Brazilian band in tune for fight against pandemic

XI'AN－They usually rock the stage for cheering fans and sing at the top of their lungs, but members of Brazilian band Fancy recently took a very different direction: fighting the coronavirus pandemic in China.

The band has five members. After signing a contract with an art company in Northwest China's Shaanxi province, the ecstatic band members were looking forward to performing a series of shows in China during the Spring Festival holiday. They were arranged to do residencies in some bars and hoped to get their foot in the door in China.

Then came the coronavirus. Excitement turned into surprise and confusion.

"We embarked on our journey to China but ended up in a battle against the pandemic," say the members.

Lead singer Mariana says they received a call from their manager on their way to China, telling them that the Chinese New Year shows might be halted.

"We did not expect the pandemic to be so serious at that time," Mariana says.

On Jan 26, they arrived in Xi'an, the Shaanxi provincial capital, an ancient city known for its iconic Terracotta Warriors.

"Before we could experience the ancient Chinese culture here, we had to stay in quarantine," Mariana says.

John, the guitarist, says that they had no idea how the virus transmitted, but the community's measures were quick and decisive, which "made us feel safe", he says.

The province later upgraded its emergency response to the highest level, as local districts started to close off their compounds.

"We stayed at home as much as possible, and would wear masks whenever we went outside," he says. "They took our temperatures every day, which I believe was quite effective."

In the apartment they rented, the band members turned the living room into a temporary venue for rehearsals with a bass, a box drum and maracas.

"Besides going to the community supermarket for food, we utilized the quarantine time to study Chinese culture," John says. "We learned some Chinese and tried to sing Chinese songs."

Giovani, the band's drummer, is especially interested in Chinese culture. Back in Brazil, he had purchased a Portuguese version of Tao Te Ching, the Chinese classic by Lao Tzu.

"I have always been interested in China's ancient philosophy, and reading Tao Te Ching gives me a sense of calmness," Giovani says.

"They had just arrived in China, and it was not easy for the band members," says Wang Beichun, who manages the community in which the band is living. "They understood and cooperated with our pandemic control and prevention work."

The members don't know much Chinese, so they often used translation applications to seek help, which saw them form a very good bond with locals, Wang says.

The band members were quite impressed by China's anti-contagion efforts.

"What struck me most was the Chinese people's sense of solidarity," Giovani says. "We saw a video online about some local residents in Wuhan chanting 'Cheer up Wuhan! Cheer up China,' and we were quite touched."

As musicians, Fancy also wanted to do something to pay tribute to the medics fighting on the frontline. During their quarantine time, the band wrote an English song called Tale of Solidarity.

On April 4, China, with its 1.4 billion people, paused in silence for three minutes from 10 am to 10:03 am to mourn the lives lost to the coronavirus outbreak.

The band joined the Chinese people in mourning, with the five members standing in line in their apartment in silence.

"China's measures have set quite an example," says John. "Now that the virus has broken out in many other places, including our home country Brazil, we often share the anti-pandemic measures in China with our family."

The band members have all obtained the "health codes" required in Xi'an to prove their health status, and they are free to go outside, but as many entertainment venues are still closed, their performances are still on hold. Hoping to attract more fans in China, they have chosen to perform in public areas, such as parks, and do livestreaming.

The band also created a to-do list in China. They hope to visit the Terracotta Warriors, learn some kung fu at the Shaolin Temple, hit the stage, and become popular in China.

"I hope the pandemic will be over as soon as possible," Mariana says. "We aspire to be on stage again."

Xinhua