The band´s interesting name did not come about until journalist João Piment… Read Full Bio ↴The band´s interesting name did not come about until journalist João Pimentel, writing for Brazil´s top selling daily paper O Globo, made a reference in one of his articles to the group of musicians that played with Teresa Cristina every Saturday night at the bar Semente, placed in one of Rio´s most bohemian neighborhoods, Lapa. It was in 1998 that Bernardo, João, Pedrinho, Ricardo Cotrim (no longer a member of Semente) and other friends, got together for the first time. Back then, Teresa was selecting repertoire for a tribute show she intended to put together in honor of Brazilian music virtuoso Candeia, and handpicking the musicians. Bernardo, at the time a member of group Acorda Bamba, invited band mate Alexandre Bittencourt (who, in turn, invited other musician pals, including Pedrinho, João and Ricardo) to Teresa´s 30th birthday party. That was when the invitation was formalized and well accepted, prompting a routine of meetings between Teresa and the guys to rehearse Candeia´s repertoire, though, in the end, the show never made it to the stage. Still in that year, Teresa and the boys played together for the first time at a show celebrating the International Women´s Day at the Planetário da Gávea theatre. Their premiere on the pulsating night of Lapa, one of Rio de Janeiro´s musical cribs, took place right after this, when Teresa and the group were invited by a certain well known character "Seu Guaracy", of Portela Samba School, to launch the new night music program at local bar Semente, known as a health food place, up until then. It worked out so well that soon Teresa Cristina and Grupo Semente were being called the "rescuers of Lapa´s night life", that had been going down since the eighties. After becoming a hit band playing at Semente, Teresa and the guys went on to perform at other venues in Lapa, such as carioca da Gema and Centro Cultural Carioca, for an ever growing audience. Media recognition came with the release of the first album, a double tribute to Brazilian idol Paulinho da Viola´s 60th birthday, which won Teresa a couple of awards - "Prêmio Rival BR" and "Prêmio Tim"- as "Best New Artist", and a "Best Samba Album" nomination at the 2003 Latin Grammy´s. After that, many were the invitations that took Teresa and Semente all over Brasil and even to Japan, showing the world all the beauty of the good genuine Brazilian music. In 2004, Teresa, Bernardo, Pedrinho and João welcomed Mestre Trambique, coming to replace Ricardo Cotrim, who was leaving the band, and they went in the studio once again to record the band´s second album "A Vida Me Fez Assim" ("Life has Made Me This Way"), which featured Teresa´s premiere as a songwriter. They gathered an excess of overwhelming reviews, and sold-out theatres on which they performed. On that same year, the band hit the road with the "Projeto Pixininguinha" tour, performing at the main cities of the Northeast of Brazil. In 2005, they performed at the "Brazilian Year" Celebrations in Paris, while recording their fist live CD and DVD, suitably titled: "O Mundo é Meu Lugar" ("The World is My Place").

Gema
Teresa Cristina Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Brilhante, ê
De noite dentro da mata
Na escuridão, luz exata, vejo você
Divina, ê
Diamantina presença
Na solidão de quem pensa só em você
Esquecer não
Revelação

Deixa eu ver
Pedra clarão da floresta
Gema do olho da festa
Deixa eu saber
Meu amor
Dona da minha cabeça
Não, nunca desapareça
Do seu amor
Esquecer não
Me perder não
Estrela, ê
Na taça negra da selva
Gota de luz sobre a relva
Meu bem querer
Lua, sol e
Centro do meu pensamento
Meu canto dentro do vento
Busca você
Esquecer não

Esconder não
Brilhante, ê

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Teresa Cristina's song "Gema" express a deep sense of admiration and longing for a beloved person. The singer describes this person as a shining presence, like a diamond in the darkness of the jungle. The persona is mesmerized by the divine and precious nature of this person's beauty, which illuminates the landscape with a bright light. The persona confesses that they cannot forget this person, and they want to understand more about their essence, like a precious stone that shines in the forest, the eye of the party. The persona asks this person not to disappear from their love, as they are the center of their thoughts and emotions.

The song "Gema" is an ode to the beauty and mystery of the Amazonian forest and the people who inhabit it. The lyrics express a sense of admiration and respect for the natural world and the people who live in harmony with it. The song's title "Gema" means "gem" in Portuguese, which symbolizes the preciousness and rarity of the person's beauty. The song reflects the rich cultural diversity of Brazil, which blends indigenous, African, and European elements. The rhythmical structure of the song is based on the samba genre, a popular Brazilian style of music that originated from the Afro-Brazilian communities. The song's melody and lyrics convey a sense of nostalgia, saudade, and romanticism, which are common themes in Brazilian music. The song's poetic language and metaphors appeal to the senses and evoke powerful emotions, like a gem that shines in the heart of the forest.

Line by Line Meaning

Brilhante, ê
Glimmering, oh

De noite dentro da mata
At night, inside the jungle

Na escuridão, luz exata, vejo você
In the darkness, the exact light, I see you

Divina, ê
Divine, oh

Diamantina presença
Radiant presence

Na solidão de quem pensa só em você
In the solitude of those who only think of you

Esquecer não
Can't forget

Revelação
Revelation

Deixa eu ver
Let me see

Pedra clarão da floresta
Forest's bright stone

Gema do olho da festa
The gem of the party-goers' eyes