Federico Moura

Federico José Moura (23 October 1951 – 21 December 1988) was an Argentine singer, songwriter, record producer, fashion designer and lead vocalist of the new wave rock band Virus, formed with his brothers Julio and Marcelo in 1981. Moura is now regarded as one of the most recognizable and influential musicians of Spanish-language rock.[1][2]

Federico Moura
Moura in 1987, photographed by Marcelo Zappoli
Born	Federico José Moura 23 October 1951 Berisso, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina
Died	21 December 1988 (aged 37) Buenos Aires, Argentina
Nationality	Argentine
Education	Colegio Nacional de La Plata
Alma mater	National University of La Plata
Occupation	Singer songwriter record producer fashion designer
Years active	1967–1991
Musical career
Genres	Argentine rock, synth pop, new wave
Instruments	Vocals guitar bass synthesiser
Labels	Sony Music
Associated acts	Virus

Early life

Federico José Moura was born on 23 October 1951 in Berisso, a suburb of La Plata in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. His father was Pico Moura, a lawyer, and his mother was Velia Oliva, a schoolteacher and amateur pianist.[3] He was the youngest of four brothers; his eldest brother, Jorge, was an active member of the People's Revolutionary Army (ERP), and was kidnapped and disappeared in 1977 by the last military dictatorship in Argentina (1976–1983).[4][5]

Federico showed interest in music from a young age, and he began playing guitar and piano aged four. He finished high school at the Colegio Nacional de La Plata and enrolled at the National University of La Plata.[4] Like his older brothers, in his youth he practiced rugby at the La Plata Rugby Club.[5]

Like his brother Jorge, Federico was involved in the siloist movement, founded by Mario Rodríguez Cobos, who would later form the Humanist Movement.[4]

Musical career

In his teenage years, Moura played the bass in Dulcemembriyo, a rock group with which he toured across Latin America. He then formed part of Las Violetas and Marabunta.[3] Toward the end of the 1970s, Moura was enlisted by his brothers Julio and Marcelo to be the lead vocalist of their band Duro; Julio played the guitar and Marcelo the keyboard, alongside Enrique Muguetti (bass) and the brothers Ricardo (second guitar) and Mario Serra (drums).[6]

Virus in 1985 (with Moura in the front and centre).

The group started going by Virus in 1981. In January of that year, the band had their first gig at the Asociación Universal in La Plata.[3] In September 1981, Virus had their first major presentation in Ezeiza, and a week later, they began recording at CBS Records. The band's first EP, Wadu-Wadu, was released that same year. In a time wherein social commentary and "serious" topics dominated the lyrics of Argentine rock, Virus were accused of being too "frivolous", releasing danceable songs with irony-filled lyrics. Federico's flamboyant poise and his open homosexuality earned reactions from both the public and the media, and, as the band's most visible member, Virus quickly became identifiable for Federico.[7][8]

In 1982, during the Falklands War, Virus were invited by the military regime alongside other major acts in the local rock scene (such as León Gieco, Luis Alberto Spinetta and Charly García) to participate in the Festival de la Solidaridad Latinoamericana ("Latin American Solidarity Festival"), but the band refused to partake.[9] The song El Banquete ("The Banquet"), included in their album Recrudece (1982) and released after the Argentine defeat in the war and the resignation of General Galtieri, addressed the incident.[10][11]

Moura in concert in 1986.

Virus's breakout moment came with the 1984 album Agujero interior, and they reached their peak popularity in 1985 with Locura, the latter of which includes a number of veiled references and commentary, such as the lyrics of Sin disfraz ("Without Disguise"), which playfully retorts a CBS executive who had allegedly suggested Federico hide his homosexuality to avoid losing some of the band's female fans. According to Roberto Jacoby, the sociologist who wrote many of the band's lyrics during this era and author of Sin disfraz, the song became a sort of "work anthem" for male prostitutes.[3][7]

In 1987, while the band was stationed in Rio de Janeiro recording Superficies de placer, Moura began feeling ill and, upon a family physician's recommendation, he was tested for HIV/AIDS.[3] He tested positive. Some of the songs in Superficies de placer, released that year, reference Moura's awareness of his poor condition and the proximity of his own death.[12] He is credited as the lyricist for Rumbos secretos, Ausencia and Transeúnte sin identidad.[3] The band's last live show with Federico took place on 21 May 1988 at the Teatro Fénix in Flores, after which Federico retired to spend the next following months before his death in peace, away from the media.[8]

Death

In mid-October 1988, Moura was hospitalized at the CEMIC in Recoleta, Buenos Aires. He died on the 21st of December of that year in his San Telmo apartment from a respiratory arrest; he only weighed 35 kg. (77 pounds). He was accompanied by his mother Velia.[3] He was interred at the Chacarita Cemetery. In 2004, Federico's remains were exhumed by his brothers Marcelo and Julio, to be cremated and his ashes thrown at the Río de la Plata.[13]

Discography

With Virus

• Wadu-Wadu (1981)
• Recrudece (1982)
• Agujero interior (1983)
• Relax (1984)
• Locura (1985)
• Virus vivo (1986)
• Superficies de placer (1987)

As soloist

• Grito en el cielo (1988) (compilation)

References

1. "Federico Moura: no lo vimos caminar porque siempre volaba". Ministerio de Cultura (in Spanish). Retrieved 27 January 2021.
2. "Se cumplen 32 años sin Federico Moura". Filo.news (in Spanish). 20 December 2020. Retrieved 27 January 2021.
3. Jalil, Oscar (29 September 2017). "El legado de belleza, lucha y redención de Federico Moura". Rolling Stone (in Spanish). La Nación. Retrieved 27 January 2021.
4. Zabiuk, Mariel G. (11 January 2009). "Territorios del rock. Jóvenes universitarios y cambios culturales, 1960-1970". Los Trabajos y Los Días (in Spanish). National University of La Plata. 1: 69-87. ISSN 1852-7280. Retrieved 27 January 2021.
5. Anguita, Eduardo; Cecchini, Daniel (5 January 2020). "La historia de Jorge Moura, el hermano guerrillero de los músicos de Virus desaparecido por la dictadura". Infobae (in Spanish). Retrieved 27 January 2021.
6. Garrido, Mónica (21 December 2018). "Federico Moura: la inmortal voz de Virus en cinco de sus canciones". La Tercera (in Spanish). Retrieved 27 January 2021.
7. "Virus". rock.com.ar (in Spanish). Retrieved 27 January 2021.
8. Cánepa, Alejandro (19 December 2018). "A 30 años de su muerte, Federico Moura vuelve a brillar". La Nación (in Spanish). Retrieved 27 January 2021.
9. Natale, Hernani (31 March 2017). "El triste momento en que el rock argentino se convirtió en una cuestión oficial". Télam (in Spanish). Retrieved 27 January 2021.
10. Secul Giusti, Cristian. "EL DISCO SIN HITS DE VIRUS". Comunidad Anfibia (in Spanish). Retrieved 27 January 2021.
11. "La historia de la canción y la canción en la historia: El Banquete de Virus". Radio Cantilo (in Spanish). 5 April 2018. Retrieved 27 January 2021.
12. Jalil, Oscar (3 November 2014). "Seis cosas que no sabías de Virus". Rolling Stone (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 24 August 2018. Retrieved 27 January 2021.
13. Chiappero, Fabiana (21 December 2020). "32 años sin Federico Moura: imágenes paganas de carisma, talento y sexualidad". Aires de Santa Fe (in Spanish). Retrieved 27 January 2021.

External links

• Biography of Virus at rock.com.ar (in Spanish)