‘We lived a beautiful and true love and friendship,’ remembers a Bahian singer about his romance with Preta Gil

Danrlei Orrico, better known as O Kannalha, spoke for the first time to the press about his romance with Preta Gil. A sensation in Bahia with the hit ‘The Bahian has the sauce’, the artist offered much support and affection to the singer during her battle against cancer. The two maintained a relationship that the singer described, at the time, as a ‘nice friendship’ or a ‘label-free affair’.

‘We lived a love and a true and beautiful friendship that only I know. I don’t like to talk publicly about it because people created many disrespectful stories and titles at a time when we were fighting, struggling in a true exchange of love and affection. I tried to shield it as much as possible,’ he told O GLOBO in an interview.

He continued, ‘Today, I can live with that affection in my heart and on difficult days, my family supports me. It’s Black Consciousness Month and without her, who was one of the greatest black women in this country. She had representation and a very strong voice, an enormous power that helped many people. Let’s never forget her.’

O Kannalha stood by Preta Gil in significant moments, including the battle for recovery after hospitalizations. Friends say he was a present, affectionate, and welcoming partner, bringing lightness and joy to the singer in a sensitive period of her life.

Danrlei and Preta were seen together on several occasions, such as during the Salvador Carnival and at festivals. Preta Gil publicly thanked him for his support, emphasizing how O Kannalha’s presence and encouragement helped her. After her death, O Kannalha paid emotional tributes on social media, calling her ‘my sunshine forever’ and bidding farewell to her at wake and cremation ceremonies. He also honored her during a show.

In the same interview with O GLOBO, O Kannalha talked about his hit ‘The Bahian has the sauce’ becoming the soundtrack for memes depicting Wagner Moura’s marathon in promoting the film ‘The Secret Agent’ by Kleber Mendonça Filho. The film’s team also chose the song to accompany the official promotion video of the movie, and invited O Kannalha to perform at the premiere in Salvador. There, Wagner added more fuel to the fire by subtly performing the ‘batedeira’ dance step, which Kannalha is known for doing onstage, on the balcony of Cine Glauber Rocha.

‘Singing alongside Wagner Moura was the realization of a dream. The film became my lucky charm.’ It was actually Preta who introduced Danrlei to actress Alice Carvalho, also in the cast of ‘The Secret Agent,’ with whom the artist became friends. ‘Preta was this beautiful common ground between me and Danrlei. She was the one who sparked this reciprocal affection between us. I find revolutionary the way in which the Dionysian and sweetness coexist in him, a kind and incredibly talented guy. It’s the sound of the streets and the hips,’ Alice defines.