Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – Brazilian cinema is on a roll. A year after winning his first Oscar with 'I'm Still Here', the four nominations arrive for 'The Secret Agent', the feature film directed by Kleber Mendonça Filho and starring Wagner Moura. Nominations include Best Picture, Best International Film, Best Actor (Wagner Moura) and Best Casting. This rise of Brazilian cinema, but also of Latin American music, is part of a special 'momentum'. Delivery from Rio de Janeiro by our correspondent Valeria Saccone.

First modification: 02/05/2026 - 21:26 Last modification: 02/05/2026 - 21:26

The rise of Brazilian cinema, supported by the two Golden Globes and two other awards at the Cannes Festival awarded to 'The Secret Agent', coincides with a broader movement to project Brazil to the world.

It is not just about the record number of foreign tourists in 2025: a total of 9.3 million, 37.1% more than the previous year.

The tropical country also received illustrious visitors. In November, singer Dua Lipa was seen (and photographed) in various places and restaurants in Rio de Janeiro, and even attended a street rehearsal for a samba school, in what seemed like a promotional tour of Brazil for fans from around the world.

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The Wonderful City also captivated the Spanish singer Rosalía, who on New Year's Eve walked through the Rocinha favela and other iconic places, and then said goodbye with a message of love for the people of Carioca.

He has not been the only victim of this tropical spell. Many foreign artists declare themselves in love with Brazil, where they often go on long tours. Among them, Coldplay and Bruno Mars stand out, who even released a hit in Portuguese, 'Bonde do Brunão.' For his part, the Canadian artist Shawn Mendes ended up spending several weeks at the house of the singer Ivete Sangalo, in Bahia.

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According to Brazilian journalist Carol Prado, this is not a coincidence.

"It is because Brazil is a country very committed to culture. So this concept, participation, is the key word in the market today. Pop culture needs this participation in social networks. This generates income for cultural products, generates marketing (...) Great artists come to Brazil and take advantage of the visibility of an event of this magnitude. The images of "Gagacabana" in Copacabana went around the world thanks to this Brazilian participation," he points out.

Phenomena that move masses and project the region

It refers to the Lady Gaga show, which in May 2025 brought together 2.1 million people on Copacabana beach, according to data from the Rio de Janeiro City Council.

It was the largest audience attendance in this artist's career.

The City Council estimates that the event injected more than 115 million dollars into the city's economy, including hotels, restaurants, transportation and commerce.

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And the previous year was Madonna's time, who did the biggest show of her career in Copacabana, with 1.6 million people.

These macro-events have contributed to projecting the image of Rio de Janeiro in the world.

The Brazilian hype is part of a much broader phenomenon.

The prestigious weekly 'The Economist' maintains that Latin American culture is on the rise and will be central to the world entertainment scene throughout this year.

From the suburbs to the world's major capitals, artists like Puerto Rican Bad Bunny, the most consumed musical phenomenon on the planet in 2025, attract crowds who don't even speak Spanish.

Also read “ICE Out”: Bad Bunny wins album of the year award at the Grammys and speaks out against anti-immigration policy

Then there is reggaeton and the global success of Latin artists such as the Mexican Peso Pluma, who in 2023 had six of the 50 most listened to songs on the streaming platform; or the Colombian Karol G, who was the first woman to win the Grammy in the 'Best Urban Music Album' category with her hit 'Mañana will be nice' and was also the artist with the most entries in Billboard magazine's Hot Latin Songs.

Bad Bunny, for example, will be the main star of the Super Bowl show, on February 8, 2026, at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California.

It is one of the most important sporting events in the United States. By the way, this decision has been harshly criticized by President Donald Trump, who has declared himself anti-Bad Bunny and has threatened not to attend the event and even to send his agents to search for “illegal immigrants” at the show.

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Latin America gains attractiveness leveraged on culture and social networks

According to Sarah Birke, author of the 'The Economist' article, the consumption of social networks and the arrival of streaming have brought Latin Americans even closer to the global panorama.

In this sense, Brazil accumulates several records: in 2024 it appeared as the third largest consumer of social networks in the world and in 2025 it consolidated itself as the country where users spend the most time connected to social networks, with more than three and a half hours a day on average.

At the same time, major streaming companies are promising billions in investments in Latin America over the next three years.

It is estimated that Brazil will have 85 million streaming subscribers by 2028, in a market that moves more than 5.5 billion dollars, according to the consulting firm PwC. It is a growth rate of 7.2%, faster than the world average of 5%.

The Economist report highlights other artistic expressions, such as literature, promoted by the Mexican Fernanda Melchor and the Argentine Mariana Enríquez, and the visual arts, considered promising and capable of reaching global circuits, contributing to the even broader dissemination of Latin American culture.

In this scenario conducive to growth, Brazil has a lot to offer, from the funk of the singer from Anitta to the rich musicality of the Rio favelas.

Another name that may gain global space in the coming months is João Gomes, a young singer of only 23 years old who dedicates himself to a very Brazilian genre, forró, but who is already experimenting with other musical styles such as MPB, rap and funk.

Another example is the Amazonian singer Gaby Amarantos. With his fifth album 'Rock Doido', he has achieved global recognition after being chosen the 22nd best album of 2025 by Anthony Fantano, one of the most influential music critics in the United States.

With more than 19 million streams on Spotify, the album fuses regional rhythms and international influences, such as tecnobrega, celebrating the peripheral culture of Belém do Pará, home of the 30th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP30).

According to several music critics, 'Rock Doido' builds an essentially pop sound, but with international appeal. It was very well received, precisely because it uses this authenticity to create something new with global appeal.

Latin America is a huge creative factory in constant operation. It is a permanently connected continent, to which we must add a significant diaspora.

In the United States alone, there are more than 60 million Hispanics, that is, almost a fifth of the population. It is also a young continent, where 25% of the population is under 30 years old, according to data from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

It is possible that this cultural apogee is the beginning of something bigger and more lasting.

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