João Selva

Biography

The son of a pastor from Ipanema, João Selva immersed himself in the arts from an early age and played his first guitar chords under the watchful eye of Wanda Sá, an icon of bossa nova. Passionate about capoeira and circus, he led a career as an itinerant artist from a very young age, presenting shows for children from the quilombos of Bahia to the island of Gorée in Senegal, and in Cape Verde and across the Caribbean — a journey that durably shaped his love of passing culture on.

His solo career took off in 2016, following his meeting with producer Bruno Patchworks. From the hills of Croix-Rousse in Lyon, they released a first album, Natureza (2017). International attention arrived in 2021 with Navegar, a jewel of tropical pop widely broadcast around the world and acclaimed by critics; that same year Selva was selected by the Inouïs programme of the Printemps de Bourges festival. Passarinho (2023) and Onda (2025, Underdog Records) followed, the latter playlisted by FIP and France Inter. Télérama praised tropicalist pop swaying “between spicy saudade and an exhilarating funk cocktail”, while Le Monde heard “a travel notebook that resonates like a hymn to creolity”.

On stage with his quintet, he has played more than 200 shows across Europe, from the Nuits de Fourvière to WOMEX in Lisbon, the Amsterdam Roots Festival and the Paléo Festival. A generous artist, he places great importance on transmission: in 2024, the Jazz à Vienne festival invited him to create a show for young audiences, “Bumba et la forêt enchantée” — a burlesque, fantastical fable blending music, storytelling and imagination to explore biodiversity, cultural mixing and the passing on of cultures, between traditional rhythms, tropicalist groove and jazz flights. The tale-concert, co-produced by Jazz à Vienne, was also presented at Jazz Sous les Pommiers and the Musée des Confluences.

On video — official clips and live performances

Passarinho · Official video

The tale-concert “Bumba et la forêt enchantée” can also be watched on video on Vimeo.

Milestones

Selected for the Inouïs programme of Printemps de Bourges in 2021, the same year Navegar became an international success; “Bumba et la forêt enchantée” created for Jazz à Vienne in 2024 and later presented at Jazz Sous les Pommiers and the Musée des Confluences; more than 200 shows in Europe, from the Nuits de Fourvière to WOMEX in Lisbon and the Paléo Festival; Onda (2025) playlisted by FIP and France Inter.

Show formats

• Concert (quintet)
• Young-audience tale-concert “Bumba et la forêt enchantée” (new trio version announced for 2027; quintet on request)
• Workshops and cultural transmission projects