BIANCA COSTA'S BRAZILIAN DREAM
Bianca Costa is one of the new artists you must simply follow on the French music scene. By remixing her Brazilian origins with worldwide inspirations, the singer has proven that she cannot be pigeonholed or pinned down by a label. NYLON met Bianca in Paris, and she tells you about her refusal to be defined by anyone other than herself.
From "quadradinho" to “Olé Olé”, Bianca Costa has established herself as the new Brazilian ambassador of the French music scene. The singer was born in Florianópolis, in the state of Santa Catarina in southern Brazil, but moved to Europe very early: first to Portugal, then to France with her mother. Today, her blend of cultural, sound, and stylistic references reflects her origins, emotions, and viewpoints, and above all, the pride of being who she is, as she is. It is difficult to define and represent the culture of a country of 210 million inhabitants with continental proportions. Brazil, seen from the outside, is singular, but internally, it is plural. Bianca, through her travels, has heard all the clichés, sometimes funny, sometimes toxic, about her culture and her people.
Today, one of her missions is to show another side of what it means to be Brazilian. By reappropriating the stereotypes of her own culture, Bianca is determined to preserve her identity by presenting it to the world in a unique way, sung in another language. More than a declaration of love for Brazil, Bianca Costa's music is a love letter to self-esteem, as she showed on her first EPs Florianópolis and Le Baile– and she will continue on her first album planned for this year. NYLON had the opportunity to talk with the singer who tells you everything about her music, her inspirations, her dreams, and reveals some surprises she has in store for her first album. Chega mais !
How and when did you discover that you wanted to make music?
I've been singing since childhood. My grandfather played in his church, so I've always had a bit of that musical culture growing and evolving with me, but in other styles. When I moved to Portugal, that is, when I moved a little further away from my family, I discovered Britney Spears or Nelly Furtado. In my mind, that opened doors to another world, to the fact that there wasn't just church music in the world! So I discovered their way of performing, making music videos, the clothes they wore, and with that, I continued to write, sing, and play; and little by little, I evolved until I found my own style.
You were born in Brazil, you grew up in France, and you show your Brazilian heritage very proudly in your music, in your videos, and in everything you do. Can you tell us about this need for identification?
When I arrived in France, and throughout my childhood and adolescence, I questioned my identity a lot. I lived in Portugal then moved to Paris and was always trying to find myself. I asked myself, "What am I? Am I Brazilian? Portuguese? French?" and I felt like I didn't belong anywhere. So, when I started singing more professionally at the age of 18, I felt this need to reassert my main identity, which is Brazilian. Even though I grew up in other places, I always lived with my mother who is Brazilian, my whole family is Brazilian, my culture and education were very Brazilian, so it was logical to reassert myself as Brazilian. That's what I am, that's what I feel in my DNA. From that, I wanted to gradually open up to a more French side, which is also part of my identity, or even Portuguese, but always reaffirming this identity that is mine.
Is there a specific moment or reason why you decided to show your Brazilian side in your art with such pride?
When people told me it wouldn't work. That's probably what made me want to continue down this path. When I started working with producers in the professional music world, we were looking to develop a unique aspect of my personality. In the French pop music scene, this differentiator was my Brazilian side. Of course, not in a vague and clichéd way, but in my lyrics, in my way of singing, in my musicality in general. I love mixing bossa-nova with trap, I love mixing funk carioca with drill, so it was important to find what was specifically mine and new. But the truth is, many people said it would never work. Some told me that no one was interested in Brazilian music outside of Brazil, others told me that my style wouldn't work and advised me to make classic French music... That's what made me want to make it work. When I released "AHOO" with Chilla, Davinhor, Le Juiice, and Vicky R, where I say in the lyrics "Cinq étoiles sur l'maillot" (Five stars on the jersey), and I see every time I sing this song, everyone singing with me and feeling a bit of that empowerment too with these lyrics, which are a super Brazilian reference, I found it really cool and that's when I really realized that it could work. Brazilian rhythms like funk are global hits as artists like Anitta, Ludmilla, and Pabllo Vittar have already proven. So that was it, it was the dynamism and the desire to be the first person to do this on the French music scene, singing in French.
Have you received any negative reactions from your French fans who didn't understand all the references – or, conversely, from your Brazilian fans?
There are always negative reactions, no matter what you do. What affected me the most was hearing some Brazilians living in France reject me because I grew up here, as if what I was doing was cultural appropriation of my own culture. And that's something I only felt with Brazilians living here; in Brazil, I never felt that. In Brazil, people welcomed me so well! I went to Rio de Janeiro to record with producers and artists from there, and they specifically loved this mix with French because it's different, it's cool. In the end, I am who I am, and they saw me as such, a Brazilian living in Paris. Perhaps the negative reactions from those few people reflect more about themselves than about me. But in general, I get positive reactions about this mix; it's something that interests people. French people really like Brazilian culture, and Brazilians also like France; the two cultures interact very well.
Does oscillating between France and Brazil, culturally, make you feel disconnected or excluded?
Oh, a lot! I felt very excluded, especially when I was little. During childhood, this feeling of belonging to a group is very important, and I had many barriers, in the sense that I didn't look like others, neither physically nor culturally. When I arrived in France at the age of 10, I didn't speak French, so it was very complicated at school. I felt a lot of prejudice during my childhood. Both in France and in Portugal, where people – not everyone, but a large part of people – unfortunately have a very ugly and erroneous conception of Brazil. I heard a lot of comments about my mother, about where I came from, about my accent. Today, I want to show the world that I don't need to pretend I'm French or anything else to be accepted. But this process of self-acceptance was not easy, and it took me a long time to understand myself.
Is there a misunderstanding about Brazil that you wish to dispel with your work?
