By Paulo Maia
In a small town in the countryside of Rio Grande do Sul, a three-year-old girl was already captivating listeners by singing alongside her father in various musical tones. That girl was Paula Araujo, who years later would win over Brazil with her powerful voice on The Voice stage and, more recently, with her striking presence in TikTok livestreams.
Born in São José do Ouro and raised in Passo Fundo, Paula grew up in a home where music was ever-present and became her family legacy. Her father, an accordionist, and her paternal grandmother, a music teacher, were the first to recognize and nurture her talent. By the age of seven, she was already taking singing lessons, and her childhood was filled with classics like Queen, The Beatles, ABBA, and Bee Gees, along with traditional gaucho music that shaped her artistic identity.
But it was at age 11 that Paula truly surprised everyone: fluent in English, she began composing in the language as a way to protect her most intimate emotions. At 16, she released her first album, Silence, entirely in English — a bold move for someone who had dreamed of an international career since childhood.
Despite her passion for music, Paula also followed in her father’s footsteps and studied Law. Her thesis, titled “Brazilian Popular Music and Human Rights,” was a turning point: she dove into the richness of MPB and fell in love with the cultural power of Brazilian music. A master’s degree was on the horizon, but fate had other plans.
In 2019, Paula was invited to join The Voice Brasil — seven years after dreaming of that moment during the show’s first season. Even while living in the south, she traveled weekly to Rio de Janeiro for the recordings, where she realized the importance of singing in Portuguese and expanded her skills. The experience coincided with her graduation and redefined her path: she gave up the master’s degree and fully embraced music.
Her performance of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” during the blind auditions made history: it was the first time the song was performed on the show, and Paula had already been selected to join the choir for the film of the same name, in a global contest promoted by Queen. Incredible, right? On The Voice, she represented Lulu Santos’ team, and the show transformed her from a young music lover into a nationally recognized artist with stage presence.
After the show and the challenges of the pandemic, Paula moved to São Paulo to better invest in her original music career, now entirely in Portuguese to connect more deeply with Brazilian audiences. She began teaching singing lessons and released her songs on Spotify, but high production costs led her to seek alternatives. That’s when she discovered TikTok.
Initially skeptical, Paula found in the platform a space for artistic freedom and genuine connection with her audience. In June 2023, she started livestreaming, and by November, she reached the top of the Brazilian ranking thanks to a fan’s support. The experience was so transformative that she began managing and training over 150 singers, helping them make a living from music without leaving home.
Today, Paula is experiencing a phase of artistic fulfillment. With the success and significant financial return from her livestreams, she is preparing to release three new songs produced by Matheus Stiirmer, a Latin Grammy nominee in 2025. Free from the pressure to “go viral,” she creates for pleasure and shares her work with a loyal audience — a community that follows her voice, authenticity, and the courage she finally found to open her heart.
Follow Paula Araujo in her social medias streaming sites:
Instagram | Facebook | YouTube | TikTok | X | Deezer | Spotify
