- 9 minutes ago
Presented by Believe.
Featuring Alejandra Olea, managing director, Americas, Believe; Marcela Moreira, country director of Believe Brazil; Bruno Duque, head of Latin America and Brazil, TuneCore, and Diego Douetts, Co-Founder of Sonar Music discuss the rise of Brazilian music and what the future holds for the genre.
The 2026 Billboard Latin Music Week takes place from Oct. 19-22 at the Faena Forum Miami Beach, serving as a dynamic platform celebrating the heartbeat of Latin music and culture, with a packed week of programming that includes artist conversations, panels, live performances, hands-on workshops, brand activations, networking opportunities and more. Latin Music Week also coincides with the 2026 Billboard Latin Music Awards, set for Thursday, Oct. 22, airing live on Telemundo and Peacock.
Featuring Alejandra Olea, managing director, Americas, Believe; Marcela Moreira, country director of Believe Brazil; Bruno Duque, head of Latin America and Brazil, TuneCore, and Diego Douetts, Co-Founder of Sonar Music discuss the rise of Brazilian music and what the future holds for the genre.
The 2026 Billboard Latin Music Week takes place from Oct. 19-22 at the Faena Forum Miami Beach, serving as a dynamic platform celebrating the heartbeat of Latin music and culture, with a packed week of programming that includes artist conversations, panels, live performances, hands-on workshops, brand activations, networking opportunities and more. Latin Music Week also coincides with the 2026 Billboard Latin Music Awards, set for Thursday, Oct. 22, airing live on Telemundo and Peacock.
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MusicTranscript
00:00When we look to expand Brazilian music outside of Brazil,
00:05I think one of the mentions that what Ale mentioned
00:07was doing featuring with Latin artists like Anit has been doing.
00:17Thank you to Believe for presenting this conversation on Brazil on the Rise.
00:22My name is Dan Reist.
00:24I am the Executive Editor of Business at Billboard.
00:27With me here, we have Alejandro Lea, Managing Director of the Americas for Believe.
00:34MC Kako, Brazilian artist on Sonar Music.
00:39Diego Duets, co-founder of Sonar Music.
00:43And Bruno Duque, head of Latin America at TuneCore.
00:48So, I wanted to start...
00:52I wanted to start this conversation by...
00:56Stating a couple statistics here.
00:58So, the IFPI said that last year, the overall global music business grew by 6.4%.
01:05Brazil grew by 14.1%, moving up to the 8th largest market in the world.
01:12On Spotify, music by Brazilian artists grew 24% year over year.
01:16Portuguese language music grew 26% year over year.
01:20And Brazilian funk, in particular, grew 36% year over year.
01:26So, Brazilian music is clearly booming.
01:30And my first question to you all is, why?
01:35Well, to start, I think those numbers are very impactful.
01:39I would also say the amount of artists earning more than 1 million reais a year doubled in the last
01:47three years.
01:47So, we can see that Brazil has a very strong domestic market, a very large audience, and a huge tapestry
01:55of sound.
01:56Brazil is many sounds.
01:58It's a continental country.
02:00We have sertanejo, we have forro, we have pagodi, we have urban.
02:03Within urban, we have hip-hop, we have rap.
02:05So, Brazil has grown a lot because of the increasing penetration of digital music, which allows people to find the
02:13music before there's any filters.
02:16So, it becomes even more organic.
02:20I think it has also grown because there is a big tapestry, so there's a huge variety of music out
02:27there.
02:28And there is more increasing collaboration with the rise of Latin music that also includes Brazilian sounds.
02:36So, now we see featureings, collaborations.
02:39Sometimes a sound can reach an audience even before the artist does.
02:44And the fact that Brazilian sounds are reaching more and more audiences has also created an audience that is hungry
02:52and has an appetite to understand where those sounds are coming from and go deeper into the analysis of where.
02:58So, I think there's more audiences finding new artists through digital streaming and recording music than ever before.
03:06And how would you describe the business in Brazil?
