Religion, marketing for Havan and the consequences of Covid: Curiosities about birthday girl Joelma

Joelma, singer, who this Saturday (22) celebrates her 50th birthday, is perhaps the greatest exponent, alongside Fafá de Belém, of music from the North of the country. While leading the band Calypso, she helped make Pará an important cultural focus in Brazil.

Born on June 22, 1974, in the city of Almeirim, in the heart of the Amazon, Joelma Mendes da Silva demonstrated personality and stage presence from her first albums. No wonder, the “whipping” with the hair, vigorously throwing it up and down, became striking. Just like his hits, which still resonate today. Quickly, the singer, who dreamed of being a lawyer, gained a loyal following with her striking presence and unique style (see more facts below).

Throughout his career, he has collected successes, such as three Latin Grammy nominations, but he has also found himself faced with some controversies. An evangelical, the artist is against same-sex marriage and has already made this clear when advising a gay man to become straight. She also gave an interview comparing homosexuality to drug use.

Health issues also affected Joelma’s life and career. Affected seven times by Covid, the woman from Pará has already had to cancel shows due to suffering from the after-effects of the coronavirus, such as swelling that completely changed her face.

Interest in the singer on Google Trends, for example, peaked in searches in June 2015, when she announced her separation with guitarist Ximbinha and spoke in an interview with Fantástico (Globo) that she had been betrayed by her ex-partner. The data goes back to 2004, the beginning of the platform’s historical series.

The singer was also popular on Trends in June 2019, when she had to deny rumors about having died in an accident, and in June 2022, when she was hospitalized with esophagitis and edema after being infected for the fourth time with the Covid virus.