Luísa Gerloff Sonza (Brazilian Portuguese:[luˈizɐʒeʁˈlɔfiˈsõzɐ]; Italian:[sontsa]; born 18 July 1998[1]) is a Brazilian singer-songwriter. She rose to prominence in 2016 after posting cover songs on her YouTube channel. After signing with Universal Music Group in 2017, she released her debut album, Pandora, in the following year. Her second album, Doce 22, was released in 2021. The year also saw her being featured on a remix of Katy Perry's "Cry About It Later", along with Bruno Martini. In 2023, she released her third studio album, Escândalo Íntimo, which features a collaboration with Demi Lovato on the song "Penhasco2". Sonza has appeared as an actress on several television shows, and with Pabllo Vittar she co-hosts the HBO Max show Queen Stars.
Sonza began singing at a Gaucho folklore community centre in her hometown at the age of seven. She was hired as a child singer by music group Sol Maior, staying with them for 10 years. Sonza would appear in a total of up to 24 concerts a month, with approximately 5,000 attending each time. In 2014, she launched a cover songYouTube channel, which made her gain online visibility. She became known then as 'Queen of Covers'.[2][3]
Sonza signed with Universal Music in May 2017, with her first single, Good Vibes, being then released.[4][5] In July, she released her second single, Olhos Castanhos (Brown Eyes), a song she wrote for then-husband Whindersson Nunes.[6][7] In October the same year, she released her first, self-titled EP with track Não Preciso de Você Pra Nada (I Don't Need You For Anything) featuring Brazilian singer Luan Santana.[8][9]
In January 2018, Sonza released the song Rebolar (To Twerk) from her first EP as a single. The video peaked 1st on YouTube.[10][11] In March, Rebolar (Remix) with 5 remix tracks of the song was released as an EP.[12][13]
In June 2018, Sonza made a special guest appearance in an episode of Brazilian TV sitcomDra. Darci (Dr Darci), in which she played Julinha.[14] In July, she released Devagarinho (Slowly), which made it to Spotify's Brazil Top 50 chart.[15][16][17]
In October 2018, Sonza was invited by soap opera writer Aguinaldo Silva to record Nunca Foi Sorte (It Was Never by Chance), a song written by Silva, for the soundtrack of TV Globo's telenovela O Sétimo Guardião. She also made a special guest appearance in one of the episodes.[18][19][20][21] Later that year, Sonza released the song as a single and music video.[22]
In November 2018, Sonza released the single Boa menina (Good Girl).[23][24] In February 2019, a forró version of the song was used in a video featuring Whindersson Nunes.[25][26][27] In March 2019, she released Pior Que Possa Imaginar (Worse Than You Can Imagine).[28][29][30][31] Later that year, Sonza released her first album, Pandora.
2020–present: Doce 22 and Escândalo Íntimo
In June 2020, Sonza gave a performance in the online version of the NYC Pride March.[32][33]
In June 2021, Sonza announced a career break after attacks received on social media.[34] Next month, she returned to the networks to announce the release of her second studio album, Doce 22, which was released on 18 July, the day she turned 23. The songs "VIP" and "Melhor Sozinha" were released as singles on the same day. The track "Também Não Sei de Nada", featuring Lulu Santos, was made available as a single at the time of the album's release.[35] To promote the album, the artist appeared on the program Prazer, Sonza, aired on Multishow in five episodes from 7 July 2021.[36] In May 2022, it was announced that Sonza had signed a recording contract with Sony Music Brazil, valued at US$ 20 million (about R$ 100 million at the time), with the aim of investing in an international career.[37]
In a press conference, held on 18 July 2022, Sonza announced the production of her third studio album, to address a more mature and sober version of her life, for the year 2023.[38] On 11 April, Netflix Brazil announced the recording of a documentary series, with Sonza, which will present her trajectory and personal life along with the background of her new project.[39][40] On 9 August, the singer's social networks confirmed the release of her new album, entitled Escândalo Íntimo, for the 29th of the same month.[41]
In August 2016, YouTuber Whindersson Nunes asked Sonza to be his girlfriend.[42] In March 2017, they got engaged.[43] In February 2018, they married in a civil and religious ceremony for 350 guests in Alagoas, Brazil.[44][45]
On 29 April 2020, through a post on Instagram, Whinderson announced his divorce, claiming that Sonza and he had grown apart but remain good friends.
In an interview, Sonza said she is too conscious of her own body to have biological children, and intends to adopt instead.[46]
Views on women's empowerment and toxic masculinity
Mattea Sonza received criticism alleging she had married for money and responded by saying she made as much money as her former husband Whindersson Nunes did. She once thought being a victim of machismo was a woman's fault, but realised no matter what she did, she would be a victim anyway. 'I had two options: either understand a sick social structure, or become sick myself'; 'They're using the structure to talk about women, to place them in an undeserving position, of being less smart, and incomplete without a man—just like they did to my mum, my grandma, my aunt', she said. She holds no hard feelings towards trolls harassing her online. 'Before deconstructing other people, I have to deconstruct myself'. As to marriage, Sonza states: 'It is not women's duty to do anything, or be anything. It is not our duty to be a mother, or get married. Unless you want to, I'm against women letting go of their dreams to fulfil someone else's dreams.'[49]
In September 2020, after protests by Anitta and Sonza, Oxford Languages decided to reassess the definitions of Portuguese words patroa ('owner' or 'boss', in the feminine gender), professora ('teacher', in the feminine gender) and mulher solteira ('single woman') appearing in Google's definitional search, which until then were related to misogynistic definitions such as 'housewife' (patroa) and 'prostitute' (professora and mulher solteira). Both Google and Oxford Languages issued press releases stating that they would either revise the definitions or remove the item if it 'no longer reflected the modern usage of Portuguese language by Brazilian speakers.'[50][51]
Racism case
In 2018, Sonza was accused of racism and sued for moral damages by black lawyer Isabel Macedo de Jesus.[52][53] According to the case file, Macedo was celebrating her birthday on September 22, 2018 at an inn in Fernando de Noronha, on the same day that Sonza gave a presentation at a gastronomy festival. While heading to the bathroom, Macedo passed by Sonza, at which point the singer allegedly slapped Macedo on the arm and ordered her to bring her a glass of water, thinking that she was a waitress. Not understanding the reason for the approach, Macedo asked the singer to repeat it, at which point Sonza, "in a harsh tone", again ordered her to fetch a glass of water, "because she was thirsty". At this point the case file stated that Macedo, "terrified", informed Sonza that she was a customer and not an employee, "as if it were not credible that a black woman could be in that restaurant as a customer" (The case file also states that employees at the establishment would all be in uniform). Macedo then questioned Sonza why she believed that she was an employee, which she alleged that Sonza dodged answering.[54] Macedo requested compensatory damages of R$ 10,000 for Sonza and for the inn, as well as public retraction and the "posting of informational posters about the prohibition of racist practices around the restaurant as an educational measure".[55]
In September 2020, Sonza denied the allegations on Twitter, telling people not to believe the story.
The case gained renewed attention in September 2022 when presenter Danilo Gentili accused the press and gossip sites of respectively purposely ignoring and defending the event.[56] A month later, on 5 October 2022, Sonza publicly apologized to Macedo de Jesus: "The way I addressed Mrs. Isabel translated into an act of reproduction of structural racism, which was in no way my intention", wrote the singer on Twitter. The singer also announced that she would accept the requests made by Macedo in the process and that she would seek to reach an agreement with her.[57] Sonza also spoke on her Instagram, apologizing to Macedo and to those who felt offended by the case.[58][59][60]
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