Interviewed by Medina Shala
Can you introduce yourself and how you got into music?
My name is Lucas Melo de Barros and I was born in São Paulo Brazil, in the Butantã Neighbourhood. I started to play music when I was 15 years old, it all happened when I met the Rastafarian Culture , some of my friends had formed a band and I was always following them in the shows, rehearsals, making some videos, photos etc. And then I bought my first instrument, an electric guitar, but I didn’t develop very well my skills and I just gave up and sold to buy an electric bass. It was then that in 2006 I founded my first reggae Band called “ Poder da Criação” where we guys did some shows, after that I joined the “ Nyah Live” Band still playing bass, and just in 2009 I joined the “Guerreiros de Sião” Band as keyboard player and I’m up to this day.
Tell me about growing up in Brazil. What was life like for you?
Here in Brazil life is not easy for anyone , since we were little we had to learn not only to live but also to survive. I thank God for never being hungry. I come from a middle class family , my parents always tried hard to give me the best and I’m very grateful for that. In my neighbourhood where I was born, we always had contact with the streets, so drugs, violence, trafficking and theft were very common. But apart from all the bad parts that our country has from poverty to the corruptions of our rulers, living in Brazil is a gift from God! As Jorge Ben Jor’s song says “I live in a tropical country, blessed by God and beautiful by nature”, even if you live in São Paulo, the largest city in the country, you will still find a lot of nature.
How does being part of ” Ikka Bob & Guerreiros de Sião” Band feel like? Can u tell us more about the music the band makes. and your bond with other members ?
To be part of the Band “Guerreiros de Sião” for me is as if I have found all the meaning of life. Since the band was formed in 2005, it has always had a very strong purpose with the Rastafarian culture, and the band has been formed not only by friends, but by young people who were in the same struggle. Our music has always been an instrument of Jah , preaching the Rastafarian culture in every word. Today we keep that same essence, but with the entrance of our new vocalist Ikka Bob, the band got a new face, still keeping the Rastafari essence, but now our songs don’t talk only about Rastafari or the culture itself, but also are more danceable song, and lyrics are a little bit more relaxed. This is all because we see the evolution of the music and we are always following this process. I have a great friendship with all the band members, mainly with drummer Tales Tundah and bassist Argeu, we know each other for about 15 years, but we all keep a very good harmony in the group.
Who are some artists/songs you are listening to at the moment?
Currently I’ve been listening traps, I really like Migos, Tyga, Dj Khaled, but reggae music is my essence that I never stop listening to, references like Sizzla, Black Uhutu, The Gladiators, Protoje, Koffee and much more. Here in Brazil, Rap along with Trap and Funk are very present in my playlist, so are artists like, Kayblack, Tz da Coronel, Mc Kevin, Djonga, Racionais.
Tell me about your best performance?
It’s really hard to say because I actually had two great moments, the first one was the concert with Jamaican Errol Dunkley, where Tales (drummer of Guerreiros de Sião) and I were invited to play with another band. It was amazing because he was a Jamaican singer, who we listened to a lot and went to an audience of over 40,000 people, it was unforgettable! The second moment was on the stage of Aquece Sampa, an event where we played for more than 20 thousand people! This one was very special because I was on stage with my family Ikka Bob & Guerreiros de Sião, so it was a joint achievement!
How is your personality reflected in your work?
I’m a very happy person, who likes to laugh, I like to be friends with everyone so this is reflected in JahLukah on stage. You will always see me smiling, happy and with full of energy. But I also have my serious side, the side of Lucas acting in the band not as the artist or musician, but Lucas as producer, entrepreneur. Because as we are an independent Band, we deal with a lot of the business, so in this bureaucratic moment it’s hard to see me smiling because we’ll always be solving some problems.
Photos by: @wesprodutora
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