03:10I think the Brazilian music business, in contrast.
03:13So, I've had the pleasure to work throughout Latin America.
03:16And in contrast with a lot of the main markets in Latin America, in Brazil, we have a lot more
03:23independent players and entrepreneurs.
03:25And this is the case with Diego and Sonar Music.
03:29And that has allowed more labels to be pushing their artists and having more varied conversations with the DSPs, with
03:40the platforms.
03:40So, I think the variety in tapestry, the large audience, we're talking about a country with 200 million people.
03:49And the fact that digital penetration is still growing has contributed a lot to the growth of the music industry
03:57and also the importance of local entrepreneurs in understanding the audiences, understanding the artists,
04:04and creating a mix of what they want to hear and serving it to them.
04:10Yeah, I think that is a key word for the Brazilian market, which is diversity, right?
04:15When you look inside of Brazil, we have diversity in genres.
04:19We have diversity in culture and audience and everything.
04:23So, I think Brazil, I'm from Brazil, but I live in Mexico for the past six years.
04:28So, I was able to manage and understand what is the difference in nuances about both markets.
04:34But when I look at Brazil, I look at Brazil as, I want to say like it's a bubble, but
04:42in terms of like we're a big country,
04:45we're more than 200 million people inside of Brazil.
04:47And when we look at the music industry inside of Brazil, it's the largest music industry like across Latin America.
04:55This diversity influences a lot when you look for consumption and audience across the country.
05:02So, like Ale mentioned about the genres that we have, some genres actually have influences from Africa or vice versa.
05:09So, I think that's a point that Brazil is unique.
05:13When you look for Brazil, it's like the growth of Brazil, the rise of Brazil, funk as well.
05:18When you look at funk, we have influences for not only specifically from the Brazilian funk,
05:23but also from the U.S., hip-hop and rap.
05:26So, that's what I think is the key word for Brazil is like diversity.
05:32How would you say that the industry is changing or evolving to support and take advantage of the growth of
05:39the music?
05:41I think, one, we're much more receptive to other genres and new sounds.
05:48I'm very impressed by the amount of people that are just here in a panel talking about the rise of
05:52Brazilian music.
05:53I think, two, there is artists that are more willing to expose themselves internationally and do collaborations and featureings than
06:00ever before.
06:01They're not only now looking to the U.S. in English speaking, but they're also looking to regional Mexican, to
06:07Latin sounds.
06:08So, I think we have a much more, one, willing audience to hear new sounds.
06:14And two, artists that are eager to collaborate not only in Latin America, but even outside.
06:19We are doing featureings with artists from Russia, from France.
06:23So, I think that globalization of music has really helped for Brazilian sounds to become much more international, regional, and
06:33local than ever before.
06:35And definitely the digitalization of music.
06:38In an original perspective, we see an example of Kako here.
06:42He's been collaborating, like, with a lot of artists inside of Brazil, which help artists not only, like, to promote
06:50their own song, but reach new audience from other artists.
06:53So, that's one of the key things that, on the funk genre, they do a lot.
06:58Sometimes, there's, like, five featuring artists, four collaborations, whatever.
07:02So, I think this is really important to spread out, like, your music, your career, to other type of genres,
07:11or even other type of audience that other artists can bring to you as an artist in Brazil.
07:17So, as you don't see that much outside of Brazil, you don't see that much in the U.S., for
07:22example, or even in Europe, like, artists doing, like, five, six collaborations in one song.
07:27But usually, hip-hop and funk in Brazil, they usually do that.
07:30It helps a lot.
07:31It's, like, even can be a marketing strategy, or it can be, like, just, you know, I want to reach
07:36new audience or do collaborations because these artists, I like it, or other way.
07:43Diego, how have you built sonar music over the years?
07:47O crescimento da sonar, meio, muito orgânico.
07:50The growth of sonar was very orgânico.
07:53É, dando oportunidade para jovens periféricos.
07:56Giving opportunity for young people from the periphery.
