1990

Son of record industry mogul João Araújo, he grew up listening to a lot of (mostly) Brazilian music. Cazuza spent some time in England in the 70s, where he learned to love Janis Joplin and Led Zeppelin. He dropped out of college after only a month, diving into a bohemian lifestyle. Having worked for a little while at a record company, he traveled to the United States. As Cazuza returned to Brazil in 1980, singer Leo Jaime introduced him to rock band Barão Vermelho, and he became their vocalist and leader to a quick status rise, partly due to his compositions. He left Barão Vermelho in 1985, moving towards a successful solo career and having five albums released in four years. In 1989, Cazuza became the first Brazilian artist to publicly announce that he had the HIV virus, therefore contributing to a campaign about the illness and its effects. Some of his greatest hits were "Ideologia", "Brasil", "Exagerado", "Burguesia" e "Faz Parte do Meu Show". Following Cazuza’s death, his mother created the Sociedade Viva Cazuza, supporting HIV+ children. In 1990, publishing house Lumiar issued his songbook. In 1997, singer Cássia Eller released the CD "Veneno Antimonotonia", dedicated to his work.