Michel Teló

A Brazilian pop superstar who first made his name in the late 1990s as part of band Grupo Tradicao, Michel Teló helped bring sertanejo music to a global audience with his massive hit "Ai Se Eu Te Pego" in 2011 and had some of the biggest football players in Europe imitating his dance moves on the pitch. Born on January 21, 1981, n the city of Medianeira in the southern state of Paraná where his parents owned a bakery, he grew up singing in church choirs from the age of six and later played accordion and harmonica in a traditional music band called Guri. He joined Grupo Tradicao as frontman and their mix of rural, accordion-driven folk songs helped fuse an old Brazilian form of country music known as sertanejo with modern rock and pop energy, kickstarting a resurgence in the genre with hits such as "Barquinho" and "O Caldeiro." After more than a decade with the band, he released his studio debut Balada Sertaneja in 2009 and scored a string of national hits including the sweet, lively ballad "Ei, Psiu! Beijo Me Liga" and "Fugidinha," which was used as the theme tune to teen telenovela Malhacao. It was in 2011 that things really exploded for him, though, as his jaunty folk-pop dance tune "Ai Se Eu Te Pego" was propelled to Number 1 on the Brazilian charts after football player Neymar was recorded performing the dance moves along to the song while playing for Santos. The track became a sensation in Europe, becoming the sixth highest-selling worldwide hit of 2012 and notching up over 850 million views on video-streaming platforms. Although he was considered a cheesy pop crooner by some critics in Brazil, Michel Teló's live records Na Balada (2011) and Sunset (2013) also brought more success as he collaborated on tracks with Sorriso Maroto, Carlos Vives, and Latin pop favorite Prince Royce. He also completed several massive, world tours before returning in 2014 with his first greatest hits compilation, Bem Sertanejo. In 2015, he joined the reality singing competition The Voice Brasil as coach, winning the contest alongside Renato Vianna. That year, his fifth live album Baile do Teló cracked the Top 10 of the Brazilian charts, followed by the chart-topping Bem Sertanejo - O Show in 2017. Over the following years, Michel Teló cemented his popularity in Brazil through releases like the EP Churrasco do Teló (2019) as well as the singles "Meu Vício" (2023) with Mari Fernandez and "Fuzuê" (2023).