Pabllo Vittar

Brazilian drag performer Pabllo Vittar fuses an extravagant, ambitious sound of dance-pop and EDM with multiple regional Brazilian traditions from her homeland, among them tecnobrega, forró eletrônico, and funk carioca. Recognized worldwide as an LGBTQIA+ figurehead, she has appeared at countless drag contests, pride parades, and televised award events while joining forces with Thalía, Major Lazer, Charli XCX, Lady Gaga, and additional artists. Every one of her four studio albums, beginning with Vai Passar Mal in 2017 and continuing through Batidão Tropical in 2021, earned gold, platinum, or multi-platinum status in Brazil, and the live recording I Am Pabllo surfaced in late 2021.

Pabllo Vittar serves as the performing identity of Phabullo Rodrigues da Silva. Born in 1993 and raised in São Luís, capital of the northern state of Maranhão, she endured childhood bullying tied to her voice and appearance before publicly identifying as gay. Drawn to singing by Aretha Franklin, Donna Summer, Whitney Houston, and Brazilian icons Gilberto Gil and Caetano Veloso, she took up songwriting and stage work while still a teenager. Exposure to RuPaul's Drag Race prompted her to experiment with drag using borrowed makeup from her sister, and early gigs occurred in São Luís bars under the name Pabllo Knowles, a nod to Beyoncé, until concerns over possible litigation prompted a change. A 2014 local television spot showcasing a precise rendition of Houston’s demanding “I Have Nothing” opened the door to wider recognition.

She next began releasing original music, quickly becoming a familiar presence on streaming platforms and social media once the Portuguese-language adaptation of Major Lazer’s “Lean On,” titled “Open Bar,” surpassed one million views. A Sony contract led to the 2017 debut Vai Passar Mal (“You Are Going to Be Sick”), which merged electronic dance-pop with Brazilian styles such as forró, funk carioca, tecnobrega, and axé. Standout tracks “K.O.” and “Corpo Sensual,” the latter featuring Mateus Carrilho, each collected hundreds of millions of YouTube streams. The same year she joined Major Lazer and Anitta for the hit “Sua Cara.”

Her sophomore effort, Não para Não (“No, Don’t Stop”), arrived in 2018 and supported international touring that expanded her profile further. Its buoyant energy and lyrics that affirm identity while addressing sexuality directly positioned her music as a focal point for Brazil’s increasingly marginalized LGBTQIA+ community. The 2020 album 111 included guest spots from Ivete Sangalo, Thalía, and Charli XCX, followed later that year by the remix edition 111 Deluxe. Both the studio set Batidão Tropical and the live album I Am Pabllo reached listeners in 2021, and she contributed to Lady Gaga’s Dawn of Chromatica remix project. In 2022 she issued “Follow Me” with Rina Sawayama and “Volta Pra Ficar” with Lukinhas.