Marilia Mendonca

Marília Mendonça was a Brazilian singer and songwriter who was one of the most popular and influential artists of the sertanejo genre, a style of Brazilian country music. She was also known as the "queen of sofrência", a term that refers to a subgenre of sertanejo that expresses pain and suffering, usually related to love and relationships. She started her career as a composer, writing songs for other artists, such as Henrique & Juliano, Jorge & Mateus, Cristiano Araújo, and Wesley Safadão. She released her first live album, Marília Mendonça: Ao Vivo, in 2016, which included the hit songs "Infiel", "Alô Porteiro", and "Como Faz Com Ela". The album sold over 240,000 copies and made her the best-selling Brazilian artist of the year. She followed with two more live albums, Realidade (2017) and Todos os Cantos (2019), which also achieved commercial and critical success. She received several awards and nominations, such as the Latin Grammy Award for Best Sertaneja Music Album, the Prêmio Multishow de Música Brasileira, and the Troféu Imprensa. She also collaborated with other artists, such as Maiara & Maraisa, Marília Mendonça, Gusttavo Lima, and Anitta. Marília Mendonça was born in 1995 in Cristianópolis, a small town in the state of Goiás. She grew up in Goiânia, where she began her musical education at the age of 12, learning to play the guitar and the keyboard. She also started to write songs, inspired by her own experiences and feelings. She sent some of her compositions to a producer, who liked her work and invited her to record a demo. She then signed a contract with the label Som Livre and became a professional songwriter. She wrote songs for many famous sertanejo artists, such as "É Com Ela Que Eu Estou" for Cristiano Araújo, "Até Você Voltar" and "Cuida Bem Dela" for Henrique & Juliano, and "Calma" for Jorge & Mateus. She also recorded some of her own songs and posted them on YouTube, gaining popularity and recognition. ² Marília Mendonça decided to pursue a solo career as a singer in 2015, when she released her first live album, Marília Mendonça: Ao Vivo. The album was a huge success, especially the song "Infiel", which became one of the most played songs on Brazilian radio and received a triple diamond certification for selling over 900,000 copies. The album also established her as one of the leading figures of the sofrência movement, a subgenre of sertanejo that deals with themes of betrayal, heartbreak, and loneliness. Her songs were praised for their honesty, emotion, and relatability, as well as for her powerful and expressive voice. She also gained a large fan base, especially among women, who identified with her lyrics and admired her attitude and charisma. ²³ Marília Mendonça continued to release successful albums and singles, such as "Eu Sei de Cor", "Amante Não Tem Lar", "De Quem É a Culpa?", and "Todo Mundo Vai Sofrer". She also embarked on several tours, both in Brazil and abroad, performing in sold-out venues and festivals. She recorded her second live album, Realidade, in 2016, in Manaus, and her third live album, Todos os Cantos, in 2018 and 2019, in all the state capitals of Brazil. She also participated in the project "Agora É Que São Elas", a series of live recordings with other female sertanejo singers, such as Maiara & Maraisa, Marília Mendonça, and Naiara Azevedo. She received many accolades for her work, such as the Latin Grammy Award for Best Sertaneja Music Album in 2019, for Todos os Cantos. She also broke several records, such as being the most listened to artist on Spotify in Brazil, the most viewed artist on YouTube in Brazil, and the first female artist to have five songs in the top 10 of Spotify Brazil. ²³ Marília Mendonça had a son, Léo, with her partner Murilo Huff, a singer and songwriter, in 2019. She took a break from her career to dedicate herself to motherhood, but returned to the stage in 2020, with a live show called "Live Local", which was broadcast on YouTube and attracted millions of viewers. She also released new songs, such as "Graveto", "Tentativas", and "Troca de Calçada". She was working on a new album, which was expected to be released in 2022. ²³ On November 5, 2021, Marília Mendonça died at the age of 26 in a plane crash in Piedade de Caratinga, Minas Gerais, where she was going to perform a concert. She was traveling with her uncle, her producer, her hairstylist, and the pilot, who also died in the accident. The cause of the crash is still under investigation. Her death caused a huge shock and sadness in Brazil and around the world, where she was mourned by her fans, friends, family, and fellow artists. She was buried in the Goiânia Memorial Park Cemetery, in Goiânia, where thousands of people attended her funeral. Her legacy lives on in her songs, which are still played and celebrated by many people, and in her impact on the Brazilian music scene and culture.