Menor Teteu, from the banned funk 'Dingo Bell', becomes a country singer “Is this Teteu, the one from Santa Claus??” asks a follower, surprised, in a post by a boy dressed in a blue suit, Juliet glasses and a cap. In the recording, he lets his voice go through all the notes of "Jogado na Rua", a country song by Guilherme & Santiago released in 2013: Uô-uô-uô-uô, oh It's in the sound of the viola that the chest cries On these moonlit nights played on the streetaaaaaaah love, ai loverrrrr ? The young man there is really Mateus Correia da Silva, who until recently used the stage name "MC Teteu". In 2019, at the age of 14, he broke into funk with the erotic hit “Dingo Bell”, whose lyrics spoke of very... different themes. I introduce myself, I'm Teteu, I'm your Santa Claus ? Your gift is shit and it fell from the sky Fifty percent sugar, fifty percent honey... The singer Menor Teteu in a photoshoot at the time when he was still an MC. Disclosure But Teteu grew up, became a father and decided to explore other areas. Now, at 21, without "MC" in his name and signing only as Menor Teteu, he begins a new phase in his career, completely converted to country music. "I was already asking God to change me because I wanted to stop swearing. I also had a little son, who is now six months old. I didn't want him to grow up listening to me sing heavy songs", he says in an interview with g1. Minor Teteus with his six-month-old son. Singer says that fatherhood was one of the reasons that led him to change career paths. Social networks From prohibition to suffering Leaving funk was an old plan for Mateus. In a conversation with g1, in 2023, he already said that he intended to migrate to gospel. “Praising the Lord is my purpose,” he said at the time. Proibidão ended up being left behind, but the fate was different. Neither producers nor funk friends knew what he was preparing. The change to country music happened without prior notice. In the first project of the new phase, an audiovisual released in June, the singer with 1.5 million monthly listeners on Spotify preferred to start with the safest route: re-recording already established hits in the industry. Among them, "Tentei Te Esquecer", by Matogrosso & Mathias, "Te Amo Demais", by Leonardo, and "Não Posso Ter Medo de Amar", by Bruno & Marrone. The audiovisual called "Peneira do Teteu", according to him, is just the first step in this new phase. In August, Menor Teteu intends to launch the first new "sofrência" and start presenting a reformulated show, with a full band, to start a tour in October. No belts and buckles. The change to country music also came with another very curious choice: Teteu's look remained practically the same as when he sang hits like "Dim Dim Dom", alongside MC Pedrinho. While most country singers tend to wear skin-tight jeans, boots and buckles, Teteu continues to wear his sports kits, caps and Juliet glasses. After success in funk, Menor Teteu began his career in country music. Disclosure The choice, of course, became a topic on social media. Comments such as "When someone from SP spends a week in Goiás" and "The chassis doesn't match the body", made in jest, went viral. Teteu doesn't care. For him, this contrast is even important. "It's a way of differentiating myself in the country music scene. I think it's good that it shocks people and I have peace of mind because my essence hasn't changed," he says. Without denying its origins, the singer also states that the news was very well received by both his old funk colleagues and his new country music partners. He says he has artists such as Zezé Di Camargo & Luciano and Gusttavo Lima as references for this new stage, but he makes a point of recognizing the importance of looking fondly at his past. "I will never forget that it was funk that opened the doors for me. I know there will be a lot of prejudice within the country music scene, but I will break them all with the grace of God." MC Teteu in the scene of the music video 'Dingo Bell' Disclosure