08:00Uma produtora musical com um formato de incubadora.
08:04It's, like, a music production company as an incubator.
08:10Isso, acho que é o que fez a sonar crescer.
08:13That's what I think made sonar growth.
08:18And what do you need to do as a label to help support the growth of Brazilian music right now?
08:25How do you need to change?
08:28Acho que toda empresa, o selo principal é o que ele precisa de investimento, né?
08:33E a gente contamos com a Belive para isso.
08:35The label needs investment and we counted with Belive with that.
08:39Não só no investimento artístico, mas também na profissionalização dos colaboradores.
08:51E acredito que essa formação entre sonar e Belive foi o que ajudou com esse crescimento.
08:59And I believe this partnership between sonar e Belive, which was the key to help the label to grow.
09:07And Dan, if you allow me, what I would add to this is, it has been impressive, the job that
09:12sonar has done in the urban industry in Brazil.
09:15And this is what we're talking about.
09:17Strong entrepreneurs that know the local audience, that have a big relationship with their artists,
09:22that then partner with international partners to make sure that they also understand a bigger ecosystem
09:28and can together collaborate with investment, but also knowledge and connections in network.
09:36And what challenges are you seeing in the marketplace for a label like yours?
09:42Ah, o desafio, o desafio.
09:44Acho que hoje a concorrência do mercado é o nosso maior desafio.
09:50Manter essa audiência, ter o público voltado para os nossos produtos é o nosso maior desafio hoje.
09:57To keep the audience with us is one of the big challenges and the competition as well.
10:04So the music is not just growing in Brazil, it's growing around the world.
10:08How are you guys seeing this music spread around the globe?
10:13Well, I think that's a few factors that are interesting in the Brazilian music.
10:18If you go to top 20 on Spotify, top 20, you're not going to see not even like an English
10:25-speaking artist in the top 50.
10:29If you go, for example, to Portugal, top 50 Portugal, you're not going to see some Brazilian artists featuring there
10:36in the chart.
10:37We speak the same language, different accents, but you're not going to see the opposite, for example.
10:42You're not going to see Portuguese artists from Portugal charting in Brazil.
10:46So that's one thing.
10:50Another thing is like when you go to the live perspective, you see that Brazil have much more attractions in
10:56Europe than the United States.
10:58Because, for example, you can see Rock and Rio Lisboa.
11:02It's on the 11th edition.
11:04June this year was the 11th edition.
11:07And we had just one in the United States in Vegas in 2004.
11:12So, again, some totally different markets.
11:15Of course, there's much more Brazilians.
11:19I think in 1.9, the last census was 1.9 million Brazilians living in the United States and 1
11:24.8 across all Europe.
11:26So we have a kind of similarity you have when you look to like Brazilian audience outside of Brazil.
11:33But I think one of the key things is that when we look to expand Brazilian music outside of Brazil,
11:41I think one of the mentions that was doing featuring with Latin artists like Anita has been doing very well.
11:50And I think it's one of the key things as well when we look to expand Brazil, let's say across
11:57borders from Brazil or getting out of the bubble from Brazil.
12:01So I think that's one of the key facts.
12:03Of course, one of the things also, I want to keep point, before Despacito, when it was released, it was
12:12impossible to listen to Spanish music in Brazilian radios, right?
12:16Unless the majors put a lot of money in Shakira, Ricky Marty, etc.
12:21But after Despacito, we started listening also to Spanish music.
12:25So there's kind of this, Brazil has also exported music.
12:29At the same time, we are listening to music that is non-Portuguese.
12:33So I think Brazil is now starting to look outside of their own bubble, even though the local consumption is
12:40very, very strong.
12:41Like I said, the top 50 on Spotify in Brazil, it's only Brazilian artists, 1 to 50.
12:47So I think that's one of the key points that...
12:52And Kaka, how have you seen your music spread around the world?
12:55Yes.
12:56First off, I'd like to say thank you, guys.
12:58It's an honor for me to be here representing my country, my music, which is Brazilian funk music.
