Xande de Pilares

Xande de Pilares was born on 25 December 1969 in Rio de Janeiro. Until he went to live in the neighborhood of Pilares, from which partly inspired his stage name, Xande lived in various other neighborhoods. Part of his childhood was spent living in the community of Chacrinha, located in the complex of Morro do Turano in the Tijuca neighborhood, passing part of his time with Acadêmicos do Salgueiro samba school; He stayed there until his house was destroyed in a storm. He would have to move afterwards to Morro do Andaraí, and afterwards, in the city of São Gonçalo.^[1][2]

In 1981, as he almost became a teenager, he moved to the favela of Águia de Ouro in Pilares, where he adopted part of his stage name. He would go on to later reside afterwards in Favela do Jacarezinho.^[1][2]

Xande took part in professional activities in general cleaning services, and it was during this time period, starting on 20 January 1990, that he made his debut in Pagode da Tia Gessy, based in the Cachambi neighborhood, beginning his musical career. He appeared on Rádio Tropical do Rio de Janeiro, at that time an important broadcaster of samba and pagode, and he became a recurring guest on these live programs.^[2][3]

He launched Grupo Revelação four years later in 1994 together with five colleagues playing instruments. The group became known for their weekly pagode sessions done while with the samba school Acadêmicos da Abolição. Later on, they launched their first album in 1999; They would go on to make nine new albums and 4 DVDs.^[3][2]

On 28 October 2014, Xande released his first solo album through Universal Music. The album, titled Perseverança contained 14 tracks with music composed by Xande himself and names such as Serginho Meriti and Arlindo Cruz. "I'm happy with my life with this new phase", with the singer explaining that the opening gives its name to the album and recounts a little bit of his story.^[4]

In 2017, he released his second album, titled Esse Menino Sou Eu. The album contains 17 tracks, 7 of which he authored and included the hit "Tem Que Provar Que Merece", one of the themes of the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. He would later release singles such as "Gratidão" and "Fã do Amor da Gente", along with three more live albums.

In 2023, he would release his album Xande Canta Caetano, with reimaginings of songs by Caetano Veloso.^[5] It was chosen by the São Paulo Art Critics Association as one of the 50 best Brazilian albums in 2023.^[6]

In 2014, Xande acted in the comedy Made in China,^[7] by Estevão Ciavatta, where he played Carlos Eduardo.^[8]

In 2022, Xande acted in the telenovela 'Todas as Flores', which was streamed through Globoplay. His character, Darci, is a carnival organizer and gatekeeper who is married to Chininha and is considered "an example of a family man".^[9]

Xande is the father of two children. In 2020, he began a relationship with blogger and digital influencer Thay Pereira (known online as Mikimbeth). Xande is the uncle of Jonathan Alexandre, a current vocalist with Grupo Revelação. He also had a brief relationship with singer Simony.^[10][3]