For Brazilian vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Vanessa Moreno, rhythm is more than a musical element, it’s a way of being. Known for her genre-defying collaborations and raw live performances, Vanessa brings a deeply embodied approach to music-making that’s shaped as much by dance and social mentorship as it is by traditional study.
In this article, we explore the roots of Vanessa’s artistry, her resistance to shortcuts, and how presence, play, and physicality inform her ever-evolving sound.
It All Started With Dance
Long before she picked up the guitar, Vanessa was already dancing. It was through movement that she first connected to music. Dance became her entry point into rhythm, healing, and artistic expression — a foundational influence that still guides how she interprets sound today.
“Dance is a very important element for me. Even before studying music, I started dancing at 13 years old. Dance was the first little engine, even before my interest in the instrument, that moved me to want to find music within myself and heal through it.”
This connection between physical movement and musicality is a recurring theme in Vanessa’s work. She doesn’t separate rhythm from the body, instead, she honors dance as a motor that drives her phrasing, articulation, and sonic choices. For musicians, her process is a reminder that musical fluency can begin far outside the practice room.
From Rock to Axé, It’s Always About the Groove
As Vanessa reflects on the music she gravitated to growing up, her taste paints an unexpected blend: rock, Brazilian axé, and rhythm-heavy traditions. Surprisingly, it wasn’t flashy solos or virtuosic runs that drew her in — it was the percussive pocket.
“What connected these two styles, rock and axé, was precisely the rhythmic element. Dancing took me into movement, joining all that percussiveness I heard. What I liked about rock wasn’t the guitar solos. It was the combination of bass and drums.”
Her ear is tuned not toward spectacle, but toward synchronicity. The tight groove of bass and drums, whether in Nirvana or in Brazilian Carnival, speaks a universal language to her. It’s less about genre and more about movement, and that insight fuels her genre-bending collaborations today.
When Access Meets Passion, Anything’s Possible
Vanessa’s path into music wasn’t a straight shot. She came up through public access programs and was guided by teachers who recognized her potential, often when resources were scarce. One moment in particular stands out:
“A very important thing that happened was with one of my teachers during that period of guitar lessons. She saw that I might have to stop studying music for financial reasons and said, ‘I’ve arranged a guitar audition for you tomorrow at 8:30. Do you want it?’”
That moment changed everything. Vanessa soon joined Projeto Guri, a free music education program in São Paulo, where she studied instruments in an orchestral context. “It was to study at a social project here in São Paulo, called Projeto Guri. This project still exists, where you study music for free and instruments mainly in an orchestral context.”
Her story is a reminder that access, not just talent, can be the deciding factor in an artist’s trajectory. Her advocacy for mentorship and public programs is rooted in lived experience.
Why Vanessa Doesn’t Use a Loopstation (And Never Will)
One question Vanessa gets often: Why don’t you use a loopstation?
After all, her performances layer harmony, percussion, and melody; a perfect use case for live looping. But for Vanessa, the choice to stay analog is deliberate:
“I’ve been asked, ‘Vanessa, why don’t you use a loopstation? Imagine if you could put it all together and trigger it live!’ I don’t want to. I think I lose the thrill of presence. What’s exciting for me is how I can seek all these sounds, all these sonorities at once, with my body and my instrument, and extract as much as I can in that state of presence.”
Her music lives in the moment, not in playback. For artists feeling the pressure to do more with tech, her approach is a radical reminder that presence is still the most powerful tool we have.
Less is More: The Magic of Duo Playing
One of Vanessa’s creative sweet spots? The duo. Whether paired with bassist Fi Maróstica or pianist Salomão Soares, she thrives in minimal formations that leave space for improvisation, silence, and surprise.
“I have two albums recorded as a duo with Fi Maróstica, ‘Vem Ver’ and ‘Cores Vivas.’ The bass and voice format is really cool because there's a lot of silence, and we can explore our instruments beyond the obvious. Same with my duo with Salomão Soares, piano and voice is a formation that really intrigues me.”
Without a full band behind her, Vanessa leans into nuance; letting tone, breath, and phrasing take center stage. It’s intimate, experimental, and deeply human.
From Fan to Collaborator: Coming Full Circle with Angra
In a poetic twist, Vanessa recently recorded vocals for an album with legendary Brazilian heavy metal band Angra, a group she listened to as a teenager. “I recently participated in Angra’s album, which is a Brazilian rock band. This also took me to other places, it made me recover parts of myself, of why I decided to study music in the first place.”
It wasn’t just a cool career move, it was a spiritual return to her musical origins.
15 Years in: Still Playing, Still Learning
Despite her accolades, Vanessa pushes back against the myth of overnight mastery.
“I’ve been playing seriously for 15 years; studying and trying to understand how I learn. It’s never too late to start, but it’s important to begin somewhere. Things don’t just fall into place because they sound easy. To sound that way, we need time, maturation, attentive listening, and presence.”
Her growth is rooted in discipline and play; not hustle.
Music Isn’t About Showing Off. It’s About Finding You
More than anything, Vanessa views performance as a form of connection, not exhibition.
“There’s a song by Carlos Posada that goes, ‘I didn’t come here to show off. I came here to find you.’ I find that phrase so powerful. Because in the end, the function of someone on stage, at least for me, is not to show off, but to seek the other, to rescue something in ourselves and in the audience.”
That, perhaps, is the best summary of her artistry: an open door to the listener. An invitation to feel. A reminder that music is still a deeply human act.
Want to learn more?
Catch the full interview with Vanessa on Off the Record only on the Moises YouTube channel.
