Originally released in 2019, I Was Told to Be Quiet is the sixth full-length album by Marcelo Frota, a prolific Brazilian singer-songwriter who performs under the name "MOMO." Though he now resides in London, I Was Told to Be Quiet was composed while living in Lisbon. But MOMO. moved into the home of Los Angeles producer Tom Biller (Karen O, Sean Lennon, Liars) for a month in 2018 to collaborate on the recording. Biller brought a new element of creativity and contemporary production to MOMO.'s work, merging electronic samples and dreamy synthesizers with MOMO.'s predilection for timeless singer/songwriters (e.g. Leonard Cohen, Nick Drake, Sibylle Baier) as well as bossa nova and psych folk. The album finds MOMO. singing in English, Portuguese, and French, and features collaborations with Alex Toth (of Rubblebucket), Thiago Camelo, and Wado.

This is the first time MOMO.'s music has ever been released on vinyl, but MOMO. is partnering with Chattanooga-based label Yellow Racket Records to release his entire catalog over the next few years. Each of MOMO.'s previous albums will be released on limited edition colored vinyl.

About the Artist:

Influenced by a lifetime living between Brazil, Angola, the US, Spain, Portugal, and now the UK, Marcelo Frota is a multi-faceted singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, better known as “MOMO.” His hushed voice and crisp, cunning guitar lines transform his delicate melodies into a universal language, admired far beyond his native Brazil.

His 2006 debut album A Estética do Rabisco established him as the face of a new breed of Brazilian psychedelia, influenced by Os Mutantes, Milton Nascimento's Clube Da Esquina, and Tropicália Ou Panis Et Circensis. It was named one of the best albums of the year by the Chicago Reader.

Across five more albums, MOMO. further developed his gift of reinventing classic music genres, delving into indie pop and intimate acoustics. His impassioned songs have gotten the attention of musical icons such as David Byrne and Patti Smith, and got him an invitation to participate in a tribute album for Caetano Veloso's 70th birthday, alongside Devendra Banhart, Beck, Rodrigo Amarante, and Os Mutantes.

“MOMO. is a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, but those identifiers only scratch the surface of the power of his vision. If he wasn’t on your music radar before, he should be now.”

- Felix Contreras, NPR Music