Ludmilla is one of the most exciting Latin American voices coming out now. The singer, born Ludmila Oliveira da Silva in Rio de Janeiro, has slowly and steadily found her footing in some of the world’s biggest stages, exciting fans with her catchy beats, lush vocals, and twerking prowess.
© GettyImagesLudmilla is not only a great performer; she’s also a songwriter, and an amazing dancer. She calls SZA, Kehlani, Rihanna and Beyonce her idols. When speaking about the latter, she credits her for helping her find her footing in music and of the revelatory when, as a teen, she stumbled into The Beyoncé Experience Live on DVD.
I saw her so free on stage, so happy, so confident, and I wanted to do that too,” she said in an interview with Billboard. “That’s how I found myself in music.”
© GettyImagesLudmilla is a part of a select group of Latin artists that break the mold. She’s afro-latina, queer, and unapologetic. Despite having many American influences, she champions the sounds from Brazil, performing primarily in Portuguese and exploiting the sounds that her country is known for, from samba to funk carioca.
As of this writing, Ludmilla is the first Afro-Latina to reach one billion streams on Spotify. She’s performed in Rock in Rio alongside performers like Dua Lipa, Megan Thee Stallion, and more, and her song “Malokera” was featured in Rihanna’s Savage x Fenty show. In 2022, she won a Latin Grammy for Best Samba/Pagode Album.
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