It is safe to say that there is not a single person in Portugal who has not yet heard the song whose chorus begins with the word "olarilólé". 'Preço Certo' was released with the aim of being the protagonist of last summer's soundtrack and, almost a year later, there is no doubt that the goal was successfully achieved.

Much is now expected from the author, Pedro Mafama. Some of those who danced to the sound of his music in recent months did not know of the singer's existence until then, while the audience who already knew him needed to adapt to this new version.

It is precisely in this creative 'limbo' that Pedro Mafama, in a new interview with Fama ao Minuto, confesses to finding himself now. The 32-year-old artist knows that his career will never be the same again, but he refuses to become just a popular music singer, even though he understood that this path would lead him to a much wider audience.

Having just released 'Estava No Abismo Mas Dei Um Passo Em Frente 2.0', a reissue of his second album, Pedro is also preparing for the concert on May 10th, at Campo Pequeno. In the meantime, he tries to make sure that Emília, the result of his romantic relationship with fadista Ana Moura, does not miss him, which was not easy last summer, when he gave concerts all over the country.

I believe that 2023 was a very special year, am I right?

Yes, it was a year of fulfilling many years of work and a successful attempt to bring together seemingly distant universes, which is a bit what I feel I do. We managed to bring together audiences that usually do not cross paths in the same place.

You had an audience that knew you and now you have another, much larger one, that got to know you after the success of 'Preço Certo'. Do you believe that there was a turning point in your career?

In a way, it is a continuation. The goal has always been to explore and reinterpret Portuguese music. Yes, perhaps it 'hit a chord' that was bigger, more comprehensive. The references I used this time are more present and touch more on the current lifestyle of the Portuguese.

I had the perception that the moment I was in, of celebrating life, of happiness in my family, rhymed very well with the joy of 'Preço Certo'How did this idea of recording a song linked to the program 'Preço Certo' and going to the RTP studios to record the video clip come about?

I started to fall in love with dance music and began researching. Much of the dance music, as we know, comes from 'Preço Certo', this is a program that serves as a stage for a lot of music that later goes on to be played at dances all over the country. I have also always had a fascination for this program, which has already been studied by outsiders who wanted to understand the success of the franchise in our country, while in Spain and countries with cultures similar to ours it did not work out. At the same time, I had the perception that the moment I was in, of celebrating life, of happiness in my family, rhymed very well with the joy of 'Preço Certo'. I feel that I did what I have always done, that this is no different from when I wrote a sentence on Twitter to 'annoy' a certain segment of the population, in order to get a reaction. It is no different from the video clip of 'Borboletas da Noite', in which I decapitated D. Sebastião. I have always done 'guerrilla' actions, viral marketing, managing to make some go more viral than others. This has always been my plan of attack and this time it worked out very well, everything fell into place.

In no time at all, this song 'exploded' and everyone in the country got to know it and listen to it from morning to night. How did you react to all that unexpected and sudden success?

It was very beautiful. The first time I felt like a star and that 'Preço Certo' was a giant scene was in Alfama, during the Santos Populares, where I spent a lot of time following the march. That's when I felt like a star for the first time, that I felt pampered by people. Then I saw that feeling grow even more, a feeling that started in Alfama, that spread to the entire city, then to the whole country and beyond. Now, I feel that it is time to focus on other things and 'Preço Certo' will always have its place.

I feel that some people have the expectation that Pedro Mafama will make a new 'Preço Certo', but that will not happen. I will never make the new anything, I will never reproduce something I have already done 

It is curious that an artist more linked to another type of music did not feel any prejudice for becoming known by many people as a popular music artist...

I try to look at life that way, without looking back and always looking forward to the next phase. I have never looked at any genre with any disdain, much less this one, which has very beautiful things. Now, I also have to make people understand that I am not a dance singer, I am an artist who made dance music and who will now move on to the next thing. I feel that some people have the expectation that Pedro Mafama will make a new 'Preço Certo', but that will not happen. I will never make the new anything, I will never reproduce something I have already done. When that happens, my career will become uninteresting.

And how do you deal with these two completely different audiences now?

I know that for some people who already knew my work, this new phase is less interesting, just as I know that the phase I will move on to next may be less interesting - and even horrible - for the people who got to know me now. As long as that is happening, everything is fine for me.

Have you ever considered, over the past few months, leaving the pop record, with which you started your career, to dedicate yourself to this record that catapulted you?

No, not at all. I do not feel that I have to reproduce the person I am now because I was successful, just as I will never reproduce the person I was before to return to a certain comfort of the audience I had before.

So we can conclude that you feel that there is a Pedro Mafama before 'Preço Certo' and another after this song and that the future involves a combination of these two realities?

Yes, probably. I am not saying that it will be a consensus between the two worlds, because that would be something very planned and not very interesting, but I know that this is Mafama 2.0 and tomorrow we will be in 3.0. Whoever has a little bit of sensitivity to understand the journey and what I am trying to do will be here. Whoever is not, will understand one day.

I want to continue to do, to raise the bar of what is done in Portugal, to raise the bar of what I doIn the reissue of the album 'Estava No Abismo Mas Dei Um Passo Em Frente' you added "2.0". Did you want to emphasize the idea that this is, in fact, a new phase?

Yes, it is a transition phase. This is not my next chapter yet, because 'Sem Ti' is a transition song and it is a 'child' of this album, it still has a certain celebration of the themes that fill the album. It has a more electronic aspect and is based on synthesizers, so it already has the things that I am excited about.

Still on 'Sem Ti', in that video clip there is a new focus on various symbols, with various meanings. Is it still important for you to release video clips with strong messages and well-supported productions?

Yes, very much so. For me, it is not enough to just be accumulating, doing my concerts and enjoying the success of 'Preço Certo'. What really interests me is making the best video clip>