13:04I'm very glad to see that this genre of our song is reaching a lot of people.
13:10I think that music has a very special way to connect people beyond borders and language.
13:16So I'm very happy to see.
13:19I've been building my career in Brazil for several years.
13:22It's not been easy so far.
13:25So nowadays, when I see my music reaching people from other countries, it's very nice.
13:31It's amazing for me to see.
13:32Especially funk music, which is a very special, special rhythm, because it comes from a very real place.
13:41We sing about what we live, what we believe, our struggles and everything.
13:47And even when people didn't, don't understand what we're saying in some tracks,
13:54but they can feel the rhythm, they can feel the vibe of our songs.
13:58So it's nice.
13:59For me, it's nice.
14:00What opportunities has that opened up for you as the music has kind of spread beyond Brazil?
14:07Yet, I haven't done yet any collaborations with artists from other countries,
14:13but I had a lot of fans from other countries, like Angola.
14:17I have a big fans there, a lot of fans in Angola.
14:21Portugal.
14:22I have been to shows.
14:23I have been to a show in Paraguay, which is another country from South America.
14:30So I think there's a lot of things to come yet in the future.
14:36And why do you think that the music is resonating so well around the world?
14:41I think that was because that's what I was talking about.
14:46Like, it's really original.
14:49It's a rhythm that only Brazil has, you know, that Brazilian thing, Brazilian thing of ours.
14:56I think this is, for me, the most, the biggest reason for this reaching out, everybody.
15:06Okay.
15:07Sorry for my English.
15:08No, no, no, you sound great.
15:10Perfect English.
15:12And then, how can the Brazilian music business take advantage of some of this global growth?
15:19I could say one thing is to make, what we're seeing, again, is an audience that has the appetite,
15:25but also artists like Caco that want to go out, that want to reach out to different audiences.
15:31So opening opportunities like the one Latin Billboard has given us this week to sit down and talk about the
15:37rise of Brazilian music,
15:39making sure that not only executives, I believe, but executives in the industry as large
15:44are realizing the desire from Brazilian artists to really export their music to blend with different sounds.
15:52And I also think something very important that you said, Caco, which is with globalization also comes the sharing of
15:59the struggle.
16:00So funk music is talking about a local struggle, and I think a lot of people identify with the struggle
16:06because sometimes the struggles are not only local, they're universal.
16:09So I think that that is an important point.
16:12Yes, I think that despite all the recognition we've got with the Brazilian funk,
16:19we still have facing a little bit of social stigma in Brazil, yes, social stigmatization in Brazil.
16:30So despite all the recognition we've got, it still is a criminalized genre, you know?
16:41You think that the genre is viewed as more with a little bit of stigma, funk genre?
16:47Yes, we still face that struggle in Brazil, especially inside in some places, you know?
16:54So you think a wider adoption of the genre by the music industry, more people understanding that the genre is
17:00more than just,
17:02that it goes beyond the prejudices that it may have would be beneficial?
17:07Sorry?
17:08Do you think that people understanding better the funk genre and really not being so prejudiced against it?
17:14Yes, yes, yes, of course.
17:17We spoke about how artists can really kind of take advantage of this global growth.
17:25How is that also helping artists in Brazil as the music spreads?
17:29Well, again, I think that is a key factor is that when we look inside of Brazil,
17:34I think collaboration is one of the things that we see artists helping each other grow,
17:40especially in the funk.
17:42Those collaborations, again, reach new audience, reach new fans,
17:45and create for you as an artist, even though you're a beginner, mid- or mainstream artist,
17:50to help another growth artist in the side of Brazil.
17:56And also, I think it's now the diversity for artists to put the song out in the platforms, right?
18:06When we look like 10, 15 years ago, you only were able to do it through majors
18:11in case you have audience for that.
18:13Now, we have the independent labels, independent distribution companies,
18:17independent groups like Believe, which help these artists to put their music out
18:23and build their career, help them build their career.
