20 hits in 20 years: 'Ai se eu te pega' was born as a sung song and became an international hit

From xaveco on a trip to an international hit: the trajectory of "Ai se eu te pega"
From a song for a tourist guide to an international hit. The trajectory of "Ai se eu te pago", one of the biggest hits in Brazilian music, went through the beats of funk and forró, gained choreography in clubs in Bahia and on football fields, was translated into other languages and even went through justice.
This article is part of the series "20 hits in 20 years", which is on GloboPop, Globo's new short vertical video application, available for free on your cell phone. On the app, you can follow the "20 hits in 20 years" stage so you don't miss any episode. Download GloboPop here!
Michel Teló closes Expo Cordeiro 2025
Disclosure
It was in the voice of Michel Teló that "Ai Se Eu Te Pego" broke record views on YouTube, ended up on the music charts in several countries and became a dance by Cristiano Ronaldo celebrating a goal. But before this phenomenal explosion, music had a long way to go.
The first step already gave indications of international potential. During a trip to Disney, a group of friends created the sung phrase that became the chorus of the song. This was still in 2006, when Teló didn't even dream of this track and was still part of Grupo Tradição.
Two years later, some of these girls traveled to Porto Seguro, in Bahia, and caught the attention of singer Sharon Acioly with that same chorus and a little dance, which ended up on the club stage. After that, Sharon adapted the song into funk and called it "Funk do Nossa". The singer played the video with the song and the dance on YouTube. But the success wasn't there yet.
Businessman Antônio Dyggs saw the video, completed the lyrics and transformed the song into a forró that was first recorded by "Meninos de Seu Zeh", which was a group managed by Dyggs.
After that, the group Cangaia de Jegue heard the song and recorded it. And it was this version that reached Teló's ears. The country singer went after Sharon Acioly's release and recorded her well-known version, which even became "If I catch you".
With the hit booming around the world, the story went back to the beginning. That's because the girls from the Disney ride went after their rights as composers and, today, they appear as co-authors of the track.
Read also: Michel Teló mixes country music and rock in a new phase of his career: 'There's no obligation to like it'
Michel Teló poses for photos before being interviewed on the program 'g1 Ouviu', at the g1 studio in São Paulo. Image was taken using multiple exposure technique
Fábio Tito/g1

Source: G1