Face to Face with Sertanejo Singer Mariana Fagundes

Although the sertanejo music scene has traditionally been dominated by men, there is a growing number of female singers in this genre, also known as “Brazilian country music” abroad. And even though she's been present in this scene for quite some time, Mariana Fagundes is considered one of the representatives of this new generation of female singers.

A relentless performer who is often on the road for her tours, Mariana's hard work finally paid off when her track “Me Usa”, a duet with Kevi Jonny, topped the Brazilian charts in 2023. A consecration for the 32-year-old artist, who already has an eighteen-year career behind her, eleven of which as a sertanejo artist, but also the start of something bigger.

Rafaela de Carvalho, Head of Artist Services at Believe Brasil, had a long chat with Mariana Fagundes - and enjoyed an exclusive showcase you can also watch - to talk about what brought her to sertanejo, the relationship she has with the Brazilian Believe Artist Services team and about the latest developments of her career.

Rafaela De Carvalho: Hi everyone, I have the honor of commanding the first Face to Face recorded here in Brazil. Today our very first guest is a woman I admire a lot, a very talented singer and besides everything, a wonderful person with a giant heart. It's a pleasure, Mari! Good to have you here with us!

Mariana Fagundes: Thank you! Guys, such an introduction, how beautiful! I’m already emotional,

So, I'm Mariana Fagundes, at home I'm Mari. I'm a sertanejo singer, I'm 32 years old. I started wanting to sing 18 years ago and 11 years ago I became a sertanejo singer. I said to myself: “I'm going to sing sertanejo and that's it".

There's a long story, Rafa, that I think people would like to know. A story marked by a lot of resilience. When I was 6 years old, a speedboat exploded with me in it! When I was like chilling with my family. I almost lost my life. After a year in the hospital, recovering, I went across the street, got run over by a motorcycle. Oh my God, and there was another accident! A car rolled over with me!

And why am I talking about this? Because this sertanejo singer who talks to you here is a singer who has dealt many times with overcoming, you know? And that was something that made me stronger, as a person and as a woman.

I am completely in love with my family, I have Jesus as my greatest idol. And I'm very happy to be here, to tell you a little bit about me, not just my life story that brought me here, but also talk about my career, about the evolution of my career with this wonderful team.

Rafaela de Carvalho: You joined Believe Artists Services team in August 2021, and I can say that for sure, because you were one of the first artists I had the honor of signing with in my life. And I'm very happy that we are growing together. The Artists Services division at Believe Brasil started at the beginning of 2021, and you joined right after. You were one of the first artists on the team. And from there to here, on our side, many things have changed, the team has grown...

But tell me: how was it for you? How did your career change in the meantime? And how was it was like to grow with the Believe team?

Mariana Fagundes: First thing, I want to make it very clear that I am completely passionate about my team. I love my music company, I love this beautiful team

I was a stage artist, right? I've done some concerts since I was a girl. Like I told you, I've been singing for 18 years, but when Believe came into my life, they professionalized everything. They gave me the opportunity to be in the digital world and with a very professional team which very committed with my career.

You give me security and take care of all the details, you know? Do you remember how I was when I got here? The insecurity on the way I talked, the way dressed… So we built a story, we built my career. And I'm very happy to be on that team.

I grew a lot with you, with very dedicated professionals like you. You really look at my career with love, with dedication. I know this is more important than any investment, than any value. I think the greatest value that we see here is that the dreams come true, right? You guys are making my dream come true, so I must thank everyone, for all this time together with you and for everything I'm learning here. I'm becoming a great artist here at Believe.

I remember when you guys arrived that in the pandemic, at such a difficult time of my career. When I had a lot of insecurities, when I thought I wouldn't make it back, that I wouldn't get to continue my career as a singer. I thought I was going to have to stop. And then Believe arrived with this precious and lovely team taking care of me and making me believe, making use of your name, “Believe”. You have a team that does believe in you! A team of women, that I feel amazed with these women... You need to see how many women are taking care of my career!