18:26So, that's, I think, one of the main factors that Brazil is now have this, again, diversity
18:35in the portfolio of songs and genres.
18:38And, of course, in Brazil, being the largest market in record music revenue in Latin America.
18:46So, I think that's a couple of key points that I'd like to highlight inside of Brazil.
18:53What makes the country such a powerful environment for developing artists
18:59and developing businesses as well?
19:04One, I think...
19:05Please.
19:06No, no, no.
19:07I want you to answer this.
19:07I think, sorry, I think especially our culture, you know?
19:10I think that's the most special thing, I think, that impacts in the way we make music,
19:18the way we go in the studio, we put our heart in our songs.
19:22So, I think that's what makes us make the Brazilian funk so original, you know?
19:28That what is the biggest impact, I think, is our culture.
19:32The diversity of it, it's so varied, right?
19:36And it's so big geographically.
19:39And what challenges exist for the industry in Brazil as things continue to expand?
19:45I think the penetration of digital music, I think, is one that we need to continue looking at.
19:54The more penetration there is, the better.
19:56I also think increasing collaboration, the rise of independent labels, I think, will be something that we should be looking
20:04at.
20:05And being able to fund labels like Diego's Sonar is going to be very important.
20:14To maintain the plurality, to make sure that we continue to have a diverse marketplace and that there's no filters,
20:22that we can have different things.
20:25And again, having spaces like this to be able to show and talk about the variety and the importance of
20:33Brazilian music
20:34and how it's rising at the levels of Latin music, I think that would be important as well.
20:40Yeah, and I think one thing that I think it's falling down is the language barrier, especially in Latin America.
20:47Because, you know, people from Chile understand what people from Puerto Rico speak, right?
20:53Spanish.
20:54Like I said, the one example that I gave like a couple answers ago was like Brazil and Portugal.
21:01We speak the same language, but you don't see the penetration of Portugal music inside of Brazil, even though we
21:08speak the same language, but a different accent.
21:10But I think the language barrier is like falling down a little bit, especially because some artists starting doing like
21:16looking for the Spanish market and Latin market.
21:20Well, we are Latin as well, Brazilians, but we're looking at it as one same market, one same team, right?
21:28And now we are spreading our music, even Spanish and Portuguese across the globe go into Europe or either go
21:34into the United States or Canada as well.
21:37Just the fact that GACO is touring in Paraguay.
21:40Yeah.
21:40I mean, that's huge.
21:42Congratulations on that.
21:44Thank you so much.
21:46I mean, even like I was saying, even the people who don't understand the lyrics, they can feel this.
21:54So it's kind of ours, our thing, you know, nice.
21:59Brazilian funk beat.
22:02You were speaking about the importance of investment in labels such as Sonar.
22:07Are you seeing more investment come into Brazil and how do you think the industry can help foster more of
22:13that to help the independent community?
22:16I definitely see a lot of investment in Brazil, meaning on Belief's side, it's one of our priority markets.
22:23But if you see the competition, there's a lot of eyes in Brazil.
22:27And I think that that is great.
22:30And it's something we should take advantage of and continue to educate the industry and not from like, I'm going
22:37to educate you how to do it, but make sure that the artists understand what they're signing, understand what the
22:42money is for.
22:44Partner with labels like Sonar who are very interested in building a big roster of artists that can go local,
22:52regional and international.
22:53I think that is super important.
22:56Yeah, yeah, just, I'm giving, I think it's very similar in a DIY perspective as Tunicore.
23:02We have Brazil, one of the main markets, priority for us.
23:05So the investment is really focused on some specific genres that is attracted by DIY segment.
23:12So, yeah, we are very aligned with the strategy with not only what the market offer, but also what the
23:19group itself is looking inside of Brazil and happy to contribute, I believe.
23:25What other genres are you seeing resonate in addition to the funk?
23:32I would add, Diego, what other genres in the label are you seeing resonate?
23:36Can you translate that to him, Owen?
