Brazilian Music Guide: Top Genres And Artists

I owe my authentic Brazilian Portuguese accent in part to listening to and playing Brazilian music.

From the soulful serenades of Sertanejo to the infectious beats of Forró, and the lyrical depth of MPB to the high-energy pulse of Brazilian Pop, each genre tells a story of a people, a region and a way of life.

In this post, I’ll explore the most beloved musical styles across Brazil and the artists who brought them to life—names like Anitta, Caetano Veloso, and more.

Whether you're new to the scene or a long-time fan, there's always something fresh to discover in the soundscape of Brazil.

Brazil’s Music DNA

Music has always been one of the liveliest elements of Brazil’s DNA.

From the first melodies by native indigenous people in the 1500s up to the most popular hits in the 21^st century, Brazilian music has travelled through generations, expanding and holding up remarkably well.

Years go by and Brazilian people still embrace past songs and open up to new ones.

Did you know that the most famous Brazilian opera, “O Guarani”, composed in the late 19^th century, can still be heard every single day, hundreds of years later, as the soundtrack to a very traditional daily radio programme in Brazil?

In the same era, the first Carnival march named “Ó Abre Alas” was composed by the musician Chiquinha Gonzaga.

In honour of her pioneering song, a federal law established her birthday as the Day of Brazilian Popular Music: October 17th. This march is still alive in every Brazilian Carnival.

Along with this lively musical history, Brazilian music has been evolving and new styles have been created.

According to International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) Global Music Report, Latin America is a huge emergent market, where Brazil keeps growing above the world average. 

It’s fascinating that Brazilians love listening to their own artists more than any other international musician. According to 2023 Brazilian Phonographic Market report, 93,5% of the average Brazilian’s playlist on streaming platforms are full of made-in-Brazil songs.

Maybe this is the reason why Brazilian music is so alive: because Brazilians keep this historical and emotional connection with their own music.

Styles Of Music In Brazil

Brazil is a huge country, so it's heterogeneous and diverse in many aspects, including culture and music. Some musical styles are successful all over the country while others are hits only in some regions or for specific purposes. 

For example, each soccer team has its own anthem, and they are considered hits among their millions of fans. Imagine that, in a population of around 215 million people, every Brazilian supports a team. They sing different types of chants out loud during live matches at stadiums.

IFPI reported that Brazil has more than ten different varieties of music styles, which is also above the world average. They are, at the same time, a reflection of society and a contribution to the culture of the country. Here are some styles Brazilians enjoy:

• Sertanejo
• Pop
• MPB
• Forró
• Cristã
• Pagode
• Eletrônica
• Samba
• Funk
• Piseiro ou pisadinha

Some of them are hard to translate into English, so let’s get to know a bit more about these types of music, explaining, exemplifying and comparing to others you already know well.

Sertanejo: The 21st Century Hit

Just to have an idea, sertanejo and country music in the USA are alike. The style was born a century ago, and as time went by, other subtypes were born. So the original version is now called sertanejo raiz (raiz means “root”).

Nowadays there is the popular sertanejo universitário, which is the most listened to kind of music in Brazil currently. According to IFPI, the top 10 ranking on streaming platforms is made up of sertanejo songs.

This style is called universitário (university student) because its musicians started out playing at university campuses.

Sertanejo started to become more popular with the duos Chitãozinho and Xororó, Leandro and Leonardo, João Paulo and Daniel, for example.

Then solo artists like Michel Teló and Gusttavo Lima started having great success. They have millions of followers on social media.

Women are now having success in duos and solo as well. The main recent artists are the deceased Marilia Mendonça, Mayara and Maraisa, Simone and Simaria. All of them have millions of followers as well.

They all sing a more recent subtype of sertanejo called sofrência (the condition of suffering), which are songs written for people on the rebound or dealing with heartbreak. The average Brazilian truly loves singing them at karaoke.

Sertanejo universitário and sofrência aren’t only musical phenomena, they have become a kind of industry that employs lots of people in live concerts, Brazilian music festivals and licensed products.

Brazilian Pop Music: Popular Since Forever

Pop music is full of songs that have become very popular because they can reach a wide eclectic audience for a long time.

In Brazil there is also pop rock, a lighter version of rock and roll. Lots of bands perform this style of music, just to name some: Skank, Jota Quest, Paralamas do Sucesso, Kid Abelha and Titãs. 

Barão Vermelho, Legião Urbana and Charlie Brown Junior have been immortalised because of their lyrics and their lead singers: Cazuza, Renato Russo and Chorão.

They are all remarkable in Brazil’s pop rock scene, along with solo singers Raul Seixas, Lulu Santos, Rita Lee and Cassia Eller. 

MPB: Poetry Into Music

Before the boom of MPB (Música Popular Brasileira), there was the phenomenon of Jovem Guarda (a TV show and musical style). Roberto Carlos is the main representative of this style.

Up to now he has been in the spotlight singing the same romantic lyrics, especially for women, and every year he is on a special TV show at Christmas time.

There is also Bossa Nova, a mix of jazz and samba, one of the most appreciated Brazilian styles internationally.

Big names of this musical movement were Tom Jobim and Vinicius de Moraes, who composed the award-winning hit “Girl from Ipanema” (Garota de Ipanema), immortalised by famous singers like Amy Winehouse, Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald and Nat King Cole. 

