Marília Mendonça’s death reverberates in the international press

The death of singer Marília Mendonça, aged 26 in a plane crash in the interior of Minas Gerais, was highlighted in several international publications this Friday (5). The American newspaper New York Times placed a photo of the Brazilian woman on the homepage of its digital version.

The publication says that she was one of the most popular singers in Brazil and known as “Queen of Sofrência”, for her songs “full of anguish”. “Mendonça was iconic in a type of Brazilian country music called sertanejo, a popular genre in Brazil”, explains the text.

“His legions of fans were empowered by his lyrics, which begged women to reject toxic and abusive relationships, and told stories of imperfect characters,” the text states.

The British network BBC published in its digital version a text recalling that Marília Mendonça won the Latin Grammy of 2019. The publication says it became famous for “focusing on the experiences of women with broken relationships.

“One of the biggest names in Brazilian country, known as sertanejo, Mendonça started his career as a teenager and became a nationally known star in 2016 with a hit that talked about infidelity”, says the text, recalling the hit “Infiel”. “She was known as the national Queen of Suffering.”

The Associated Press agency said the singer was “a rising star”. “She was known for addressing feminist issues in her songs, such as denouncing men who control their partners and appealing for female empowerment”, says the text, reproduced by several vehicles.

Reuters said that Marília Mendonça gained fame as an “icon of the sertanejo”, winning a 2019 Latin Grammy per album in the category. “She posted on social media a video boarding the plane on Friday,” the agency recalled.

Vehicles such as People magazine and Fox News, among other publications, also cited the singer’s death. CNN reprinted material from its Brazilian affiliate and said it “left her mark singing about the empowerment of women in an environment traditionally dominated by male musicians.”

“She was the most listened to artist in Brazil on Spotify in 2019 and 2020, according to her public relations firm, and had more than 38 million followers on Instagram”, says the text.