Seu Jorge cites samba schools and American soul singer Stevie Wonder as major musical influences.

The first-born of four children (the others being Charles, Vitório and Rogério), Seu Jorge had a tough childhood in the neighborhood of Gogó da Ema, in Belford Roxo.

Seu Jorge served in the Brazilian Army from 1989 to 1990 in Rio de Janeiro, but did not adapt to the military lifestyle and ended up being expelled, in January of 1990.

Since his adolescence, he would frequent samba circles and funk parties with his dad and brothers, and early on started to perform singing at such events.

He appeared in the critically acclaimed 2002 film City of God as Mané Galinha, directed by filmmakers Fernando Meirelles and Katia Lund,[9] and then played Pelé dos Santos in Wes Anderson's The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, for which he provided much of the soundtrack in the form of Portuguese language cover versions of David Bowie classics.

In May 2010, Now-Again Records announced that Jorge's new album, Seu Jorge & Almaz, a collaboration with drummer Pupillo and guitarist Lucio Maia from Nação Zumbi and bassist and composer Antonio Pinto would be released in North America, Japan, Australia and New Zealand on July 27 and in Europe on September 14.