Born Alexandre Silva de Assis on December 25, 1969, in Rio de Janeiro, Xande de
Pilares built his name in samba and pagode before stepping out as a major solo
voice. He came up in Rio’s suburban samba circuit and spent more than two
decades as a lead singer and key figure in Grupo Revelação (1991–2014), helping
define the group’s radio-friendly pagode era with songs that later became
staples at rodas de samba. After leaving the band, Xande de Pilares focused on a
solo run that leaned into both classic samba phrasing and contemporary pagode
production, releasing albums such as Sam...