Mara Maravilha

Born Eliemary Silva da Silveira, Mara "Wonder" Maravilha launched her path as a child performer before emerging as a Latin gospel artist. Her initial breakthrough arrived at age eight with a role on the Brazilian children's program TVItapua. She next appeared as a Mouseketeer in a Brazilian edition of The Mickey Mouse Club, an exposure that drew entrepreneur Silvio Santos's interest. Santos arranged her move to São Paolo, where she later headlined her own program, Maravilha. In 1995 she embraced Christianity and stepped away from television to pursue gospel music. Her debut praise recording, Seu Coracao, appeared in 1999 and earned gold status, prompting seven additional gospel albums across the following seven years. Romantica arrived in 2006 as her eighth release.