Arthus Fochi is a Brazilian musician, singer and guitarist who arrived in Copenhagen in 2021. His first job in the country was as a tour guide on a boat. Now 37 years old, he’s about to release his new album ‘Ano Sabático’ on vinyl.
I settled in Denmark because … my wife was pregnant and we decided to come here as the situation in Brazil was crazy because of COVID-19. She is half-Brazilian, half-Danish, so we have family here too.
If you ask me if it was love at first sight I would say … yes. We arrived in February in Østebro so the winter was almost behind us. I spent most of my time at home with our baby, and the city is generally very nice.
My favourite thing about living in Copenhagen is … the safety. When you are from Rio de Janeiro you are always stressed about something – you are always thinking about what can happen. And here … the silence is so good. It is a city but it’s quiet. Sometimes it seems like a small town.
And my favourite observation about the Danes is … they are objective. I think it is due to the historical context. Because of the hard climatic conditions, they had to organise themselves better and be objective. While in Brazil the weather is good and the harvest abundant, it is badly distributed. Here, there is a shortage and a lack of resources, but at the same time, everyone can live with dignity.
Here in Denmark/Copenhagen I never get used to … the fact that it is cold for so long every year. Seven months for me is a lot. Actually, it is not that cold: it’s close to zero degrees most of the time but the wind can be hard sometimes because you can’t escape.
Jeg kan tale … lidt dansk med min datter. I can say a few phrases used in everyday life. I have been learning the language for eight months now.
On an integration scale of 1 to 10 I would say I’m a … 6 because I can understand what is happening around me and I can understand short conversations. I have found exotic stores to buy food from back home and all that. I feel like I’ve got my bearings.
In my social circle, I have more … international friends. But also consider my step-family as my friends, so I also have Danish friends in a way.
I think the best way of making Danish friends is … drinking! Yes, in Copenhagen it’s easier to make friends at night. Or also living in a collective house: I did that for nine months and I think that living with Danes can be a good way to become friends with them.
If I should recommend a visitor to Copenhagen then I would tell her/him to visit … Tivoli, it’s a wonderful place to go. It’s funny to know that its famous rollercoaster was built during the First World War.
If I should select one food and one drink venue, I would opt for … ‘O tempo’, which is a pretty nice place for Brazilian food, and Zoku, which has a great rooftop where you can enjoy good beer and good music on Saturdays – I personally play on the third Saturday of the month.
The three words that I think best describe Copenhagen are … clean, cold and cosy.
Arthus Fochi is performing on June 28 at 20:00 at Metronomen and on August 19 at Beboerhuset.
