A
chance to meet Beyoncé would be a huge deal for anyone, but it was especially monumental for Brazilian powerhouse Ludmilla. After all, she began her career performing under the name “MC Beyoncé,” a teenage tribute to the idol. “Imagine the day I meet Beyoncé,” she tweeted in 2015. “I think I’m going to die at her feet.”
She didn’t die, of course. But when Beyoncé flew to Brazil to promote Renaissance and carved out time to hang out with Ludmilla and a few other local stars, it was a massive full-circle moment. Ludmilla had a chance to reconnect with that young MC Beyoncé inside her, the Rio de Janeiro–born dreamer hungry to prove herself and make it big in Brazil.
She’s accomplished exactly that: She started her music career in baile funk, before pivoting to pagode, a traditionally male-dominated subgenre of samba, with her Numanice project, which expanded her reach and cemented her as one of the few women to thrive in the genre. Numanice earned a Latin Grammy and showcased her smooth, soulful take on a genre. Now, Ludmilla stands as one of the country’s biggest, most respected stars.
“I am everything that MC Beyoncé always dreamed. I am living my dream,” she tells Rolling Stone through a translator. “I became my dream.”
As one of the few openly queer Afro-Latina artists at her level, Ludmilla knows her presence carries weight. She takes pride in being living proof that a Black, Latina, queer woman can break barriers in a space where representation for each of her identities has been scarce. “It’s a mix of pride and responsibility, you know?” she says. “I know that my image, my voice, and my art inspires millions of people who ultimately see themselves in me.”
But these days, she has her sights set even higher: She wants her music to reach the world. Currently, Ludmilla is knee-deep in her eighth album, which she calls a “game-changer.” It’s still untitled, but she says it’s the project where she finally feels the most confident, secure, and free. “My entire career has been preparing for this moment. It’s my most mature album to date,” she says.
The record captures life’s ups and downs while also establishing Ludmilla as the force she is. “I’m an empowered woman: tough, independent, I make the rules, but on the other hand, a lot of women have also been suffering a lot with love,” she says. Sonically, she’s stepping out of her comfort zone, embracing R&B, a genre she believes could grow in Brazil, and one she thrives in. Her latest single, “Cam Girl,” hears her singing with Victoria Monét, who has become a close friend over the past few months. “When we met, it was like love at first sight, and we never let go of each other,” Ludmilla says. “We’re both Tauruses and about the same age. She has a very beautiful heart.” She’s also collaborating with global producers she trusts to expand her sound and teases recording in “studios I never imagined stepping foot in.”
Plus, she has a new motivator: Earlier this summer, she and her wife, Brunna Gonçalves, welcomed a daughter, which has completely changed her approach to music and life. “Each day that passes, this love grows more and gives me more energy to make my music, to bring out the best in my projects, because I want her to be very proud of everything her mom did,” she says.
Call it a “crossover” if you want — Ludmilla won’t. She refers to this next step in her career as an “expansion,” a chance to grow without losing sight of where she came from, while keeping her audience at home top of mind. “I reached a level in Brazil where, thank God, today, 80 percent of Brazilians know me,” she says. “But this isn’t me playing a character, I’m not stopping my career in Brazil so I can make a career in the United States. No, I’m doing my work in Brazil, and I want the United States to know me, I want the world to know me.”
It’s unmarked territory for Ludmilla, but she’s ready to take it head-on. “It gives me butterflies in my stomach, but I think that this is what keeps us alive, right?” she says. “That’s what motivates us. That’s the beauty of this: the new. There’s beauty in trying new things.”
Through it all, what’s for sure is that Ludmilla won’t lose sight of her roots. “I feel very proud of myself and my career,” she says. “I’ve managed to show the world that I can reach the top without giving up being who I am. I carry my story.”
This story is part of our Nuevos Futuros series celebrating Latin music and Latin heritage. Read more here.
Production Credits
Styling by GERALDINE FERNANDEZ. Makeup by THYNA WAGENBLAST. Hair by JOEL JAMES.
