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Following in the footsteps of Michel Teló, Gusttavo Lima became one of the few sertanejo singers to achieve success outside South America after using an adopted football anthem as a launching pad to an international career. Born Nivaldo Batista Lima in Minas Gerais, Brazil, in 1989, he grew up in Goias, where he became a soloist in a choir at only nine years of age. In 2009, he released his debut album, Revelacao, and followed it up a year later with Inventor Dos Amores, but it was his 2011 live album, E Você, that attracted the most attention both in his homeland and abroad. Championed by footballer Neymar, its lead single, "Balada," became a huge football anthem not only in Brazil but across Europe, reaching number one in France, Italy, and Holland. A third live album, Ao Vivo em São Paulo, was released in 2012. ~ Jon O'Brien

Brazilian sertaneja duo Bruno & Marrone had been performing for a solid decade before their work was recognized on a large scale. Bruno was born Vinicius Felix de Miranda in 1969, the son of a business man in Goiânia. He had played bars and parties solo for ten years before meeting his collaborator, José Roberto Ferreira (Marrone). Having searched for a suitable partner without success, Bruno approached friends and sertaneja stars Leandro y Leonardo for help. The next night he and Marrone were introduced by their well-connected mutual friends. Marrone was born in 1964 and also brought up in Goiânia, his early days split between farm labor and practicing the concertina, his chosen instrument. The duo's debut record, Bruno & Marrone, Vol. 1, was released by Warner Continental in 1995. Their follow-up project, Bruno & Marrone, Vol. 2, was released a year later. The pair's romantic style and exhaustive touring slowly won them credibility and recognition, building a solid fan base in the sertaneja world. Thanks in part to constant performance, the prolific duo generated huge amounts of original material. Warner Continental kept up with the artists' rapidly growing catalog of songs, releasing at least one record each year from 1995 to 2006. Their swelling fan base went from filling bars and small clubs to arenas and stadiums in later years. In 2006 Bruno & Marrone returned to record a live in-concert album and DVD in their native Goiânia. The project -- the duo's 14th CD and third concert DVD -- was released by Sony BMG. ~ Evan C. Gutierrez