Google Doodle celebrates the 78th birthday of Brazilian samba singer and songwriter Jovelina Pérola Negra

Google Doodle celebrates the 78th birthday of Brazilian samba singer and songwriter Jovelina Pérola Negra, stage name of Jovelina Farias Belfort, on July 21, 2022.

Who was Jovelina Pérola Negra?

Jovelina Pérola Negra was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and grew up singing and dancing the samba in the Belford Roxo neighborhood. Known for her deep voice, she was a delegate of the Partido alto samba style and considered an heir to Clementina de Jesus’ singing style.

Her friend proposed the stage name Jovelina Pérola Negra (signifying “black pearl” in Portuguese) since it suited her radiant complexion and rich voice.

Jovelina Pérola Negra functioned as a housemaid until her forties and was a samba school Império Serrano member.

Jovelina appeared to acclaim introduction at the Vegas Sport Clube, in the Coelho Neto neighborhood; her companion Dejalmir gave her the stage name Jovelina Pérola Negra (Jovelina Black Pearl).

After a local producer found her at a pagode, Jovelina Pérola Negra got the valuable chance to record her first album, Raca Brasileira, with other newfound artists. The singers generally played out the Partido Alto subgenre of samba, a style that offers vocal improvisation and singalong opportunities for the audience.

Jovelina Pérola Negra lent her singing and songwriting abilities to three compositions on Raca Brasileira. It was stunningly effective and the record label, RGE, hired Negra to record her first solo album.

Pérola Negra released her self-titled debut album to additional praise. The song plans supported her emotional vocals with a cavaquinho, a Portuguese stringed instrument that looks like a ukulele — like the ones imagined in the present Google Doodle.

Jovelina Pérola Negra released four additional singular albums in the prime of her career, exploring different avenues regarding various genres, similar to the slower-paced samba-canção, and procuring a platinum record. Pérola Negra performed around the world in Angola, France, and Japan prior to dying from a heart attack at age 54.

Until age 40, Jovelina Pérola Negra worked as a housemaid and spent her free time going to Império Serrano, a celebrated samba school in Rio de Janeiro. She consistently sang at community samba parties called pagodes in the working-class suburbs of Rio de Janeiro.

Jovelina Pérola Negra recorded five individual albums, procuring a platinum certificate, and various compilations. Some of her recorded songs are “Feirinha da Pavuna”, “Bagaço da Laranja” (with Zeca Pagodinho), “Luz do Repente”, “No Mesmo Manto” and “Garota Zona Sul”. Achievement arrived behind schedule in her life and she didn’t satisfy her fantasy about “earning a lot of money and giving her children everything she didn’t have”.

Jovelina Pérola Negra died on November 2, 1998, at age 54, from a heart attack in her home in Pechincha.

The Brazilian Ministry of Culture posthumously awarded her the Order of Cultural Merit in 2016. Her name was given to the Arena Carioca Jovelina Pérola Negra cultural center, in the Pavuna neighborhood of Rio.

The Brazilian Ministry of Culture awarded Jovelina Pérola Negra the Order of Cultural Merit in 2016. A community center situated in the Pavuna area in Rio de Janeiro was likewise named in her honor. Today, her music can be found on streaming platforms and in record stores all over the world.

On July 21, 2022, Google featured a Doodle on its homepage to celebrate Jovelina Pérola Negra’s 78th Birthday.

Jovelina Pérola Negra’s deep, swinging voice and effortless impromptu creations changed Brazil’s samba dance movement during the 1980s. The present Google Doodle, shown by Rio De Janeiro-based guest artist La Minna, celebrates the singer-songwriter’s 78th birthday celebration.