Bia Ferreira

A pop star, songwriter, activist and clarion advocate for Afro-Brazilians and the LGBTQIA+ community worldwide, Bia Ferreira makes no bones about the power of her music in the fight for justice. Riffing on the well-known umbrella term for post-bossa urban styles MPB (for música popular brasileira), Ferreira calls her music MMP (for música de mulher preta), Black Woman Music. She broke into public consciousness in 2017 with the Cota Não é Esmola, a song about the importance of the quota system that opened the university door for Afro-Brazilians. More than a viral hit with millions of streams, the lyrics became mandatory reading for the University of Brasília entrance exam. She expanded her message on her hit 2019 album Igreja Lesbiteriana: Um Chamado (Lesbitarian Church: A Calling), a manifesto powered by funky beats, reggae grooves, and soaring soul balladry.