Many! I don't intend to solve all of Brazil's problems; I am who I am and I am Brazilian, and I know that my identity has political weight because of that, but I also don't want my work to lose the lightness and sense of celebration of Brazilian culture, and for it to become something that only focuses on the negative. I love to play with Brazilian cultural stereotypes like carnival, football, and samba, because ultimately, we are these stereotypes, and they can mean something positive. I like people to see us as a party and a joy because that is our heritage and it deserves to be celebrated and respected.
Of course, I can't forget that there are also negative stereotypes, and that they hurt us and are dangerous for us. One of them, which affects me greatly, is the representation of Brazilian women. Today, I feel the need to show a facet of the independent, strong, free, and self-possessed Brazilian woman, who goes beyond the somewhat objectified representation outside of Brazil. As a Brazilian woman, I like to be sensual, I like to dance, but in my work, I avoid taking things towards a very sexualized side to avoid this stereotype. But even avoiding this aspect, I see that French media still say that I am "sexy," "caliente," "Latina." And that is something I want to deconstruct. Several times, I have been asked or advised to change my lyrics and be more sensual because it "would sell more," but my mission is to represent this other side of the Brazilian woman that is more authentic but less celebrated. We are sensual, but we are also sensitive, hardworking, relentless, and above all, owners of our own sensuality; and that deserves to be shown and recognized worldwide. Please do not reduce my work and my identity to that!
''FOR ME, BIANCA COSTA'S STYLE IS A MISTUREBA – A BIG JUMBLE OF EVERYTHING YOU CAN IMAGINE. IT'S A MIX OF NOSTALGIA, A LOT OF EMOTION AND SENSITIVITY, STRENGTH AND JOY. IT'S THIS CONSTANT MIX BETWEEN SAUDADE, NOSTALGIA, SADNESS, PAIN, BUT ALWAYS WITH A POSITIVE, JOYFUL, STRONG ASPECT.''
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And what about dancing? Brazilian rebolado sometimes shocks abroad, but it's a very important expression of our culture. What reactions did you get when you introduced movements like the quadradinho to your non-Brazilian audience?
People find it cool and are curious to learn, but at the same time, others sexualize and judge it. For example, once I did a video tutorial on how to dance the quadradinho on TikTok, and in the comments, I had a bunch of macho guys saying, "Wow, that's sexy!" even though I was just doing a dance tutorial. That showed me all the work that still needs to be done to deconstruct this dangerous image about us. I'm not going to stop dancing! Many people also say that I do it to provoke, or as a marketing strategy to promote my songs or shows, but what they don't understand is that it is, as you said, a very important part of expressing our culture. And that's something I love when I go to Brazil, I feel so good when I go to parties and can dance however I want without anyone taking it as an invitation to disrespect me. I want my music, my dance, and my show to always be spaces where anyone, regardless of their culture, gender, sexuality, or color, can dance and express themselves as they wish, just like me.
It's interesting this conception of dance as a weapon of liberation because it's true, dancing is power!
Totally! Dancing is an expression, it's me using my body to express something that belongs to me. It's such a powerful tool and I think whoever watches without prejudice receives this very cool and positive energy. When I see videos of other girls or anyone dancing, I feel an energy of strength and I just want to dance with the person! I will never look at a person dancing with judgment, it's an artistic expression that goes far beyond that. If someone judges me for my dance, it's their problem, not mine.
If you could choose any artist for your dream collaboration, who would it be?
I'd make an amazing song with Rosalía and Anitta… And Karol G! All four of us in an amazing song with an amazing music video!
What is your relationship with fashion? How would you define Bianca Costa's style?
Free! Comfortable… I like to feel gostosa, good about myself, I like to feel streetwear. I love color, my friends always tell me that I only wear color! I have jackets and blouses of all colors, so I would say my style is very colorful and spontaneous.
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And the musical style?
For me, Bianca Costa's style is a mistureba – a big jumble of everything you can imagine. It's a mix of nostalgia, a lot of emotion and sensitivity, strength and joy. It's this constant mix between saudade, nostalgia, sadness, pain, but always with a positive, joyful, strong aspect.
Very Brasil!
Beemmm Brasil ! You cry but you dance at the same time!
So, is an album or EP on the way?
Yes! I released the track "Olé Olé" in May, which is part of my new album coming out before the end of the year. It will be an album with many musical styles crossing over. "Olé Olé" is a song where I talk about truth, about getting out of certain toxic relationships I've experienced, but in a very light way – it's a very, very important song for me. This album is quite introspective, I try to talk even more about myself and at the same time help younger people who might be going through the same things. This album is a bit like a big sister giving advice!
That sounds so cool! Can I know the album title?
Nahh! (Laughing.) I can't say yet!
But you'll know when the time is right.
What is your dream goal as an artist?
I want to sing at Maracanã (the mythical stadium in Rio, editor's note) ! A very small dream! I still have some way to go, but I want to get there. Another goal is to sing in Brazil, in front of a Brazilian audience. I'm really curious to know who will listen to me there and who will connect with me as an artist. In France, I really want to perform at Bercy. It's a place I've frequented a lot, where I've seen many of my favorite artists. That would be amazing!
And a Stade de France?
A Stade de France too, for sure!
Source: https://www.nylon.fr/le-brazilian-dream-de-bianca-costa/
Credits:
Talent: Bianca Costa
Journalist : Lucas Dias
Photographer : Helène Tchen
Stylisme : Nicolas Dureau
Coiffure : Miwa Moroki
Maquillage : Marieke Thibaut
Ongles : Ines Okaci
Scénographie : Lola Carrière
Vidéo : Hugo Gatefait
Assistant stylisme : Liam Derouiche
Assistant photo : Téné Niakaté
Assistant scénographie : Julien Rahmani