In November 2024, Bruno Mars, the singer of the famous Uptown Funkoccurred in Belo Horizonte, the third most populous city in Brazil. His surprise visit to a modest bar in a popular neighborhood transformed the establishment into a must-see place.
In Brazil, where it is affectionately nicknamed Bruninhoglobal star Bruno Mars transformed a small, unpretentious bar into a tourist attraction after his unexpected and improbable visit to a popular neighborhood. “Bruninho came here!”can we read on a sign in front of the white and red facade of the Looperand «bar»one of those bars where Brazilians like to sip a beer. Enough to change the dimension of this modest establishment located in the Cachoeirinha district, a few kilometers from the Mineirao stadium, where the singerUptown funk performed in November in Belo Horizonte, Brazil’s third most populous city.
“It was a Tuesday morning, I was chatting outside the bar door with friends, when three super tall guys got out of a black car and asked me if I had any beer”tells AFP Ronaldo Teixeira, owner of Laçador. And when a fourth occupant got out of the vehicle, wearing a yellow and green cap and t-shirt in the colors of Brazil, his build much less imposing than that of the three others, the 62-year-old trader immediately recognized Bruninho. “He sat down and said to me, in a mixture of Portuguese and Spanish, something like: Call the guys.”says the bar owner. “I immediately shouted: Come, he’s calling us to take a photo! Some people from the neighborhood came, he started dancing and I followed him. It was great!”he adds, reproducing gestures from the choreography, eyes sparkling and smiling from ear to ear. The sequence was immortalized on a video, an extract of which was published shortly after on the official Instagram account of the winner of fifteen Grammys.
A new tourist place
An unexpected advertisement for the Looperand a godsend for its owner, who opened this bar two years ago, after having had to close a butcher shop that he had run for more than two decades, due to accumulating debts.“It has become a tourist place, we receive lots of new customers, people from other cities, of all ages, Bruno fans”welcomes Ronaldo Teixeira. He receives this clientele in a renovated place, thanks to work financed by the brand of beer served at Bruno Mars at Laçador.
For the record, Bruninho never opened the can, which was kept “intact” like a treasure by the owner of the place. He also hung on the wall a large red frame with a photo of himself sitting next to the star, both men pointing to the sky, a popular pose for the artist. “When I was told Bruninho was here, I rushed to shake his hand. He greeted everyone, he’s a very simple guy.”says Adilson Machado, a local mason. “It’s great that a global celebrity chose to go to an unknown street, so far from the center, to have a beer”adds Raphaela Resende, social project analyst.
Bruno Mars, 39, has never hidden his love for Brazil, where he has already visited on four tours. The Brazilian public repays him: he was even symbolically offered a CPF, the identity number for citizens of the largest country in Latin America. “After more than a month in Brazil, I will never be the same again”wrote the singer on Instagram, in the message which accompanies the video of the notable moments of his last tour, including the visit to Laçador.
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