Joelma

Joelma da Silva Mendes (June 22, 1974), simply referred to as Joelma, is a Brazilian award-winning singer-songwriter known for being the frontwoman of the hugely popular Brega pop band Banda Calypso. Along with fellow singer Ivete Sangalo, she is the only Latin singer to ever obtain a fivefold diamond album certification. Born in Almeirim in the state of Pará, she found solace in music after a childhood full of hardships and tragedy. Like many other artists, Joelma took her first steps as a performer at her local church choir and was soon participating in regional talent shows. She made her official live debut at the Art and Culture Fair of Almeirim when she was just 19 years old, a performance that caught the attention of musician Nide Braga, who promptly invited Joelma to join the ranks of his band Fazendo Arte. After relocating to Belém, she became the band’s lead singer and released two albums with the group before her departure in 1998. That year, Joelma met future husband and musical partner Ximbinha, with whom she founded Banda Calypso in 1999. Together, Joelma and Ximbinha issued a total of thirteen studio albums, breaking sales records and racking up multiple awards along the way. Following the demise of both Banda Calypso and her marriage in 2015, Joelma officially launched her career as a solo artist with a self-titled album that saw the light in 2016. Preceded by the singles “Voando pro Pará,” “Ai Coração,” and “Não Teve Amor,” the LP was a smash success in her native Brazil, where it went to Number 2. She followed up with the live album Avante (2017), the EP Minhas Origens (2019), and the single “Coração Vencedor” (2021), whose bachata-tinged romantic version “Coração Vencedor (Romântica)” reached Number 18 on the Brazilian charts.

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