Paula Fernandes

Paula Fernandes de Souza (born August 28, 1984, in Sete Lagoas, Minas Gerais) is a Brazilian singer-songwriter. She won Latin Grammy Awards for her albums Amanhecer in 2016 and for Origens (Ao Vivo em Sete Lagoas) in 2020.

Biography
Fernandes was born in Sete Lagoas, Minas Gerais, where she grew up on a farm with her parents and a younger brother. She went to college to study Geography in Belo Horizonte when she was 18 years old.

Fernandes started singing when she was eight years old, and released a self-titled debut album (Paula Fernandes) in 1993. Her second album, Ana Rayo, was released in 1995, inspired by the telenovela A História de Ana Raio e Zé Trovão. In 2005, she recorded "Ave Maria Natureza", one of the theme songs of Rede Globo's telenovela América. She released the album Canções do Vento Sul in 2005, for which she was nominated for the Best Popular Singer Award at the Prêmio da Música Brasileira. In 2007, Fernandes released an album in English titled Dust in the Wind, in an American western style.

The song "Jeito de Mato" from her 2009 album, Pássaro de Fogo, was used as a theme song on the telenovela Paraíso, and her version of Ivete Sangalo's "Quando a Chuva Passar" was the main theme of the telenovela Escrito nas Estrelas. Fernandes released her first DVD in October 2010, and gained further recognition after participating in two Rede Globo specials: the Roberto Carlos' end of year show, broadcast on December 25, 2010, and Show da Virada, broadcast on New Year's Eve, 2010. Her live album, Paula Fernandes – Ao Vivo, released in 2011, was the top seller that year. Fernandes became known across Latin America with her collaboration on the song "Hoy Me Voy", which was released on Juanes' 2012 album MTV Unplugged.

Fernandes' 2013 album Multishow ao Vivo – Um Ser Amor was nominated for the 2014 Latin Grammy Award for Best Sertaneja Music Album, with the title song being nominated in the Best Brazilian Song category. Fernandes' album Hora Certa was nominated for a Latin Grammy Award in 2019, and she won a second Latin Grammy award in 2020 for her album Origens (Ao Vivo em Sete Lagoas), which was recorded live in June 2019.

Fernandes has sung a number of duets, and ensembles, with other artists including Michael Bolton, Zezé Di Camargo & Luciano, Shania Twain and Taylor Swift. Fernandes has toured internationally, performing to more than 500,000 people in Italy, United Kingdom, Switzerland, Brazil, Portugal, United States, Luxembourg, Angola, Cape Verde, Spain, Argentina and Paraguay.