Michel Teló

Michel Teló
Michel Teló in Itatiba, São Paulo, Brazil.
Background information
Born	(1981-01-21) January 21, 1981 (age 36) Medianeira, Paraná, Brazil
Origin	Campo Grande, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil
Genres	Sertanejo, country
Occupation(s)	Singer, songwriter
Instruments	Vocals, accordion, harmonica, classical guitar
Years active	1998–present
Labels	Universal Music Brazil

Michel Teló (Brazilian Portuguese: [miˈʃɛw teˈlɔ]) (born January 21, 1981) is a Brazilian sertanejo singer-songwriter. Before his solo act, he was a lead singer in various bands, most notably . His biggest national and international hit is "Ai Se Eu Te Pego!", a number one in most European countries, Latin America, and Quebec.

Teló's artistic career began in 1987 when, as a six-year-old, he made his first solo performance in his school choir, singing a piece by Roberto Carlos and Erasmo Carlos. At ten, his musical talent blossomed when his father gave him an accordion. At age 12, upon encouragement by neighbors, school friends and his brothers, he formed a young band for playing traditional music, which was called "Guri" and served to strengthen Teló taste in music in a professional organized manner. He was the band's lead singer and composer. Besides his love for the harmonica, Teló also took piano lessons for five years. He was also dancer and played the accordion, harmonica, and guitar.

In 1997, Teló was just 16 when he was invited to join the band Grupo Tradição, making part of the band for 11 years as lead vocals until 2008. His career as a singer took off as he sang the band's biggest hits, such as "Barquinho", "O Caldeirão", "Pra Sempre Minha Vida", "A Brasileira", and "Eu Quero Você." During such period of time, he was the band's front figure, conducting most of the interviews and promotions. According to Teló's former producer Wagner, he left without creating any enmity or hard feelings, as Teló made clear that he wanted to pursue a solo career. He was replaced by Guilherme Bertoldo, but the band had lost most of its appeal due to his departure and soon members began to quit the band, not having enough trust in the viability of the band without Teló.

The album Balada Sertaneja was released in 2009 by Brazilian record label Som Livre. It was produced by Ivan Myazato and resulted in two singles: "Ei, psiu! Beijo me liga", a great commercial success, and "Amanhã sei lá". The release of the live album Michel Teló – Ao Vivo was an even bigger success and awarded Teló a gold disc. This culminated in a huge concert on September 16, 2011, attended by reportedly 50,000 people in a double ticket, which included Teló and João Bosco & Vinícius at Terraço Daslu. Throughout 2011, Teló played over 240 shows. According to Forbes magazine, Teló's Fugidinha Tour was attended by more than 17 million people and Teló has reportedly made $18 million alone in 2011. Teló has also released two DVDs, one containing songs from the 1980s and 1990s, in collaboration with Milionário & José Rico, Bruno e Marrone, and João Bosco & Vinícius, and the other, entitled Michel Na Balada, including new songs. During 2014, Michel has toured Europe stopping in Belgium, France and Germany. On Facebook, he shows his joy at being able to travel to Europe and perform his songs in Europe. Also he is the best known Brazilian artist in Europe and was asked how he felt about taking the mantle of showing Brazilian music to the world to which he said he was "thrilled" to be able to.