23:45There are some derivations of the funk, there's a funk, the left europeu, from Eastern Europe.
23:54Trap, yep.
23:56I think that's it.
23:57Além of the funk, today, the rap and the trap walk in the same line.
24:07It's very bad.
24:09Definitely, and I also would say that there's a lot of mixing within the genres.
24:15He talks about trap, and I've heard trap nejo.
24:19Forró is being inspired also by a lot of urban beats.
24:22So I think there is not only the same usual genres, but there's a lot of cross-pollination between the
24:29genres, like funk and funk, which are spelled differently, and they have a bit of a different sound, but come
24:37from the same root.
24:39What does Brazil need to compete globally around the world alongside the other larger countries in the world, larger territories
24:50in the world?
24:52I'm going to venture to say collaboration, an understanding of the marketplace, and investment.
24:59Those three things.
25:00Understanding Brazil.
25:02And again, that's one of the reasons we're here, and I'm so thankful that you're here listening to us, is
25:06to talk about Brazil, to have their own artists and labels talk about their own experience.
25:12So more of that.
25:14I don't know, Bruno.
25:15Yeah, I think when you look for Brazil markets, it's a very, very competitive market.
25:20Not only in terms of, like, what is going to be your goal in terms of business to put, like,
25:26our label distribution company in Brazil, but also as an artist.
25:29Because, again, we've been releasing songs, like, thousands and thousands of songs every day in different genres, different cultures.
25:36So I think, in general, Brazil is a very, very competitive market.
25:41When I look to the other markets in Latin America, because, well, in Tunicore, we oversee a lot of, like,
25:47the whole Latin America, from the U.S. Latin to the bottom.
25:50And, of course, Brazil, as one of the main priorities, for me, it's a very, very, like, challenge just to,
25:57like, build or help an artist grow inside of Brazil, which has successful cases as Anna Castella, Raffi Jr., now
26:08Piseiro, which is one of the genres that we're looking to.
26:12So, again, it's, I think it's a very competitive market, and I've been seeing that, looking now at Mexico, for
26:21example, when they started with regional Mexico.
26:25I saw that in Brazil, like, a long time ago, the structural region of Mexico, and years ago, when they
26:32started doing sertaneja in Brazil, as well.
26:34And how can this momentum be cemented to create more lasting opportunities for artists?
26:41More plurality.
26:43Not just one top artist exporting their music or becoming international.
26:49More international artists becoming, more local artists becoming international.
26:53More live shows from Caco in the U.S., in other countries from Latin America.
27:00I think, again, maintaining diversity and plurality in the audience and in the different artists we consume is going to
27:11be paramount for us to have a strong tradition of listening to Brazilian music and to different genres.
27:21And when you look to the next three to five years or so, what do you hope to see for
27:26Brazilian music, for the Brazilian music business?
27:31I have an overview of what, as an artist, what do you hope to see?
27:35What do I hope to see?
27:36I think this constance of work, this constance of the artist of making music, you know, still making music.
27:48And when you make music for just making music, you know, not with this big intention of making a global
27:55hit, you know, making music and things naturally will be happening.
28:00And, you know, I think that's what moves the music industry, when the artist comes into a studio and make
28:06his music.
28:07And I think that's what I want to see as an artist, we're just making music, having the support from
28:14the companies, having the support from our managers and make music.
28:20I want to see more music, more genders coming, new genders, new collaborations, opportunities, which in the last four or
28:31five years have been growing up, you know.
28:35I've seen this growing up so fast in Brazil, and that's what I want to see in the next years.
28:41I love that, and I completely agree.
28:44More collaboration, more openness to, rather than compete, to collaborate and feature across different companies.
28:52I would love to see more investment.
28:55But overall, what you said is for the love of music, not for the art of making a global hit
29:00or not.
29:01It's just more investment to create more music and see where that takes us.
29:07All right.
29:08Well, guys, thank you so much for joining me.
29:10And thank you to everybody for coming to us.
29:14Thank you very much.