“I tried to create something inspired by the metamorphosis of a butterfly, because Papillon means butterfly in French,” said the rapper in an interview about his trilogy of albums, initiated in 2018 with “Deepak Looper,” concluding with “Wonder,” which also includes “Jony Driver,” released in 2022.
This conceptual idea developed to showcase his personal and artistic growth over time. “It is a creative proposal and an idea that I wanted to share with the world, above all,” he stated.
“Wonder,” comprising 13 tracks, marks the end of the trilogy, though not necessarily the end of Papillon’s ‘metamorphosis’.
“I think the third album is more of an invitation, trying to figure out whether we have reached this stage or are still in the process of evolution. The butterfly phase is the final phase, the goal. I believe the album is a question I ask myself and attempt to answer at the same time,” he explained.
Papillon continues his quest, and “the invitation to listen to the album is precisely that”: “each of us should reflect a bit and understand what stage we are in this metamorphosis.”
“Wonder” is also about “not knowing what comes next, but having the curiosity to explore, to want to know what follows.” “And to do so with a sparkle in the eyes and a desire to do more and better,” he added.
Before embarking on his solo career, Papillon was part of the rap collective GROGNation, which announced its end in 2022, after 11 years of music.
“My school is the school of rap, and I began with very minimalist things, from a ‘boom bap’ school, with simple loops and beats, and all I wanted was space to deliver my rhymes, to show my ‘flow’ skill. That was much of my school, the early years of making music,” he recalled.
Over the years, he started to enjoy “colors, melodies, creating songs”.
“So, I began to be a bit bolder, and my first album was already that first step of being daring and audacious in the search for different sounds,” he shared.
Since the release of “Deepak Looper” in 2018, he feels he has “grown a lot.” “I met friends in music, on the road, colleagues, super talented people, from whom I learned a lot over time. And I tried in the songs and projects to show a bit of what I was learning, especially vocally,” he mentioned.
Although primarily a ‘rapper’, Papillon feels he has “greatly developed the ability to create melodies and make vocal layers and bring harmonies, work on the choruses”.
“Wonder” was created “with the intention of being melodic,” and many themes emerged from “very minimalist” processes: “guitar, voice, and trying to write the best possible song with few elements”.
Guests — singers Bárbara Tinoco and Carla Prata — joined when the album, produced with twins GOIAS, Diogo Púrpura, Migs and Ariel, was practically completed.
On March 20, Papillon will perform at the Coliseu dos Recreios in Lisbon, in a “grand show” intended for those who have followed him since 2018, but also for “those who are just discovering with this record”.
“That they celebrate with me this milestone of stepping onto the Coliseu stage, which will be a dream come true. I want it to be a magical day, a show that does justice to the enchantment of making music and sharing it with people,” he said.
The concert is still being prepared, but Papillon already knows he wants “to try to create a setlist balanced between the songs people have grown to love and the new album”.
“The same effort and commitment I put into my albums is what I will try to do at the Coliseu in March,” he said about the show, which will include guests, although he has not disclosed the names yet.
As part of the release of “Wonder,” Papillon recently made available on his official YouTube account the short film “Sonhos,” which portrays stories he has been narrating over the years through music.
“It materializes things I’ve been saying in the first and second albums. Essentially it’s symbolic, of my experiences, things I went through,” he noted.
The 30-minute film includes, for example, “the dream of wanting to play football and being prevented by injuries, not having the legal documentation and not being able to play, only train,” or the mourning process for his father’s death.
“It was an attempt to symbolically tell and summarize the story that brought us to this moment, and at the same time toast the people who have been with me from the beginning, with the [sharing of] the novelty that happened in my life in recent years, which is also one reason I wasn’t as active in making music,” he shared.
The ‘novelty’ is his child, “a new priority” which also served as “an inspiration source” for the new album released today.
