Amid a deep economic, political, hygienic and environmental crisis, 2021 was hardly a year of joy and prosperity for Brazilians. And yet, tragedy strikes again. Na tarde de sexta-feira (on Friday afternoon), November 5th, Brazil perdeu (lost) the 26-year-old singer Marilia Mendonça, whose vida se encerrou (life ended) tragically after um acidente de avião (an airplane accident).

A cantora e compositora (the singer and composer) was one of the maiores nomes (biggest names) of sertanejo, a national version of country music and most widely consumed music genre in Brazil. Born in the state of Goiás, Mendonça started working for the music industry at a very early age, writing músicas (songs) for more consolidated performers. Her undeniable talent led to a phenomenal rise to fame, making her the artist mais ouvida (most listened to) in our country at only 22, in 2017. If you’re not in Brazil, you might have never heard of her, but the sertanejo diva had more seguidores (followers) in Spotify than The Beatles! Plus 36 million on Instagram. To top it off, in 2020, Mendonça beat pop stars like the Korean group BTS or Italian tenor Andrea Boccelli by streaming the most watched live concert on the planet.

But more than just numbers, Marília Mendonça was one of the most relevant vozes (voices) of her time. Nicknamed the rainha da sofrência (queen of suffering), she sang about the dores e decepções (pain and disappointment) in relationships from a feminine point of view. The latin Grammy winner led a revolution in the music style that became known as feminejo, a combination of feminine and sertanejo, ultimately paving the way for other female performers in a such a male-dominated artistic field.

The precise cause of the accident is still under investigation, but it is believed that the aircraft hit some power lines. Mendonça had a concert scheduled for that very same night, in the city of Caratinga, Minas Gerais. Four other people also faleceram (passed away) in the crash, including the pilot. The impact of her morte (death) was such that it made it to the manchetes (headlines) of canais de notícias (news channels) such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, Fox News and others. You can ler (read) more about it here

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/05/arts/music/marilia-mendonca-dead.html

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/brazilian-singer-and-latin-grammy-winner-dies-in-plane-crash/2021/11/05/0c13178a-3e86-11ec-bd6f-da376f47304e_story.html

https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/marilia-mendonca-brazilian-latin-grammy-dead-plane-crash

She rose to the top with hits like Infiel, Sei de Cor, Alô Porteiro and many others. You can ouvir (listen to) her songs in her Youtube channel or check it out here:

Marilia Mendonça’s velório (funeral) was held on Saturday in her hometown, gathering a huge multidão (crowd) of celebrities and grieving fans alike that wished to se despedir (say goodbye) to the singer, who definitely left us too soon . Descanse em paz (rest in peace) and sentiremos saudades (we will miss you). Todo mundo vai sofrer.