Cansei de Ser Sexy

Cansei de Ser Sexy, commonly known as CSS, is a band from São Paulo, Brazil, active since 2003. The group name is Portuguese for “Tired of Being Sexy”, a phrase taken from a comment attributed to Beyoncé. The band begins as an indie rock act and is also associated with electronic and alternative music.

Line-up

The current members are Lovefoxxx, Luiza Sá, Ana Rezende, Carolina Parra, Iracema Trevisan, Adriano Cintra, Jon Harper and Inge Johansson. Lovefoxxx sings, while Sá, Rezende and Parra all play multiple instruments across the band’s live and recorded work. Trevisan and Cintra are former members in the group’s earlier line-up.

Name and formation

The band takes its name from the Portuguese phrase cansei de ser sexy. Ana Rezende explains that the phrase is used after hearing that Beyoncé had said she was tired of being sexy, and that it was then put on a flyer for a show before becoming the group’s name. Rezende also says the name was meant as a joke rather than a serious statement about the band’s image.

Career

CSS builds its early profile through word-of-mouth promotion online, starting with the Brazilian website Trama Virtual. A live performance at Tim Festival in 2004, on the same stage as 2 Many DJs and Kraftwerk, helps expand the band’s audience. The group signs with Trama Virtual in 2005 and releases its first album in Brazil later that year. At the start of 2006, CSS signs with Sub Pop for its first international release.

In 2006 the band tours the United States and Canada with DJ Diplo and Bonde do Rolê, and also plays in the US and Europe with Ladytron and Basement Jaxx before touring Australia, New Zealand and Japan. The group becomes known for highly energetic live shows, with Lovefoxxx moving through the audience and the other members frequently switching instruments.

Recognition

The song “Music Is My Hot Hot Sex” gains wider attention in 2007 after it is used in a homemade iPod Touch commercial that is posted to YouTube and later adapted into an official television advert. This brings the track wider recognition beyond the band’s existing audience.