RITA LEE AND THE DICTATORIAL CENSORSHIP OF HER LYRICS AND PERFORMANCES: SUBVERSION AND DARING IN DARK TIMES

SUBVERSÃO E OUSADIA EM TEMPOS SOMBRIOS

Abstract

Rita Lee emerged in a Brazil under military dictatorship, standing out as a composer, instrumentalist, singer, and writer, becoming one of the best-selling artists in the country. Despite her popularity, her lyrics were censored for confronting the prevailing “morality and good customs”. In her work, she always presented herself as a woman in conflict with the norms of her time, disputing spaces in society and the music scene. Her songs question pre-established female roles, promoting representations that contributed, at that time—as they have timelessly—to raising awareness about the social condition of women. Even after the political opening in the 1980s, she continued to be a target of censorship. Furthermore, she was imprisoned during this period, facing negligence even while pregnant. This study analyzes her trajectory and musical poetics, focusing on the censorship she and her art faced, her imprisonment, and her representations of the feminine, in light of Lima (2020), Gohl (2014), Matos (1997), and Paranhos (2019), highlighting the difficulties of being a woman and an artist in that repressive context.