Prowling onto the worldwide club scene from Sao Paulo’s underground, the multidisciplinary artist and cultural force presents her debut album Noches Calientes De La Soledad where baile funk’s intrinsic raw energy meets pulses of techno and club textures melting into heat, sweat and desire. A true symbol of defiance and identity, Slim Soledad stands as a global icon of the underground, one who turns the chaos of constant movement into power, and the dance floor into home.
The up-coming record translates constant movement and lived experience into unfiltered sound that feels physical and emotional. All with the help of handpicked Brazilian cultural icons.
Amidst a mass media return to 2016, Slim is bringing sounds from 2036. A testament to her multifaceted nature, she manages to document nights defined by heat, repetition and release across genres and ten captivating tracks. Her debut album encapsulates a nocturnal, cinematic world starting off with a vocal-driven statement over gritty and reverberated electronic texture inviting listeners to sweat, flirt and surrender. Hailing from Guarulhos, shaped by São Paulo’s underground and now based in Italy’s fashion capital, Milan, Slim’s story has always been rooted in movement, from the energy of vogue and contemporary dance to the restless rhythm of life across continents. She’s mastered movement and displacement and made it central to her art.
Spearheading the Latin club and queer underground scenes on some of the most iconic stages across the world, she’s become a symbol of defiance and identity. Through her club night and collective Chernobyl, she has also helped turn marginalisation into strength, reclaiming spaces for queer artists in Brazil and now across Europe. Despite having a very imposing CV and a commanding presence, what shone throughout our call was that unmatched Brazilian charm, authenticity and kindness. Answering the call rocking her blue hair and shaved brows she talked to Metal about her debut album, club culture, identity and more.
Hey Slim, nice to meet you. How are you?
I'm great. Nice to meet you. I'm a little nervous for the interview, I always get a little bit anxious, but it's okay.
I’m surprised that you said that because you have a very powerful and commanding presence. Are you in Milan now?
Yeah, I'm in Milan.
How long has it been since you moved there?
It's already been around nine months. Pretty recent.
Has Milan informed or changed your approach to your art or even to life?
I think because this is still very recent, I cannot have a proper answer. So far, what makes me love the city is the friendships that I’ve made here. Even though in Milan there aren’t a lot of things happening compared to Paris where I was living before, I feel I’ve been making more connections than I did in Paris. So, in terms of community, being here is way better for me.
You’re on the brink of releasing your debut album Noches Calientes de la Soledad, congratulations. How do you feel?
Oh my God, I'm pretty excited. This is a project that I've been working on for a year and a half now and it's a project that is very personal. Before, I would not have been able to release something like this so I'm feeling very happy because I've been dreaming about this album for so long. It's also a reminder for me to remember that I can be capable of carrying out my dreams.
What was the inspiration behind it?
The inspiration for the title and everything behind, are the nights that I was coming back alone from the club. It also reminds me of the parties that I went to in Brazil. They’re always very hot nights. So, I was trying to come back to my roots and all the memories that I have from my nights in Brazil and also my hot nights here in Europe since I moved here. I was trying to combine all this mystery and how I married the night with the album.
What do your “noches calientes” consist of?
There are so many elements behind the album but, if I had to explain in three words, I would say clubby, queer and personal.
Do you think like Brazil's noches calientes are hotter than in Europe?
Definitely.
Do you miss that from Brazil?
That's the thing that I miss the most. My friends and the food, not the place itself.
Did you get a chance to record this project or make some of it back home in Brazil?
The first track of the album was something that I produced in Brazil, but at some point I didn’t like it and thought I would never use it. Then, I was looking for some old projects and found the track, I went back to Brazil last year during Carnival, reached out to some producers there and told them I wanted to work with them and from that I started to get a better idea of the album. I have two producers from Brazil in the album and one from Colombia.
What makes it different from your previous projects?
I feel that my previous projects basically my EP, were very techno, a lot intense sounds, you know, very present. And the album is more of a roller coaster. It has more ups and downs. The album is a mix of people and also my taste.
Included in these people are, Jota Mombaça, Clementaum, Evissimax and DJ Fucci as featured artists. How did you choose your collaborators for this project?
Most of them are really close friends and I really appreciate everything that they do. Before I was hesitant in inviting them because there is always this kind of imposter syndrome that you have that you think people are always better than you and you just feel afraid to ask. I've been learning and practicing to be more gentle with myself and more open to asking people things. That's why I chose them. Clementaum, I’ve known her for years and at some point when I was making Mapoas only I was like, I have to have this girl on board. Evissimax also lives here in Milan and Jota is from Brazil.
