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Ludmilla is arguably the biggest Afro-Brazilian star to emerge since the mid-2010s. Born Ludmila Oliveira da Silva in Rio de Janeiro in 1995, she sang in pagode musical gatherings since she was a child. Around 2012 she adopted the alias MC Beyoncé and found instant local success as a funk carioca singer. Promptly signed by Warner Music Brasil, she was advised to change her name to Ludmilla to avoid being identified with a single genre. Her debut Hoje (2014) marked the beginning of an extremely successful career. Her powerful vocal range and versatility made her a perfect match for funk, pop, and pagode, while her charisma and frequent television appearances turned her into a very influential celebrity and LGBT icon. The first black female Latin American artist to surpass the two billion streams on the world's leading platforms, during the course of her career she was the recipient of numerous accolades, including a Latin Grammy and a BET Award. Vilã, her fifth studio outing, appeared in 2023. ~ Mariano Prunes