Meet Tatá Batera | Brazilian Drummer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Tatá Batera and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tatá, what led you to pursuing a creative path professionally?
I grew up in a very musical family, as my father plays the bass and my mother and some of my aunts and uncles sing at church in Brazil. For me was always a natural thing being surrounded by musical instruments and going to rehearsals. When I was 3 years old I started to pretend that the pots and other kitchen utensils were a drum set and that the spoons were drumsticks. And I already had an idea of what utensil`s sound would match better each part of the drum set. When I was 13 years old I started to play the drums by ear at church in the teenager`s group, but soon they realized that I had talent and competence to join the main music group. Playing at church gave me the tools to be a well prepared musician because I was playing with musicians from different backgrounds and we always played a wide variety of music styles, from Brazilian to American and African. So, after that, becoming a professional drummer was inevitable. I think I was meant to be a drummer. It’s the kind of thing that you cannot choose, it burns and consumes you from the inside.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
Being a female drummer is always challenging because there is still prejudice, but I always focus on what I have to improve as a musician and don’t care about what others think. I always do my best for the sake of Music, and when I’m playing there is no ego, It’s all about the Music. I’m able to play many different styles and provide what the music requires, so I think this is what is bringing me so many good fruits and makes me such a unique drummer. I’m touring all over the US with Igor & The Red Elvises for the 25th Anniversary Tour. It’s been such a pleasure to go to so many places and hear all the good feedback from the fans. They always say that I’m taking the band to a higher level, so I feel grateful because they recognize my hard work and my devotion. I also play with Justin Chart, an acclaimed artist from Los Angeles who has written songs for films and television. We recorded a totally improvised Jazz theme, called The Wanderlust Whirlwind, for the Woodwind Fest in 2020. It was a very challenging work to record remotely without knowing what the others musicians would play. That was my challenge as a musician during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
I’m very grateful for everything that I accomplished since I arrived in the US in the fall of 2019.
I’ve learned that you have to be prepared, both physically and mentally, to focus on your goal during unexpected situations, like: being an international student in the middle of a world pandemic, in a foreign country and apart from your family. After overcoming all of this I’m prepared to overcome anything.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Definitely, We would go to the Santa Monica Pier to watch the sunset and then have a delicious seafood meal at Bubba Gump. We would go to Zuma beach to get the tan of the year, then we would go to Fogo De Chão Brazilian Steakhouse – come hungry it’s an all you can eat Brazilian steakhouse!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
First, my parents for providing me such a creative and musical environment and for always encouraging me. Second, my friend Samuel Lacerda, a very talented guitarist from the Firefighter Corps Band in Brasília. He was the first person at church that noticed that I could go deeper in the drums world, so he gave me two cd’s with Jazz Standards, when I didn’t even know what that mean. After that I was so inspired and started to research more about Jazz, specially Jazz Fusion.
Third, two of my teachers at “Escola de Música de Brasília” (School of Music of Brasilia), Paulo Marques and Thanise Silva. They always believed in me and helped me to improve my abilities.
Fourth, my drum teacher at California College of Music, Craig Pilo. He showed me how to push myself harder and gave me the tools to achieve what I need as a musician. Thank you for your generosity and encouragement.

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