Kiko Loureiro was born in Rio de Janeiro, but grew up in São Paulo, the largest metropolitan city of South America. His love for music came naturally, and at an early age, he was already a curious listener who loved spending time in the school library, consuming its vast music collection.
At the age of 11, he started having lessons on the acoustic guitar, but it was a few years later that he found his calling when he discovered the world of progressive and heavy rock, jazz and fusion. Kiko was fascinated by the music of many musical heroes such as Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, Paco de Lucia, Herbie Hancock, Pat Metheny, Astor Piazzola, Hermeto Pascoal and bands like Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Iron Maiden and Van Halen. They inspired him to embark on a journey that would make him an incredibly versatile musician, endless hours of practice leading to his unique style.

At the age of 21, Kiko Loureiro along with his band Angra released their debut album ‘Angel’s cry’. Recorded in Germany and released worldwide, the album went gold.
Since 1993 Angra has released eight studio albums, three live CD’s, two live DVD’s, six EP’s, received two gold records and toured extensively around the world. The band is one of the most important Brazilian metal bands of all time.

Kiko Loureiro launched his solo career with the release of his debut solo album “No Gravity” in 2004. Kiko plays all instruments with the exception of drums on the album.
In 2006, Kiko released his second solo album, “Universo Inverso”. It was an album recorded in only three days, featuring some of the best jazz musicians in Latin America. In the same year, Kiko Loureiro was voted the ‘Best guitarist in the world’ by the Japanese press.
Three years later, a new release: Kiko’s third solo album, ’Fullblast’, a heavy and progressive piece, described as “a great instrumental journey for the fans of Satriani and Santana”. In addition to the release of “Fullblast” in 2009, Kiko Loureiro also presented his fusion project: Neural Code in which the band explores rock and jazz, fueled by Brazilian rhythms.

“Sounds of Innocence”, the fourth solo album, was released in 2012. The album combines prog metal, jazz, rock, blues and is again rich in Brazilian rhythms.
In 2013, Kiko records his first solo DVD “The White Balance” at the prestigious performing arts theatre of São Paulo, Brazil, the ‘Auditório Ibirapuera’. The evening consisted of three sets, each set representing one of Loureiro’s preferred styles – the rock and metal, the acoustic guitar, and the Brazilian fusion.
Besides music, Kiko also began to devote himself to studying and teaching of the music business, marketing and career development, speaking in events in major Brazilian cities for musicians and corporations.

The year 2015 came with big news: Kiko was invited to join the band Megadeth, one of the greatest metal bands of all time and one of the thrash metal’s Big Four, along with Metallica, Anthrax and Slayer. Together with Dave Mustaine, David Ellefson and drummer Chris Adler, Kiko recorded Megadeth’s fifteenth studio album in Nashville, Tennessee. Dystopia had its release in January 2016, and Megadeth is currently touring worldwide with full energy.

Throughout the world, Kiko has received highest rankings in countless polls as “Best Guitarist” and landed the front covers of the major guitar magazines, such as Young Guitar, Guitar Player and Guitar World.  After a career of almost 25 years, Kiko Loureiro shows that he is a tireless and complete musician who is constantly looking to push his limits and discover something new.

ph: Alex Ruffini