He is the world’s most effortlessly cool rocker. He is a singer-songwriter, composer, model and also the brain behind the acclaimed – in four acts -, music masterpiece, titled with the nickname he has been identified by, “Prince of Rock”, an extended play that is changing the modern Rock scene. He is routinely called the “sexiest rocker alive” while embodying Rock chic in a silhouette wrapped in a head-to-toe black quiet luxury style. And now, exclusively, despite making a point of being elusive, this introvert genius is gonna talk.
The British-Brazilian musician Saulo Oliveira S. first saw his popularity rise in the middle of 2006, when he was just 12.
While waiting for the school bus on June 6, 2006, Saulo was playing his harmonica with some friends. But his melody was interrupted by the sound of heavy footsteps coming down the street towards him. The man, in a black suit and pale skin, introduced himself as the devil and challenged the boy to a harmonica duel. Whoever played the best solo would win the Elder Harmonica, a mystical instrument from the depths, and if Saulo lost, he would have to give the man his soul. Everyone laughed.
But then the stranger started playing the Elder Harmonica and he was so good that the smiles on everyone’s faces vanished.
Now our little Saulo had bitten the bait. Not wanting to be embarrassed in front of his friends, he played right away and, by doing so, put his soul on the line.
What followed was a faithful rendition of Ennio Morricone’s “Man with a Harmonica,” which Saulo had been rehearsing for weeks. Enraptured by the boy’s mastery, the supposed devil knelt and handed the Elder Harmonica into the boy’s hands, but not before prophesying that Saulo’s future with that instrument would be great.
Hours later, on the now-defunct Orkut (an extremely popular social network in South America at the time) a community created by Saulo’s friends who witnessed the feat, gained thousands of followers and a cult emerged.
In just a few days, the profile “The Boy Who Defeated the Devil and Became Bigger than God” already had tens of thousands of followers, and Saulo’s popularity, despite being local, suffocated him. In the private school where he studied, the idolatry spread like gangrene and harassed the boy to the point that he began to skip classes.
At that time, Oliveira saw his academic performance plummet precipitously, he only won “bronze” in basketball at the internal Olympics, instead of the projected “gold”, he shaved his head, started eating little, and became paranoid, resulting from phone calls in the middle of the night from colleagues asking to take a picture with him “to post on Orkut”, in addition to the insistence that he play the devil’s harmonica live.
For a few weeks, he left his Motorola Razr V3 dead on purpose because the “Moonlit Haze” ringtone had already generated a Pavlovian response of tachycardia and insomnia in him.
In a conversation prior to the interview that will follow, Saulo was emphatic in saying that 2006 was one of the worst years of his life.
But he escaped that madness by isolating himself and never playing the Elder Harmonica. Until 2020, in the solos on his debut album, it was finally possible to hear the instrument that already competes in history, in its rarity reputation, with a Stradivarius.
Maybe, as part of his willingness to move away from being “The Boy Who Defeated the Devil and Became Bigger than God” Saulo reinvented himself by getting a law degree at the Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná, diving deep into Beethoven’s 9th Symphony at Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences, directing short movies and modelling, which arose as a paramount to him.
Given that Saulo is endowed with a heartthrob beauty, (hence a proportionally well-designed face with soft contours and angular jawline in profile), the invitation to photoshoots and magazine features came with no surprise. Naturally, after all, with blood from the south of Brazil in his veins, particularly the same region of origin as Gisele Bündchen, alongside her, he lives up to the infamous maxim that the most beautiful people are in the south of the country.
But there’s more to the Bündchen’s-beauty-compatriot than his looks. Straight from the omen of being born on the same day as Woody Guthrie, which is also Bastille Day, Saulo irradiates an energy that is the perfect match: he has the classic originality of the compositional style of the first and a revolutionary spirit inspired by the second.
Overall, expectations are always high when it comes to the singer of “Macneil”. His magnetism ignites an effect on certain people. Earlier this year, fans threatened to set fire to tyres in Los Angeles and block the Sunset Strip if the child sensation-turned-model-turned rockstar didn’t release new music.
But this is no longer the Saulo of 2006, who got spooked by phone calls from someone threatening to follow him home from school to steal the Elder Harmonica.
So, without fearing the pressure, he responded, in conversation with Billboard, that the long-awaited single “Nighthawks” would not be released this year “thanks to the plenty of people buzzing on my ear about it”. And, by announcing a full album for next year he assures that he is doing it for himself and not giving in to pressure.