“Girl from Ipanema” is probably the second-most covered pop song in history, after “Yesterday” by The Beatles.

Elis Regina was a very important singer in this period, and she is still considered one of the greatest Brazilian voices of all times.

MPB developed after that, with a movement called Tropicalismo, led by artists Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil, along with Gal Costa, Maria Bethânia and the band Os Mutantes, led by the deceased Rita Lee.

Afterwards, other singers had success like Toquinho, Djavan, Milton Nascimento, Jorge Ben Jor, Tim Maia, Lenine, Marisa Monte, Oswaldo Montenegro, and so on.

Cristã: God Worship

This is the gospel style: songs written to worship God. Although it began many years ago, it only became very popular outside churches in the 2000s with solo singers like Aline Barros, Ana Paula Valadão, and many others.

Samba: Afro-Brazilian Music

Samba has been in Brazilians' DNA since the first Africans came to the country. It’s considered as part of of the heritage of Brazil, synonymous with its biggest party, Carnival, that attracts millions of tourists from all over the country every year. 

There are lots of different types of samba: samba raiz, pagode, samba de roda, samba-enredo, música baiana.

The last one comes from Bahia, a northeastern Brazilian state that has lots of artists: Ivete Sangalo, Claudia Leitte, Daniela Mercury, Moraes Moreira, Carlinhos Brown, Leo Santana and many others. 

Pagode is another very popular style. Lots of singers and composers represent this style of music: Alcione, Paulinho da Viola, Martinho da Vila, Beth Carvalho, Zeca Pagodinho, Dudu Nobre, and so on. 

Forró: Northeastern Brazilian Music

Forró is both a music and dance style from the northeast of Brazil. It's especially popular in June, the month of Festa Junina, a traditional folklore festival that happens all over the country.

There are several varieties of forró: xote, baião, xaxado, forró universitário. To know this style better, you can listen to artists like Dominguinhos, Luiz Gonzaga, Alceu Valença, Elba Ramalho and Falamansa.

Funk: Rio De Janeiro’s Beat

The most exciting Brazilian style of music, funk was born in Rio de Janeiro’s shantytowns and then took over the whole country.

It mixes repetitive electronic beats and is performed by DJs and MCs, the Master of the Ceremony, a lead singer in the funk dancing clubs. MC Kevin O Chris, Anitta and Ludmilla represent this style. They have millions of followers on social media.

Listening To Brazilian Music

Brazilian music can be heard on the main streaming platforms like Spotify, Youtube, Deezer, Apple and Amazon Music.

Below you can find a list of some songs that have had huge success in Brazil, separated by style. The best way of knowing each one is listening to samples of them. Enjoy!

Sertanejo
É o Amor	Zezé di Camargo e Luciano
Evidências	Chitãozinho e Xororó
Pense em mim	Leandro e Leonardo
Panela Velha	Sergio Reis
Dormi na Praça	Bruno e Marrone

Sertanejo Universitário
Leão	Marilia Mendonça
Nosso Quadro	Ana Castela
Erro Gostoso	Simone Mendes
Ai se eu te pego	Michel Teló
Balada (Tchê Tchê Rere)	Gusttavo Lima

Bossa Nova
Garota de Ipanema	Tom Jobim / Vinícius de Moraes
Águas de Março	Tom Jobim / Elis Regina
Chega de saudade	João Gilberto
Mas que nada	Sergio Mendes
Pela Luz Dos Olhos Teus	Miúcha e Tom Jobim

MPB
Aquarela do Brasil	Ary Barroso / Gal Costa
Carinhoso	Braguinha / Pixinguinha
Eu Sei Que Vou Te Amar	Tom Jobim / Vinícius de Moraes
Aquarela	Toquinho
Maria, Maria	Milton Nascimento

Pop and pop rock
Só os loucos sabem	Charlie Brown Junior
Que país é esse?	Legião Urbana
Vou deixar	Skank
Último Romântico	Lulu Santos
Ovelha Negra	Rita Lee

Forró
Asa Branca	Humberto Teixeira / Gonzagão
Xote da Alegria	Falamansa
Eu só quero um xodó	Dominguinhos
Forró do Xenhenhém	Elba Ramalho

Brazilian Music FAQ

Wrapping Up The Best Of Brazilian Music

So there you have it – a look at Brazilian music styles.

Of course, there are even more artists I could have included. Consider this post a starting poing for diving into the rich traditions of brazilian music

If you want to discover even more about Brazilian culture, check out my post on books about Brazil.

And if you love reading and want to learn Brazilian Portuguese, you're in the right place. My course, Portuguese Uncovered, teaches you the language through stories, not rules. Click here for a 7-day FREE trial.

Olly Richards

Creator of the StoryLearning® Method

Olly Richards is a renowned polyglot and language learning expert with over 15 years of experience teaching millions through his innovative StoryLearning® method. He is the creator of StoryLearning, one of the world's largest language learning blogs with 500,000+ monthly readers.

Olly has authored 30+ language learning books and courses, including the bestselling "Short Stories" series published by Teach Yourself.

When not developing new teaching methods, Richards practices what he preaches—he speaks 8 languages fluently and continues learning new ones through his own methodology.