Desconheço means "I don't know" or "I am unfamiliar with." It's the first-person singular conjugation of the verb desconhecer, which means "to not know" or "to be unaware of."
In the context of "Amor Maior," the singer uses desconheço to express a longing for a love so profound and all-encompassing that he has never experienced it before. He sings, "Um amor que eu desconheço" (A love that I don't know), highlighting his desire for a new, transformative kind of love.
“Amor Maior” is Jota Quest’s heartfelt confession of someone torn between craving solitude and longing for connection. The singer starts by admitting that being completely alone feels impossible, yet being with others without true intimacy feels empty. What he really wants is a love that is present “a qualquer hora” (at any hour) and “de corpo inteiro” (with his whole being). This bigger-than-life feeling must bloom “de dentro pra fora,” from the inside out, until it grows “maior que eu”—greater than himself.
The chorus is a passionate mantra: “Quero um amor maior, um amor maior que eu.” He is ready to follow his heart to the very end, even risk pain, just to discover whether what he feels is genuine love. In short, the song celebrates the courage to seek an all-encompassing relationship, one that overflows personal limits and transforms both lovers in the process. It is a reminder that true love might sting, but the happiness it brings is worth every step.
Jota Quest started out in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, in 1993 under the name J. Quest, borrowed from the cartoon Jonny Quest. Trademark trouble with Hanna-Barbera made them spell the J out the Portuguese way, and they have been Jota Quest ever since. Rogério Flausino sings, with Marco Túlio Lara on guitar, PJ on bass, Márcio Buzelin on keyboards and Paulinho Fonseca on drums.
Their pop leans hard on funk and soul, and it has been all over Brazilian radio since the late 1990s with songs like "Fácil", "Dias Melhores" and "Na Moral". Albums such as De Volta ao Planeta, Oxigênio, La Plata and Funky Funky Boom Boom kept the run going, and the compilation Quinze won the 2012 Latin Grammy for Best Brazilian Contemporary Pop Album.