All in all, it looks like Oliveira has been living on his island for years – and thou some close friends have tracked him down so they could go on one last mission to bring fresh music to the world-, to add to the drama, our main character refused. It wasn’t until the ghosts of old Rock scene legends revealed themselves from the flames of a campfire whispering Saulo words of encouragement that he finally made up his mind. Now, the Prince of Rock is back, haunted by the likes of Cobain, Morrison, and many other Rock music avengers from the past to fight and save the world.
So, this is your first significant interview in how many years?
Saulo: I can’t remember. The years such as interviews are all insignificant, may I say.
But there’s a pattern there, right? You drop a work and then goes missing. The so-called “hiatus”.
Saulo: You bet. Quoting the famous poet, “I feel free when I see no one and nobody knows my name”. My “hiatus” is my life happening. I don’t carve the spotlight, I lust for life. Real life. As far as I’m concerned, I’m gonna keep this. I’m not keen on social media. People shouldn’t expect me to be “online” whatever that means.
Let me start from the start. Everybody loves the story of you being “The boy who defeated the devil and became bigger than God”, why do you avoid talking about that?
Saulo: Because the past is in the past and gone. It’s a good chapter, nice, and relevant, but you won’t advance and prograde in the story by keeping attached at one episode. It must be progressive. Pages must be turned constantly in life. A rolling stone gathers no moss. I’m always rolling forward.
After that EP you became the newest face of Rock music. How does it feel to be the “Prince of Rock”?
Saulo: When I first thought of RRNR what I had in mind was the idea of an opera saga in which the main character would become something that he subconsciously desired to be. Mack being turned into the “Prince of Rock” was a destiny I idealized, narratively, for him and him alone. Little did I know that some would interpret that as an autobiography in which I was claiming to be Rock Royalty. But I don’t think Mackenzie Macneil is an alter ego for me, it’s just a character I created. Not everything has to have a meaning all the time.
But your catalogue is filled with meaningful messages. You gave the conception of “meaning” a new meaning by intriguing listeners with hidden messages in your songs. Isn’t it natural that now people look at what you do searching for the Easter eggs, interpreting every word?
Saulo: There’s a meaning in the songs, yes, but it doesn’t have to be necessarily the one you imagine. I certainly want to convey a message with everything I write, there’s an underlying language in all creative activities. But are you getting it right?
You talked about pages and chapters a while ago, a good metaphor for the moments in life we all have to go through. Are you satisfied with the exact chapter you’re living now?
Saulo: I’m okay with my journey, I think. But never satisfied. I haven’t reached the Emerald City yet but at least I’m not in Kansas anymore. But, I can’t get any satisfaction. I’m not accommodated. Sometimes to be satisfied could mean you’re allowing yourself to be the most lackadaisical person in the world and that’s dangerous. I’m well-acquainted with new challenges because that’s what constantly propels me to a refined version of myself.
Why and when did you choose head-to-toe black as your permanent clothing style?
Saulo: To give nightmares to Anna Wintour. No, just kidding. I started wearing black probably 5 years ago because it’s practical. It’s becoming a trademark, people tend to find it strange if I show up wearing anything in colour. I don’t mind. People. I couldn’t care less about them. I do it for me.
Do you consider yourself Rock royalty?
Saulo: It’s not up to me to say. I don’t have an answer to that. I think I’m predominantly a Rock & Roll man but… I could also do some Pop, Electronic or R&B, whatever. Allow me to pass on that one without a yes or no.
What should the listeners expect from your upcoming album?
I think… there will be plenty of guitar solos, good energy and vibrant drums. In terms of the message that it conveys it will explore themes like reality, fiction, fate, people living like a cog, injustices and how the human race is doomed to be attached to the formula if it doesn’t wake to beat the machine and so on and on and on. This whole concept leads to catchy melodies, thought-provoking lyrics, and a softy-raspy voice singing a lot. It’s fun, entertaining and blah, blah, blah…
Some people threatened to set tyres on fire in Los Angeles if you didn’t release the highly anticipated single “Nighthawks”. Earlier this year you stated, “That song is not coming out this year”. Will this song be part of the new album?
Yes, the song will be released. Let’s prevent some tires from burning. Not on my watch. What a circus. Someone briefed me about it and I thought it was a joke, an internet thing. But there was even a petition about it. What a fucked up stuff. Well, I like to think that no one would burn anything, in the end. Plus, I’m releasing new stuff because I want to, rather than because someone is waiting for it.
They identify themselves as “The Cult of Saulo”.
Well, no one is allowed to take any action in my name nor to talk on my behalf. Let alone burn tyres. I understand, this rebellious attitude is Rock & Roll, it’s vicious, I got it. But just don’t.