Rafaela de Carvalho: But we also dream together with you because we believe that your dream is big. And it also gives us a lot of pleasure from our side to work with an artist who is so committed with her career, that has such a strong vision of her career.

Anyway, it's indeed a very strong union, strong combination that resulted last year in "Me Usa", a hit we had together, which is a song that you released in collaboration with Kevi Jonny. It was one of the 10 most listened songs of TikTok, it reached the Top 100 on national charts, was in more than 20 playlists, and supported by partners like Spotify, Amazon, Deezer… And that song put you in place we were aiming at since 2021.

Can you tell us a little what the process with "Me Usa" was? And what was the impact this moment had on your career?

Mariana Fagundes: The song arrived when I was more ready than before, I already had a team ready and working for me. We were already releasing albums, right? And "Me Usa" arrived at a moment when I was ready to get there, you know? And we did it, Rafa! A song that hit the Top 10 on TikTok, We also got Spotify's Top 100 chart!

Everything has its moment, has its time... We found the song; a producer helped me… It's a whole long-term job. And, of course, with the help of the Believe team.

Once again I need to say this to you, because I really want to thank you and make it clear how important you guys are at this stage of an artist career. When the artist finds the song and he doesn't have team ready to make that song dominate the country... That's not enough, you know?

And this relationship you have with Spotify, TikTok and all DSPs, how you guys are loved and how you have open doors with all the platforms. That made my music lands, thank God, thanks to Believe, thanks to the team. This was a very special music in my life.

Rafaela de Carvalho: It was a milestone, right?

Mariana Fagundes: Wow, it was, Rafa!

Rafaela de Carvalho: For us it was also a milestone. You talked a little about TikTok, on how TikTok was very important for this song to reach more people... Your relationship with social media is currently very strong, right?

Mari, I open my Instagram, I see you! From Monday to Monday, you take the bus, get on stage, jump like a popcorn for 2, 3 hours of concert... You get the audience on stage, interact with everyone, exchange energy there with the the fans in a very personal way...And then you go back to the bus, travel to arrive at another city, and takes the stage again! All this while taking pictures and videos to show to the fans on social media the real life of an artist. Allmy respect for you!

Mariana Fagundes: We are women, Rafa! We are women! A woman does a lot of things, right? Women usually have to do everything...

Rafaela de Carvalho: You need to handle that, don’t you?

Mariana Fagundes: Sure, we need to handle it!

Rafaela de Carvalho: You handle it a really well! I saw this process happen because in the past you had your insecurities, wondering like "should I show that or better not?”, “where is my limit?".

And today, the safer you are the better you show the reality of your everyday life to your audience.

Mariana Fagundes: Rafa, you mentioned a word that is the key to everything: “security”. To deal with social media you have to be very sure of who you are, of what you want to say, what you are communicating, where will you get, with that content you're posting...

And in addition to this security, there's the love of what I do. I love too much what I do, I love being an artist, I love being a singer, I love going on stage, I love my family.... So there's no sacrifice when I get home and I only have few hours to stay there. When I go to see my family and meet everyone, I call them: 'Hey guys! Come see me!". And soon I'm leaving, chasing my dreams! And then we go, get on the bus again. It's been years doing this, we have evolved a lot and today I understand a lot about what people want to see from me, what is being cool, what I'm adding to people's lives through what I say. For example, showing my daily life. Showing that I'm human! That's it!

I'm a singer, I'm on stage, I've got that thing about fame, celebrity and all that... It looks like “Wow, she's an artist”.  But the artist is human! I am like you! I am you guys on stage! So... How nice to be able to show that!

It's great that social media shows the other side of us, right, Rafa? Not just the stage-artist moment and so on, but also my side as a regular person, how I am at home, how I am with my family.

Rafaela de Carvalho: Tell us a little about yours dreams for the future. We have built a beautiful story so far, but we still have a lot to build. I know you're ambitious, that you dream big and we want to dream with you. Then... Where do you see yourself a year from now?

