Clip for Katy Perry, veto in the USA and politics; see interesting facts about Gretchen, who turns 65

Gretchen, the iconic singer and dancer also known as the queen of twerking — and memes —, celebrates her 65th birthday this Wednesday (29). Full of memorable moments in her professional and personal life, the artist, a muse since the 1980s, remains active.

Although her life wasn’t easy (among the hardships, the loss of a son in 2000), she never let the ball fall and always managed to stay active. Born on May 29, 1959, Maria Odete, the “natural person” behind the successful dancer, over the years, according to reports published in the press, was married 18 times, although this number is disputed by her, who recognizes five.

One of them, with Portuguese businessman Carlos Marques, was shown in more depth in the reality show Os Gretchens (2018), inspired by the American hit The Kardashians. Her most recent marriage is with musician Esdras de Souza, made official in 2020. They went to live in Europe after the dancer argued with neighbors in Belém (PA) and decreed that she would leave Brazil. But anyone who thinks that Brazilians have distanced themselves is mistaken. Social media keeps Gretchen closer than ever.

The internet is, in fact, a great stage for her, as she tends to talk to followers daily and, sometimes, discuss her relationship as well. Most of them are to defend his son, trans councilor Thammy Miranda, from some prejudiced expression or to rebut those who criticize his cosmetic surgeries.

A landmark event in his life was in 2017, when he approached Katy Perry and starred in a special video for a song, which the following year would be sung by the American at a concert in São Paulo. Of course, with a special appearance by the queen of twerking, which left the audience ecstatic.

Just like the American, Gretchen, who started her career very young, with the group As Melindrosas, and sold many records — 15 million to be precise. She managed to maintain a legion of fans who have followed her from the 1980s to today.

Their expansive manner and their faces and mouths populate the web with gifs, animated videos and memes, which even caught the attention of the New York Times and rapper Nicki Minaj, interested in knowing who this person who was so entertaining and talked about was. A true pop icon.