How was that harmonica solo in “No One Here Gets Out Alive” made and can that be replicated? Like, live any moment?
Saulo: I brought that solo to life by blowing air from my lungs into that notorious instrument that I got from a stranger at that crossroads almost two decades ago. It was all experimental and instinctive, I’ve played in one take, no rehearsals, just trying to capture something in the air, as simple as that. I played again a few times after recording, but not live. Today I think it’s too long.
The “stranger”, you mean, the devil, and the “notorious instrument” the Elder Harmonica, right?
Saulo: I’m not going there again.
Okay, so, why is your second album only coming out five years after the release of “Wild Horizon”?
Saulo: I don’t know… Oh, wait. Actually, I do. It could have been more, believe me. I have this tendency to keep adjusting the melody, the lyrics, the beat and every single aspect of the song and suddenly a year has passed and it’s still not good, from my point of view. And never will be. I avoid listening to anything after I release it for a while because I know I would like to change something there again. Just like the solos on WH, that you mentioned, for example, if made today it wouldn’t extend and, if I keep thinking about it, tomorrow I probably wouldn’t have done the whole thing and period. So, the songs people are gonna hear in this upcoming album have been under my tailoring for almost a decade. I even started the demos of it before WH. At some point I need to descend to the earthly sphere, process the mortality of my acts and then, leaving aside the ambition of the sublime that upheaved me, I dispose of the excess of solemnity and launch into the world a type of music more than a thousand times distilled, purified in the torment of restlessness.
About two years ago you had a one-on-one with the amazing folk musician Anna Lofgren, and while talking about folk and blues genres as inspiration you both cited a few names. Does this next album have folk or blues vibes?
Saulo: Everybody should listen to Anna’s work. And yes, I’m gonna mix a bit of folk rock with blues and pop in this one. There’s a specific song that is purely structured in a blues way. Great genres.
Considering that “Prince of Rock” is your Magnum Opus, don’t you fear that your next projects may fall short of topping that? I mean, is there life after perfection?
Each different work has its own value and should be appreciated independently, out of any comparison, although a difficult compromise to ask from the listener, I know. You see, Wild Horizon is atmospheric in a way that TPOR can’t be. Each song is conceived under its peculiar conditions. Everything is great, they are all great songs and whatever comes next will be great in its way as well. I don’t fear anything because I ain’t got no time for this.
Some critics from the traditional Artdaily said “Renewing Rock N Roll is to Saulo what the Sistine Chapel is to Michelangelo and the Mona Lisa is to Leonardo Da Vinci”. Define art, right here, right now.
Art is whatever I say it is and if I say something is not art then that’s not art. It’s just as simple as that. It does lie in the eye of the beholder, after all.
Shakespeare, Chekov and a few others. How come when you go the storyteller mode people tend to compare your style to the classics? To what specific characteristic of your manufacture do you attribute this?
Saulo: Billy Shake rocks. I like that guy’s work. Go ask these people.
Isn’t your anti-establishment ethos, expressed in irreverent lyrics, infused with your devil-may-care charisma and iconoclast personality a plasticised movement ready to be sold on the hypocrite shelves of the non-pigeonholed?
Saulo: No, I don’t see it that way. Although we all have our contradictions. Everything that’s being sold is genuine, my background story, my persona, my way of thinking, the creative stuff, it’s all authentic. Then comes that massive invisible hand pulling the strings, above the system, which determines that for me, to keep expressing myself, I gotta play the game sometimes. Using some tool within the system to criticize the very system implies the contradiction I mentioned, the paradox. Any bid to the “establishment” is a purposeful contradiction with an objective in mind. So, to get my protest songs to a larger audience, I gotta embrace an interview, for example. I’m not pretending to be sarcastic, ironic, irreverent or nonchalant just to sell music. I am what I am. I just play the game when I need to.
Because we all have bills to pay. So, it’s comprehensible that the second track on your EP disses capitalism whilst being a song that people must pay to listen to, right?
Saulo: Sometimes you gotta shake some hands, but it doesn’t mean I’ve lost my belief in the process. Sometimes you gotta go from “beating status quo” to just “status quid pro quo”. Maturing brings the acceptance of a conciliatory bond between those two.
The interview is finishing. What’s your favourite thing about music?
Saulo: I think it’s when I’m about to release a new album and then I go out to talk about it and the interviewer tells me the conversation is finishing. One could never put into words the amount of blasting joy that comes from such a moment.
Thank you…
Saulo: So much.