Rui Manuel Reininho Braga, better known as Rui Reininho, was born in Porto on February 28, 1955. He is a Portuguese musician, known above all as the vocalist and main face of the pop rock band GNR (Grupo Novo Rock). Rui Reininho is one of the most respected musicians and authors of lyrics in Portugal, having been described as “king of national pop-rock”.
Only child, born and raised in Bonfim, Porto. In the 1970s, he was a hippie, wearing eccentrically, copying his idol David Bowie. He recorded in 1977, with Jorge Lima Barreto, in the Anar Band project. He creates or collaborates in the musical projects Espelho and Atitudes.
In 1981 he became the lead singer of GNR, and later, its main mentor and most prominent figure. With GNR, Rui Reininho created a series of songs that are a mirror of the young bourgeois generation of the 80s, who grew up and became adults listening to them and admiring them over the course of 30 years: Dunas, Effectively, Bellevue, Post-Moderns, Vídeo Maria, Pronúncia do Norte, Ana Lee or Morte ao Sol. He performed more than a thousand shows in Europe, Brazil, USA, Canada and Macau. He received awards from Jornal Se7e, Blitz and Nova Era.
He has worked with names such as Manuela Moura Guedes, Mler Ife Dada, Três Tristes Tigres, Paulo Gonzo and Spray.
He is the author of the books Sífilis versus Bilitis by ”’& etc” and Líricas Come on & Ana, published by Palavra, where he brings together poems and song lyrics. Regarding GNR’s lyrics, there are two publications, the biography of GNR Efectivamente (Assírio & Alvim) and the book As Letras como Poesia (Objecto Cardíaco e Afrontamento) by Vitorino Almeida Ventura.
In 2005 he was awarded the Portuguese State Medal of Cultural Merit. On the occasion of its 50th anniversary and GNR’s 25th anniversary, Quintas de Leitura, at Teatro do Campo Alegre, in Porto, were dedicated to reviewing some of the group’s lyrics and a tribute show entitled “Egocentro” was held, with the participation of by Armando Teixeira with whom he also collaborated on several compilations.
In 2008 he released his first solo album, Companhia das Indias.
In 2014, the book “Chá, Café e Etc.” was released, edited by Tcharan, with illustrations by Marta Madureira and which includes a CD with contributions by Rui Reininho and Armando Teixeira.
He wrote for the weeklies Expresso, Mais Semanário, GQ, the website Netparque and Jornal de Notícias. He occasionally worked as an actor (for example in the series “Cláxon” and in the television film “Amo-te Teresa”) and created music for theater and cinema. He taught Film Music at the Modern University of Lisbon and Sound and Image at the Catholic University of Porto. He was a judge on the programs A Voz De Portugal and Voice Portugal.
