Xuxa

Maria da Graça Xuxa Meneghel (March 27, 1963), known mononymously as Xuxa, is a Brazilian singer, actress, and television host. Mostly recognized as the visible face behind the incredibly popular children’s TV series Clube da Criança and Xou da Xuxa, she is known in her home country as the “Rainha dos Baixinhos” (The Queen of Children). Born in the city of Santa Rosa in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, she relocated to Rio de Janeiro with her family during her teenage years and was discovered by a modeling agency at the age of 16. After making a name for herself in the modeling world and starting a highly-publicized affair with soccer legend Pelé that turned her into a celebrity almost overnight, she hosted Rede Manchete’s Clube da Criança between 1983 and 1986. Her popularity skyrocketed after landing her own show on TV Globo, Xou da Xuxa. The program aired between 1986 and 1992 and allowed Xuxa to expand her audience and branch out into the Spanish-speaking market with El Show de Xuxa, recorded in Argentina. It also gave the presenter the opportunity to showcase her musical talents on the platinum-selling studio debut Xou da Xuxa (1986), whose 1995 CD re-release included the standalone hit single “Parabéns da Xuxa,” a staple of birthday parties throughout Brazil. In the early aughts, Xuxa kicked off her Só Para Baixinhos audiovisual album series, winning two Latin Grammys for Best Latin Children’s Album with 2002's Só para Baixinhos Vol.2 and 2003’s Só para Baixinhos Vol.3 - Country. The album series continued well into the 2010s and, in 2016, she released Só Para Baixinhos 13: ABC do XSPB, her first album after terminating her contract with Sony Music and signing with her former label Som Livre.