Born in the small Brazilian town of Conselheiro Lafaiete, Felipe Ramos, aka FTampa, endured incredible hardship early in life. He was raised by a single mother and orphaned at the age of six when his mother died in a motorcycle accident. He was adopted by his grandparents and aunt and lived by modest means, at times only surviving on a diet of rice and sardines. Just before his death, Felipe’s grandfather gifted him a piano, which ended up changing his life. Music provided Ramos a much-needed outlet to cope with the loss and devastation he experienced at such an early age. He dropped everything in his teenage years to form a rock band.
Living in a one-bedroom apartment with his guitarist and brother, Ramos quit his full time job and put all of his energy into the band. They invested what little they had to move to São Paulo to persue their musical careers. With little initial success, they eventually lost everything. Discouraged and uninspired, Ramos took another job and vowed never to play music again. In 2011, his path shifted once again when his cousin introduced him to Electronic music. He found new inspiration in the sounds he heard and subsequently setup a recording studio in his home. The newfound inspiration drove him to once again devote himself to his calling in music.
Last year, FTampa became the first Brazilian to play the main stage of Tomorrowland Belgium, one of the top Electronic music festivals in the world. He was also invited by Britney Spears to remix her song “Make Me” in 2016.
His first two singles in 2017, “Glowing” and “Love Is All We Need”, have over 10 million streams on Spotify since their release and their official music videos have over 3 million views on YouTube to date. His previous hit ‘Our Way’ has 16 million+ streams on digital platforms and ‘Stay’ feat. Amanda Wilson has over 7 million streams.
On August 25, 2017, FTampa is releasing a third single via Sony Music titled “Light Me Up” which is poised to match or surpass his previous releases.
His journey in life has been filled with peaks and valleys, but his happiest moment was marked by the birth of his first child, Arthur, two months ago.
"I've overcome all my bad times through music”, FTampa says. “I live through music. Everything in life depends on you, if you believe in something it does not matter how bad your situation gets as long as you pursue your goal. I want to be the father that I did not have for Arthur. Even though my grandfather was a father to me, it was not the same. I've always missed it and I want to teach my son what I can. My life has changed completely after his birth. I want to give him the support that I did not have,"
2017 looks to be a fruitful year for FTampa as he embarks on his first world tour across North and South America, Europe and Asia.