We have to take a moment to talk about Clementaum and the video you did for Mapoas Only…
Oh my God, the video itself is something me and Clementaum had the idea for, and we talked with Figa [Bernardo Martins], he did the visuals, and I was telling her that I think we should have a lot of hair, big lashes, big nails be the aesthetic of the video. Then, Figa took some portraits of us in different positions and did the visuals, which became something that I was not even expecting. The video is so good, so beautiful and a lot of people were also very confused whether it was AI or not, because all the traces that Figa did are very well done as well as the editing.
I did a double take as well, I thought it was partially AI. I think that’s one of the many negative consequences of AI because now we see something cool or interesting art and we default to thinking about AI.
I think people also forget about the artists and their methods, because this is his vision and the way he edited the video, this is also art. People are obsessed about the final product and don’t really think about the process behind it.
As a touring artist and “Jetlag Queen”, what tips do you have for when you are jetlagged?
Stay hydrated, drink a lot of water, always have a recovery pill with you no matter where you're going and try to keep up with all of your meals.
You’ve performed in some of the worlds most acclaimed music festivals as well as underground clubs and raves. Do you have a preference or favourite?
As I was saying before, I think Brazil is where the parties are the best. Berlin is also a place that I really love to party and so is London. I love all of them but because I live here in Europe now, my favourite place to party is definitely Berlin. I feel people there are more open. Second is London for sure.
Your party Chernobyl has exponentially grown since you founded it and gone quite international from what I have seen. As a touring artist, what role do you play within the party now?
I’m doing it all with my friends and the collective has now grown to four people. We might announce another member this year, this is a secret (laughs). Two members of the collective live in Berlin so they’ve been organising the parties there, I’ve been in charge of the one in Paris we have this week so I’m still doing everything within the collective. It's very organic for all of us, like when the girls want to do the parties in Berlin, they do. If we want to do something bigger, we're probably going to have a meeting to talk about it and so on. We’re trying to reactivate it in Brazil too with more collabs especially because it is so much about community.
You have a very vibrant and almost mainstream wave of queer and alternative artists in Brazil like Irmãs de Pau (Isma & Vita), Lia Clark, Danny Bond, Katy da Voz e as abusadas, etc. Do you think Brazil’s music scene is more accepting?
I don't think it's more accepting to be honest. The girls in Brazil don't have tools and resources and everything is, for a lot of people, in very poor conditions. All those girls you mentioned started very slowly and very small too but the power of community is what made them big. I think it's about working hard and having people that really believe in you by your side. These girls have been working a lot to reach the point that they are in right now. But indeed, Brazil has so many queer artists now, which is amazing because I mean, we are bored of just seeing the same stuff all the time so they bring freshness.
Brazil's fan culture is very intense, famously. So if you have Brazil on your side, you're good.
Exactly. I mean, most of the fans come from there, you know, but they're also very online and that's how it reaches even more people.
Brazil is really on trend right now. What do you think about gentrification and mass tourism?
I hate it but it's a consequence that is happening there. Brazilian culture is very tied to Rio de Janeiro and Brazil is so much more, there are so many other places to go and visit. People really love to romanticise this Brazilian dream and the dangers that Rio de Janeiro can provide. Like going to the favelas is not cute, girl. People should, at least try, be a little bit aware about the country.
Going back to queer artists, how do you see yourself within that ecosystem?
I feel that I'm part of it. Now, I'm in a different position because I'm living in Europe, but I feel that I'm part of the same universe, you know. I really appreciate everybody that is trying to work and trying to have a better life. This is the path that I'm really still part of.
I've matured for sure and I'm more grounded than before. Before I was navigating, exploring, and now I'm more sure about what I want and what I'm looking for. I'm trying to be more gentle with myself this year, I'm trying to be more calm.
And then where do you see yourself in two years?
I think in two years, I’ll probably be already preparing another album.
We'll get back to you on that.
(Laughs) Yeah.
What has been the most challenging song on your album?
The name is Rosas Vermelhas, it was the last one to be finished. Because I wanted it to be the first track I felt like I had to make it very special, so it took me a while. It’s also a track that is more experimental compared to other songs that are more pop in structure.
If you could feature someone on the album, who would it be?
I would love to have Doechii.
Period. What plans await you in the near future?
After the call, I'm going to the studio to shoot the visualiser for my next single Pudor. For the rest of the year, I’ll be touring probably and I'm gonna be working on more collaborations this year, so stay tuned, it’s gonna be some cute months.
