Nadia Figueiredo, a soprano from Minas Gerais, brings his striking voice to the Brazilian music scene with the release of the single “Isto Aqui O Que É?”. With a career that mixes lyrical singing with MPB, she stands out for her fusion of styles. It is not the first time that Nádia has innovated, as on her first album, “Meu Idioma É O Amor”, she sang in different languages, including Italian and Russian, mixing classical and contemporary influences. In this new project, the artist focuses on Brazilianness, without revealing the name of the album yet, keeping the surprise for her fans. The single is now available on the main digital platforms and accompanies a music video recorded at the iconic Christ the Redeemer.
Nádia Figueiredo’s career was forged in self-taught learning, supported by her family since her childhood in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais. In addition to music, Nádia also has a history in the world of fashion, consolidating her career as a model in Brazil, Mexico and Chile. However, the transition to music was inevitable, and she has since dedicated herself to musical theater, operatic singing and other forms of artistic expression. The singer is also the author of the book “And speaking of voice… – A manual of good practices for those who use the voice as a musical instrument” (2021), demonstrating her commitment and experience in the field of music.
Even with a promising career, Nádia faced challenges and obstacles, from harassment in the fashion industry to bullying in the music industry. However, her passion for music and her resilience led her to overcome these barriers. Her eclectic talent and passion for innovation consolidate her as a rising artist on the Brazilian music scene, conquering a varied audience and captivating admirers with her artistic versatility.
His new single, “Isto Aqui O Que É?”, has a strong Brazilian feel. What was the inspiration behind this song and what message do you want to convey through it?
I am very proud to be Brazilian, I am the daughter of Brazilian parents and the granddaughter of Brazilian grandparents. Despite all the problems, I love my country and I wanted to celebrate my Brazilianness, I want to show through music the wonderful things that Brazil has and why foreigners are so enchanted with our country, this is my land.
In your new project, you had a strong team. For you, what was the main contribution of such talented artists? How did they contribute to the album’s sound?
Having a top-notch arrangement makes a total difference, the musicians are exceptional, just listen to the track and you’ll understand.
In this project you decided to focus on Portuguese. What took you from lyrical singing to MPB and especially, sung in Portuguese?
I’m in a moment of worshiping my origins, singing in Portuguese is organic, it leaves me very free to interpret the songs.
In addition to your musical career, you are also the author of the book “And speaking of voice…”. Can you share a little about the content of the book and how it relates to your artistic journey?
This book was a personal and professional milestone. Guys, because my father passed away from Covid while I was writing, I had a deadline to deliver, they were extremely difficult days for me when I wrote in grief, I don’t know how I managed it, I ended up spending 16 hours in front of the computer writing to deliver on time, I saw the sun rise a few times during this time. Professionally, I missed a lot of information that I couldn’t find in a single book, I wanted to write something practical that could help music students and I had important collaborators in this area such as doctors specializing in artistic voice, singers’ speech therapist, conductor, tenors, sopranos …. Finally, many professionals helped with valuable information.
You started your career as a model and then dedicated yourself to music, right? What motivated you to make this transition and how did you adapt to this career change?
I started in music when I was 10, I dedicated myself until I was 18, when I was 22 I was invited by a big modeling agency in São Paulo to work and I accepted, I left Belo Horizonte and went to live in SP, when I was 25 I married a Carioca and came to live in Rio de Janeiro where I continued working as a model. Here in Rio I went back to college and graduated, I started taking opera singing classes when I was 30 and haven’t stopped since. I studied singing, modeled and took several courses and workshops in the area of voice. Regarding the transition from fashion to music, I don’t think it ever happened, to this day I’m invited to photo castings, in my case, one thing completes the other.
His first album, “Meu Idioma É O Amor”, included songs in several languages, including Italian, Russian and English. Did you already have knowledge of these languages? What/Who inspired you to explore different languages in music?
Most opera arias are in Italian, Italy is the birthplace of Opera, I studied many arias in Italian and I love singing in this language. Russian was a challenge! When I started studying operatic singing I was inspired by a Russian soprano called Anna Netrebko who, ironically, we became friends, 8 years ago. One day we were in Paris and Anna’s agent suggested I sing “Black Eyes”, a very well-known Russian folk song. I love these challenges and I went to study music with a teacher from Saint Petersburg. My pronunciation was praised by several Russians and I was happy with the achievement.
You are an enthusiast of the crossover genre, which mixes elements of pop, classical and world music. How do you see the future of this style in Brazil and do you have plans to explore it more in your music?
I will always explore this style, it is part of my essence as an artist, giving me freedom to create new sounds and put my imagination to work.
You learned unusual languages like Esperanto and Inuit to fit into your musical projects. How do you choose languages for your songs and why incorporate these less common languages?
Global warming is something that has always worried me, I have songs on YouTube talking about the topic, and Greenland, being at the top of the earth, is where we can clearly see this warming due to melting ice. I met a couple who had an exhibition in Russia about the “Inuit” who live in Greenland, who many call Eskimos, and at that time they invited me to compose a theme song to play at this exhibition and I did. Over time I began to form closer ties with some Inuit and the opportunity arose to sing a Christmas carol in their dialect, so I delved a little deeper into their culture and got to know the wonderful people they are, a unique experience.
Follow Nádia Figueiredo onInstagram
*With Regina Soares