Mariana Fagundes: Can it be at Top 1?

Rafaela de Carvalho: Yes, ma'am!

Mariana Fagundes: Oh, guys, I've been working for so many years for this. I want to be recognized.

I want it, I deserve it! I work hard for that! I don't know if it's okay for a woman to say that, because as soon as we say it, people do like “What? Does she think of herself like that?”

I'm like this, guys! I deserve it! I deserve reaching the number one place at some point! I work hard for this, my team works hard for it and it will come! And when I'm top 1, I'm sure that I will influence people with everything , my spiritual side, my human side.

I know the song will play, that it will touch people... I don't know if the song that's gonna be Number 1 will be a romantic song and it's gonna get emotional, that people will cry, or if it's going to be a song that people will dance and party...

But I know that, regardless of the song, when the artist Mariana will get there, I know that I'm going to leave a very nice mark. Because I have a commitment to it, you know?

Rafaela de Carvalho: And what impression do you want to leave?

Mariana Fagundes: Of a strong woman, a very hard-working woman... Talented, persistent... Who has an amazing family who always fought for her dreams... And I want to leave the impression of being a good person. When I get there, people will look at me and say: "Wow! What a talented woman! What a nice, enlightened woman. She brings something good with her". 
And I'm going to leave that as a mark, you'll see when I get there... And I think I'm already getting there.

Rafaela de Carvalho: I think so. I think you've already left that mark!

Mariana Fagundes: I'm close, right, Rafa? It's closer and closer? I think people will feel it. They'll feel the good in me, feel the love for my profession, that I am a fighter, that I deserve it! That I have a lot to influence smaller artists because I don't give up! I don't give up on what I love!

Rafaela de Carvalho: That's beautiful. I think you already leave that mark on those who know you, at least for me, speaking for myself... You inspire me a lot!

Finally, our last question. What message would you give today to the Mariana Fagundes from 10 years ago? If only you had the chance to meet her around the corner! What would you tell her?

Mariana Fagundes: Ten years ago? Wow, Rafa! That's a hard question... You don't have to think about giving up, because a lot is going to happen.

You don't need to be so insecure like that...Be more confident in who you are... You're a nice girl, people will like you the way you are! You don't have to look like someone who has already succeeded... You can be exactly who you are.

Keep valuing your family, because in 10 years, when you're older, you'll realize that if it hadn't been for them, you wouldn't have gotten there. Value your team, because without a team you won't get there either. There is so much I have to say, Rafa...

Rafaela de Carvalho: Those are three very good pieces of advice. I took them for myself, ok?

Mariana Fagundes: Oh, but that's not all of it, Rafa... I'm here today not just because of the talent that comes from God, it's not even mine. He gave it to me! It's a bonus that I earned, a gift I got. In addition to the talent I have, there’s persistence.

The "Let's go!" mentality, like “ff you Fall down, get up! You have a few hours to cry there in the room but come on! You have to work! You're not going to stay there!” Do you get it?

My family brought me here, my team... Everyone who works with me has evolved together. Everyone is growing together, Rafa. Without this support, without this team, I wouldn't have gotten here. So, I value it.

Rafaela de Carvalho: How beautiful! Thank you Maricota! It’s a professional and personal satisfaction to see your evolution. I'm sure you're already making your mark on Brazilian music. And I'm very happy to be following you closely!

Mariana Fagundes: Oh, Rafa! That's great! We have so many talented artists out there that I know they can see how persistent I am and that I don't give up. And they will see my success too. And that's influencing them to keep going too.

Rafaela de Carvalho: Guys, we've reached the end of this edition of Face to Face with Mariana Fagundes. Thank you very much for the chat, Mari!

Check out Mariana Fagundes last single “Metendo O Louco” with Guilherme & Benuto on your favorite streaming platforms.

You can follow Mariana Fagundes on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube.