In 2022, Brazilian singer-songwriter Liniker became the first trans woman to win a Latin Grammy. Her seven nominations in 2025, including those for album and record of the year, could open more doors for Black and transgender artists in Latin music.
When the Latin Recording Academy announced nominations for the 26th Latin Grammy Awards last month, one name stood out above the rest: Liniker.
The Brazilian singer-songwriter earned seven nods this year, including all three of the “Big Four” categories she was eligible for: album of the year for “Caju,” record of the year for “Ao Teu Lado” (with Amaro Freitas and Anavitória) and song of the year for “Veludo Marrom.” The only Big Four category missing from her slate this year was best new artist.
She previously made history as the first transgender woman to take home a Latin Grammy in 2022, when her 2021 LP “Indigo Borboleta Anil” won for MPB (musica popular brasileira) album. Come this November, the Araraquara native is more primed than ever to be at the center of Latin music’s most prestigious stage.
Her 2024 sophomore solo album, “Caju” (or, “cashew”) has surpassed 262 million streams, and each track managed to land on Brazil’s Spotify Top 200. She has collaborated with such icons as Gilberto Gil, and in 2023, was inducted into the Brazilian Academy of Culture, assuming the chair once held by samba legend Elza Soares.
Such accolades — honoring the technical and artistic value of her performance, songwriting and production — underscore how her music is shaping new Latin sounds, as well as representing Brazil on a global scale and expanding inclusion in historically exclusive institutions.
Liniker has long been clear that she wants to be known first as a musician, whose artistry is rooted in love, intimacy and desire. And yet, her presence as a Black Brazilian trans woman at the forefront of Latin music carries an undeniable cultural weight.
In a world where anti-Blackness and transphobia remain as entrenched as ever, her rise signals both artistic excellence and a profound cultural shift of the stories told about Black and trans experiences. Alongside fellow gender nonconforming Brazilians like Linn da Quebrada and Urias, as well as trans artists like Venezuelan musician and producer Arca, and Puerto Rican rapper Villano Antillano, Liniker is part of a growing movement changing the conventions of Latin pop stardom.
Liniker’s path to this moment has been marked by cycles of reinvention that hold truth to her style and worldly vision as an artist and person. She first broke through with 2016’s “Remonta,” an album she recorded with her former band Liniker e os Caramelows. A fearless blend of MPB (música popular brasileira), soul and funk, the record stood out most in songs like “Zero” and “Tua” — which became viral sensations. Her emotive alto would soon carry well beyond Brazil’s borders; the band landed a coveted gig for NPR’s Tiny Desk series in 2018.
Her 2021 solo debut, “Indigo Borboleta Anil,” expanded her palette to include samba, bossa nova and R&B. Tracks like “Baby 95”, “Lili”, and “Psiu” also showcased her versatility as a songwriter, who writes about receiving and being in love, embracing and trusting oneself that holds true to her Blackness and lived experience, and the vulnerability of becoming a solo artist.
Then came “Caju,” the 2024 record that has dominated this year’s nominations. The album draws on samba, jazz, pagode, disco, funk and reggae to make a distinctly Afro-Brazilian blend of pop music; “Ao Teu Lado” and “Veludo Marrom” demonstrate her ability to bring a sense of intimacy to an expansive performance.
In an interview with journalist Pedro Bial, a late-night Brazilian talk show, Liniker explains that, whereas “Indigo” had focused on her self-discovery, “Caju” tells a more narrative-driven story, unfolding a 24-hour lover’s chase from Japan to Brazil. The opening title track sets the tone: “I want to know if you’re going to chase after me at an airport/asking me to stay, not to fly.” Fueled by emotional reflection, “Caju” represents a metaphor for Liniker’s journey as a hard-working artist who is still a hopeless romantic at heart.
For many — especially trans and gender-expansive Latinx audiences, myself included — a Liniker concert feels like both a private confessional and a communal celebration.
As a trans Latina living in Brazil, I was deeply moved to witness Liniker’s live performance (and the passion of her fans) in São Paulo, where she debuted “Caju” with a live orchestra to nearly 8,000 people — one of three sold-out nights at the city’s Espaço Unimed auditorium. She also captivated foreign audiences in September at New York City’s Lincoln Center, where she performed for the venue’s Brazilian Week series. Rolling Stone writer Carolina Abbott Galvão lauded her as “ready for the spotlight” and praised her command of the stage, as well as of the pop music industry.
In expressing Black trans joy at a time when transgender people face systematic exclusion and repression all over the world, Liniker provides a window to understand fuller and more diverse Latinx realities. In “Lili,” a cut from “Indigo Borboleta Anil,” Liniker’s reflections on living her truth call upon us all to live ours as well.
“When you take care of your heart/When you love your soul/Maybe you can find Lili,” she sings in English. “She isn’t hiding anymore/She just wants to live/To live/Her skin is shining now.”
The 2025 Latin Grammys may prove a career-defining night for the artist. But regardless of how many trophies she takes home, Liniker has already carved out a singular niche for herself in Latin music — as a uniquely uncompromising and generation-defining artist.
This story originally appeared on LA Times
