Biquini Cavadão is the name of a tiny cut-a-way bikini well known in brazilian beaches during the eighties. It is also the name of one of the most famous pop bands in Brazil in the last fifteen years.   It all began in 1984, when Bruno Gouveia (vocals), Sheik (bass), Miguel Flores da Cunha (keyboards) and Alvaro Birita (drums), after one year presenting gigs  in high school parties, mostly covers from emerging brazilian bands, decided to make their own music. Their teenage shyness and insecureness were exposed in lyrics that conquered the youngs' hearts and minds. Their beat and melodies were very contagious, but the songs were all about "boredom", "Sundays" and "fears".

Their first music ever to be played in a radio station became a nation number one hit in 1985. Their single "Tédio" (Boredom) fell like hand in glove on the voice of a people who were tired of living miserably and without any wind of change after 20 years of military dictatorship. At this time the four guys found their guitar player Carlos Coelho and, at the end of the year, recorded their first album, Cidades em Torrente (Cities in Torrents), which took two more singles to the top five : "Timidez" (Shyness) and "No Mundo da Lua" ( In Moon's World). The group was chosen best new group and album of that year by many rock magazines. In 87, after making a tour through the country, they recorded their second album: A Era Da Incerteza (The Age of the Uncertainty) , which had two top ten singles: "Ida e Volta" and "1/4". In 89 they released their third record simply named "Zé" (Brazilians short name for Joseph). Mixing pop influences with well known Brazilian rhythms, the group created a John Doe's manifesto, putting three singles again in Brazilians top ten playlist: "Teoria" (Theory), "Meu Reino" (My Kingdom) and "Bem Vindo ao Mundo Adulto" (Welcome to the Grownup World). All music and lyrics signed by themselves, as usual.

But the idea of making a hymn to the poor people, to the ones that struggle for surviving in Brazil, was definitely found in the lyrics of "Zé Ninguém" (John Doe), from their fourth album Descivilização (De-civilization): "I'm from the people, I'm a John Doe, here downside the laws are different". These verses were sung by almost anyone in Brazil in the beginning of 1992 and coincidentally became a protest song in the march for the president's impeachment that year, while the video was nominated for MTV's first VMA in the country. Descivilização had another two number one hits: "Impossível" (Impossible) and "Vento Ventania" (Wind, Windstorm), this one elected best song in 92 by many magazines, newspapers and also the most air played at the radios that year. In 93 the group opened the night for Alice in Chains and Red Hot Chilli Peppers in Morumbi Stadium, São Paulo and Apoteose Square, Rio de Janeiro, for the Hollywood Rock event for more than 60 thousand people. They went touring during all the year and in 1994 released their fifth album named Agora (Now). "Chove Chuva", a sixties samba from the famous brazilian "King of Swing" Jorge Benjor hit the radios and played continuously during that season, supported by other minor hits, like "Sobrancelhas" (Eyebrows) and "Ilusão" (Ilusion). Instead of playing in any gymnasium or theater, Bruno, Miguel, Sheik, Alvaro and Coelho decided to release their new show primarily on the downtown streets of Rio and São Paulo, a homage to those who sometimes didn't even had money to buy their records but never gave up on their songs. Again they went on tour, playing also in the United States (Boston and Newark). They ended the year being the first brazilian band to have an e-mail to keep direct contact with their fans, and the first brazilian group to have an official website. Their two "greatest hits" albums "O Melhor do Biquini Cavadão" and "Millenium" achieved platinum and gold marks in Brazil.

A RockBook telling the story of the band and including 20 hits for guitar playing was released in October 1996 to celebrate their first decade. In 1998, after four years touring and rehearsing, they stroke up the charts with "Janaína", a story of a working woman, allied with great rhythm. The music went top 3 in Brazil, the album biquini.com.br, mixing electronic concepts and swing, was also released in Portugal.The album biquini.com.br was the first ever in Brazil to attach a multimedia softkit to access the Internet, sponsored by UNISYS. In 2000, they released Escuta Aqui (Listen Here) acclaimed by the critics as one of the best albums of the band, headed by the title track. Always one step ahead, the album was the first one to have the recording sessions broadcasted via Internet using a webcam and also with a recording's diary (or what we call today "blog"). Another partnership, this time with Apple Computer Brazil, sponsored the mediakit, including videos and a complete database of their shows since 1985.

Biquini Cavadão in 2001 also played for 250 thousand people in the last night of Rock In Rio III, coincidentally headlined again by Red Hot Chili Peppers. After seven CDs containing mostly their own songs, the band decided to record their first cover album. Named "80", the group revisited contemporary brazilian bands, such as Paralamas, Engenheiros, Barão, Kid Abelha and RPM. The single "Múmias"; (Mummies), again hit the charts, in a duet with Renato Russo, lead singer of Legião Urbana, who recorded this track with Biquini in their first album. Renato died in 1996, victim of AIDS, but thanks to Direct to Disk Digital Recordings, he reappeared in this new version. In 2002 "Quando Te Encontrar" , featured in Malhação, TV Globo's soap opera, took the FM Radios by surprise in the country and gave the band another hit single. In 2005, they released their first live album. The CD/DVD Ao Vivo achieved platinum and celebrated the band's 20th birthday.   Three hit singles proved that the band conquered a new generation of fans, not only those from the eighties. Vou Te Levar Comigo (I'm going to take you with me), Quanto Tempo Demora Um Mês (How long does a month last) and Dani (shortname for Daniela). The tour again covered the entire country and they also played some dates in the US. In 2007, the band decided to open their own label and released three albuns at the same time. So Quem Sonha Acordado Vê O Sol Nascer (Only who dreams awake sees the sunrise) brings new hits like Em Algum Lugar No Tempo (Somewhere in time) while 1985/2007 vols.1&2 gives new flavours to their greatest hits.

Nowadays, reduced to a quartet since  Sheik has left the band in 2000, they perform weekly throughout Brazil playing many of their hit songs, from small clubs to huge arenas. After 23 years, 21 records, more than fifteen hundred shows across Brazil and abroad, Biquini Cavadão prove that, when the matters come to bikini, they are always fashionable!