Boasting a wide array of influences from nu metal to hardcore and reggae, Tihuana was a Brazilian rock band active between 1999 and 2017. Frustrated by the lack of a music scene in Rio de Janeiro, the group (consisting of drummer P.G., bassist Román, percussionist Baía, and guitarist Leo) moved to São Paulo and began performing under the name Ostheobaldo. After recruiting vocalist Egypcio and cutting some demos, they signed to Virgin Records and made their official debut in 2000 with the album Ilegal. “Tropa de Elite,” one of the album’s singles, would go on to become one of the band’s biggest hits after its inclusion in the 2007 Brazilian crime film of the same name. Their Andean-tinged second full-length, A Vida Nos Ensina, arrived in 2001 and was followed by Aqui ou em Qualquer Lugar a year later. Preceded by the controversial hit single “Renata,” which dealt with the subject of child sex trafficking, their self-titled album (2004) featured a more guitar-oriented sound and thought-provoking lyrics, a path they would also follow on 2006’s Um Dia de Cada Vez. Following the release of their first live album Tropa de Elite ao Vivo (2008), which capitalized on the success of the 2007 box office hit, and a tour throughout Japan and the US, the band contributed to the soundtrack of the sequel Tropa de Elite 2 with the track “Comboio do Terror” and issued their sixth full-length Agora é Pra Valer! in 2013. A few years later, Tihuana disbanded shortly after vocalist Egypcio’s departure from the group.
