On Wednesday night (March 6), Luísa Sonza captivated audiences with a sweet rendition of “Chico,” debuting its English version interlaced with some original Portuguese lyrics. This tender bossa nova was performed for the first time in English at the 2024 Billboard Women In Music Awards, held at the YouTube Theater in Inglewood, Calif.
Clad in a chic black vest and matching low-rise slacks — her blond hair stylishly tied back into a ponytail and her lips painted a striking red — the Brazilian music sensation gracefully shifted from her mellifluous tune to a more vibrant performance. Backed by blazing images on screens, the energy in the room surged when Demi Lovato made a surprise appearance, joining Sonza onstage for their “Penhasco2” duet. This collaboration added an unforgettable flair to the evening, creating a mesmerizing moment with the night’s honored Global Force.
Sonza made history as the only Brazilian artist honored at the event.
“What the f— is happening here, guys? Oh my God!” Sonza said as she received her award. “First of all, thank you Demi Lovato for [joining] me. I’m a Brazilian singer, I mostly sing in Portuguese, so this is so crazy, and I’m so nervous right now.”
Then she continued to read her speech: “First of all, I wanna say thank you to the woman who inspired me in my life, my mom. I wanna say thank you to my grandma, my manager Fátima, and everyone on my team who makes being here possible. This is crazy. I’m from a small town in Brazil with 6,000 people, and I started my music journey singing in a wedding band when I was 7 years old, and I never, never thought I would be here tonight.
“Even here, this is too much for me, I can’t handle,” she added in amusement. “Thank you so much, Billboard, for seeing and recognizing women, this is amazing, this is so important. But tonight, I want to say thank you, especially to Brazilian women, this is the first time someone from Brazil is being recognized for this award. So I want to dedicate this award to Brazilian artists, songwriters and producers, thank you so much. Karol G, a songwriter, all my fans, ¡Muito obrigado, Brasil! And this is just the beginning.”
The new English version of “Chico” officially premieres Thursday (March 7) across all streaming platforms.
Watch Luísa Sonza and Demi Lovato perform onstage together at Billboard Women In Music above and her acceptance speech below.
