Chico Buarque’s daughter Helena Buarque discusses her relationship with Carlinhos Brown, the father of her four children: ‘We’re not married on paper’.
Helena Buarque, the mother of four of Carlinhos Brown’s children, talked for the first time about her ex-husband in a new documentary on the artist.
She is the daughter of Chico Buarque and Marieta Severo and is recognised as the family’s most secretive member.
Carlinhos and Helena were together from 1993 till 2011. They have four children: Chico, 29, Clara Buarque, 27, Ceci, 19, and Leila, 16.
“We did not get married legally. We just got together and went to live there. We bought a house together in Rio Vermelho (Salvador, Bahia) and lived there for several years. When we started preparing, I was already pregnant, and by the time we located the home and refurbished everything, when we moved in, Chico (the previous couple’s eldest son) was already six months old,” Helena revealed in the HBO Max documentary “Carlinhos Brown em Meia Lua Inteira.”
“We met in Bahia during Carnival in 1993, which coincided with Timbalada’s success with ‘Canto pro Mar’. Timbalada was the biggest star of Carnival, with the most played song. It was a pretty lovely and relaxed relationship. I felt that when I was with him, he was able to take a break from his everyday job routine, because he was constantly working really hard,” she continued.
Carlinhos Brown wrote the song “Argila” for the album “Alfagamabetizado,” which was published in 1996.
“‘Argila’ is mostly about my relationship with Helena. “I was coming out of another relationship, and it was almost like saying, ‘I love you, I want you to accept me’,” the singer recalled in the documentary.
Helena also commented on the artist’s absence from his children’s life.
“He grew up in a low-income family and began working around the house at an early age. This instilled in him the desire to not miss any career possibilities, since many people relied on him. In a manner, he had to make decisions that resulted in less everyday involvement with his children.”
Brown said: “I had children who were born while I was performing and I couldn’t be there.”
The 63-year-old singer is also the father of four other children with three different women: Nina Freitas, 35, who has lived in the United States for over 30 years and is the daughter of his relationship with Raquel Freitas; Miguel, 28, from his relationship with Vânia; and the youngest, Daniel, 7, and Madá, 5, from his current marriage to Danielle Barvanele.
The documentary focuses on Carlinhos Brown’s fatherly side and has a testimonial from his former mother-in-law, Marieta Severo:
“The quality of Carlinhos’ love is truly captivating. His children are all in love with him and in love with each other.”
