Photo Credit: Melanie Sanchez

Brazilian-born, Los Angeles–based creative force Tutafarel steps into the spotlight with the release of his debut album Monte Casanova — a lush, multi-sensory world where pop hedonism, queer vulnerability, and cinematic storytelling intertwine. Accompanied by the tender new single “Sky Won’t Break,” the LP marks the bold arrival of one of 2025’s most intriguing new voices.

Already praised for his seductive, genre-bending sound — with The Big Takeover calling the record “a blend of sensuality, self-reflection, and pop hedonism,” and Earmilk celebrating his “fierce yet delicately hypnotic energy” — Tutafarel is not just releasing an album. He’s launching an entire universe.

A Pop Visionary With a Cinematic Edge

The world of Monte Casanova emerges from the mind of Raphael Rosalen, the multidisciplinary artist behind the Tutafarel persona. Raised in Piracicaba, Brazil, shaped by his painter-mother’s museum pilgrimages, refined through degrees at USC and UC Irvine, and steeped in contemporary cinema and visual art, Tutafarel’s work lands at the intersection of music, literature, and digital storytelling.

The album is only one part of a larger multimedia puzzle:

 

  • A debut book, also titled Monte Casanova: a two-act queer tragedy described as “Succession meets Romeo & Juliet.”
  • A serialized TikTok video series, bringing that universe to an online audience.
  • And now, a full-length LP that blends Brazilian warmth, digital-age introspection, and the melodrama of early-2000s pop.

Together, they form a single cohesive narrative — a sensual, messy, glamorous, and deeply human exploration of identity and desire.

“Sky Won’t Break”: Tutafarel’s Most Vulnerable Moment Yet

At the center of the LP’s release is “Sky Won’t Break,” a stripped-back emotional confessional floating between anxiety, resilience, and soft catharsis.

“I wrote it on a night when my anxiety was so loud nothing could calm me down,” Tutafarel shares. “So I wrote the song I needed. It’s about resilience — finding a kind of peace in the unknown.”

The song also taps into his immigrant experience — the feeling of wanting more, of pushing through uncertainty, of holding on to hope when everything feels wobbly.

“Sometimes you just need a small reminder that everything’s going to be okay, even when the world feels unsteady. Like the chorus says at the end of my book: ‘When the air tastes of smoke and rain, remember: the sky won’t break.’”

The accompanying video expands on this tenderness, showing a softer side of the larger-than-life persona who otherwise thrives in hyper-pop maximalism and nightclub shimmer.

A World Built From Bedrest, Tragedy, and Pop Fantasies

The LP found its shape in an unexpected moment: a 2025 road accident that left Tutafarel bedridden for months. Between recovery and reflection, he immersed himself in:

 

  • 90s action films
  • Greek tragedies
  • The legend of Giacomo Casanova

Those influences, paired with a love for Michael Jackson, Justin Bieber, Brockhampton, KAIRO, PinkPantheress, and Addison Rae, gave Monte Casanova its cinematic sweep and mischievous pop DNA.

Remarkably, the entire LP was self-produced on GarageBand, giving the project a raw, instinctive urgency — equal parts glitter and grit.

“There’s sex, drugs, and rock & roll, sure,” Tutafarel says, “but underneath it’s about accepting imperfection. This record says forget the surface — let’s dance through the mess.”

From Museums to Nightlife Mythmaking

Before crafting pop worlds, Tutafarel spent years immersed in visual art, working at MoMA and the Academy Film Archive. You can feel that lineage: Monte Casanova is a sonic gallery of Brazilian rhythms, club textures, and cinematic moodscapes filtered through a queer, contemporary lens.

His inspirations span Doug Aitken, Klaus Nomi, and East Village art oddities — the perfect frame for an artist who blends digital, musical, and literary media without hesitation.

What’s Next: A World Ready To Expand

With the album now out, Tutafarel is preparing to bring the Monte Casanova universe into real life with an intimate, house-party-style tour. He’s also working on new books, his sophomore album, and — in true multitasking fashion — will complete his PhD in digital media studies within months of this debut.

It’s rare to witness an artist arrive with such a fully-formed world, and even rarer to see one do it across platforms with this level of intention. Monte Casanova isn’t just a record — it’s an entry point.