The singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Bia Ferreira is the Brazilian artist with the most international shows in the past two years. With a lot of charisma and extraordinary public rapport, Bia provokes active audience participation, using her performances as a platform for discussion and reflection. Her repertoire is filled with songs that invite the audience to think about injustices andcelebrate diversity.

Featuring Brazilian singer, songwriter and activist Bia Ferreira

Photos FredericoConceptual

Styling Anderson Vescah

 

 

 

In May, when Bia performed at the Jam in Jette festival in Brussels, she spoke about the genocide in the Congo perpetrated by Belgium in the 19th century, highlighting that the legacy of exploitation is still experienced by the African country’s population today. In July, at the Humboldt Forum in Berlin, she sarcastically remarked on the collection of over 500,000 archaeological and ethnographic objects looted from Africa, Asia, the Americas, Australia, and the South Pacific and displayed as cultural heritage in the Ethnological Museum in the German Arts Center.

 

 

 

 

I’ve always been very combative in my speeches, and for a long time, I noticed the audience distancing themselves from my narrative because of the way I approached it. So, I’ve been building different ways of raising the issues I bring in my songs: while trying to inform those who know little about Brazil and those who have no idea what it’s like to be an Afro-Latina black woman, I also provide a space of support and representation for people like me, who are citizens of the world, who are immigrants, who are black, who are indigenous, who are marginalized in terms of rights in territories like Europe, for instance. In the United States, I’ve also made a beautiful entry, as I’ve met people eager to exchange and engage in this information exchange.

— Bia Ferreira

 

 

 

 

 

 

The first time the artist stepped on foreign soil was in 2018, in Portugal, for some small- scale shows. Since then, she has consistently returned to Portugal for concerts and, in 2020, slowly expanded into Spain. In 2022, at the Festival Músicas do Mundo in Sines (Portugal), Bia ended her showcase with “Sharamanayas,” left the stage, gave an interview, and had to return because the audience continued singing the closing song.

 

 

 

The past two years have been very positive for my personal growth. I’ve noticed a constant transformation, and it’s been essential for rebuilding my self-esteem as an artist, a person, and a woman. I’ve reconnected with many artistic facets I had forgotten, and I’ve also embraced the new, living new experiences through the opportunities I’ve received. So overall, it’s been a very positive experience.

— Bia Ferreira

 

 

 

I’ve been able to travel a lot, discover new countries, meet new audiences, and find new ways of communicating. I arrived at WOMEX not knowing how to speak English, and now I’m fluent in English and Spanish, and learning French. My intellectual growth and development have also been very positive. And these concerts have helped me sustain my life. I live off of this, I live off art. So, I’ve never experienced a moment of such personal fulfillment and success. The things I’ve set out to do have been successful. The things I ask the universe for, I’ve been granted. With a lot of hard work, but also with the kindness of my ancestors. — Bia Ferreira

 

 

 

In early 2023, she became the only Brazilian representative in the Tiny Desk meets globalFEST project. From May to November, she undertook an extensive tour of 51 shows, spanning 11 countries across Europe and North America, making her the most performing Brazilian independent artist at the world’s major world music festivals last year. She shared the stage with artists like Black Eyed Peas, Sigur Rós, Janelle Monáe, Esperanza Spalding and Jill Scott. She represented Brazil at GlobalFEST, held at Lincoln Center (New York), one of the world’s most important world music festivals. Then she embarked on her first Canadian tour, as part of Black History Month. At The Kennedy Center in Washington DC, she performed for a sold-out audience at the iconic American Arts Center. At the end of the show, she received a standing ovation, which is unusual for that type of audience.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At Festa do Avante! in Portugal, she performed for the largest audience of her career: 35,000 people.

In 2025, a long-held dream of mine will come true. Aside from the concert I did this year in Morocco, I hope to set foot on the African continent for the first time in a context of renewal and self-discovery. A reunion with who I am, with that sacred land where I come from and where my ancestors came from. One of the greatest miracles that art has brought me is that stepping onto Africa will be one of my greatest accomplishments because I don’t know if it would be possible without art. — Bia Ferreira

 

 

 

 

Bia Ferreira is solidifying herself as one of the most influential Brazilian artists abroad today. Her performances combine art and activism, bringing to audiences in various countries a powerful message about the struggles and experiences of Black women, Afro-Latinas, and LGBTQPIA+ people. After winning over European and North American audiences, Bia now envisions new steps with a likely first tour on the African continent, a special milestone of reconnection with her ancestral roots. With a career guided by purpose and authenticity, she reinforces the role of art as a tool for transformation, recognition, and pride.

 

 

 

FASHION REFERENCES


LVES GONCALVES @m.alves.goncalvesm I PR @showpress.pressoffice
BÁRBARA ATANÁSIO @barbara.atanasio I PR @showpress.pressoffice
ÇAL PFUNGST @calpfungst I PR @showpress.pressoffice
GANT @gant  I PR @globalpress
LEVIS @levis I PR @globalpress
LUIS CARVALHO @luiscarvalhoofficial I PR @showpress.pressoffice
LUIS ONOFRE @luisonofreofficial I PR @showpress.pressoffice
MESTRE STUDIO @mestre_studio I PR @showpress.pressoffice
MALU PIRES @malupires
OAKLEY Sunglases @oakley I PR @globalpress
RETRO CITY @retrocitylisboa
TWIN SET @twinsetofficial I PR @globalpress

 

 

 

To boot….

BIA FERREIRA, singer and songwriter
@ferreirabiaofficial
@igrejalesbitaria

Bia Ferreira Spotyfy

Igrejia Lesbiteriana Spotify

PR @aletscomunica

 

BIA FERREIRA – BRAZILIAN SOUNDS
WITH 102 CONCERTS IN 16 COUNTRIES ACROSS AMERICA, EUROPE, AND AFRICA, BIA
FERREIRA IS THE BRAZILIAN ARTIST WITH THE MOST INTERNATIONAL SHOWS IN 2023
AND 2024

The singer and songwriter has performed on important stages such as Lincoln Center and
The Kennedy Center (US), Humboldt Forum (DE), Shambala Festival (UK), Paléo Festival
(CH), North Sea Jazz Festival (NL), Bratislava Jazz Days (SK), Rototom Sunsplash (ES), Festa
do Avante! (PT), among others.

 

Upcoming concert:
Bia Ferreira presents “Baile da Igreja Lesbiteriana”