at iconic venues and festivals such as Blue Note São Paulo, CCSP, and international stages across Colombia, Portugal, Finland, Turkey, France, Denmark, and Uruguay.

 

Lucas Cirillo continues to collaborate with emerging talents and renowned artists alike, driven by his dedication to innovation and his commitment to connecting the ancestral with the contemporary. Whether on stage, in the studio, or composing for film, Lucas’s work reflects a profound respect for musical traditions combined with a relentless pursuit of new creative horizons.

 

Explore Lucas Cirillo’s full body of work across various projects and collaborations,  visiting the sections on this site.

Feel free to reach out via email at contato@lucascirillo.com for inquiries and collaborations.