Pabllo Vittar

Phabullo Rodrigues da Silva (born 1 November 1993), known professionally as Pabllo Vittar , is a Brazilian drag queen and singer.

Life and career 1993–2016: Early life Born in São Luís, Phabullo is a fraternal twin and has an older sister. He spent part of his childhood and adolescence living in the cities of Santa Inês and Caxias, both in the interior of Maranhão, due to financial difficulties. He never knew his father, who abandoned his mother, a nurse, when she was pregnant with him. During his childhood, Phabullo experienced bullying due to his delicate gestures and feminine voice. At one point, he was physically assaulted with a plate of hot soup thrown over his face. He attended ballet classes during this period.

At the age of 13, Phabullo joined the choir at a local Catholic church and began doing covers at family parties and school performances. Soon after, he began songwriting. Later, he decided to become a professional, moving to Indaiatuba with his sister, where he worked in several places, such as snack bars and beauty salons. Soon after, he moved to Uberlândia with his mother, who had recently married. He came out to his mother at the age of 15, who had suspected that he was gay, and was something that his sister already knew.

"Pabllo Vittar is a boy. Who is a girl. Who has no gender. Who is not afraid. Who prefers a thousand times to be on a stage than anywhere else in the world." — Phabullo on "Who is Pabllo Vittar?" With time, he started performing in LGBT parades in several cities of Maranhão and became known by the state's LGBT community. At age 18, in Minas Gerais, Phabullo started participating in and winning some beauty contests in full drag, before beginning his professional career as a singer while adopting the stage name of "Pabllo Knowles", an homage to singer Beyoncé.

Still in Minas Gerais, Phabullo took a university entrance exam by the Federal University of Uberlândia, where he was admitted to the full design course in 2013, but after some periods he dropped out of college due to his schedule of shows, which increased greatly due to the success of his music videos on the internet and his participation in the band of primetime television program Amor & Sexo. thumb Pabllo Vittar in 2018When he attracted attention from entrepreneurs in the entertainment field, Phabullo began a professional musical career, performing in bars and concert halls in Uberlândia and cities of the region. In this period, Phabullo adopted the stage name of Pabllo Vittar.

Vittar appeared on TV for the first time in 2014, on a Brazilian talent singing show, performing "I Have Nothing" by Whitney Houston. The rise to fame in mainstream media came in 2015 with the success of music video "Open Bar", a Portuguese-language version of Major Lazer's song "Lean On" with original lyrics, produced by Bonde do Rolê and Omulu. In less than four months, the video reached one million views on YouTube. Vittar also released an extended play with the same name, using pop hits' instrumentals with new arrangements and lyrics.

Vittar has been featured in songs by international artists such as Major Lazer's "Sua Cara" (with fellow Brazilian singer Anitta). The music video was released on 30 July 2017, and reached 10th place on the list of most-viewed online videos in the first 24 hours, with 25 million views. The singer also appears on "I Got It", from Charli XCX's fourth mixtape Pop 2. Vittar collaborated again with XCX on "Flash Pose", released on 25 July 2019; the single was later included on Vittar's album 111. He also got to perform "Flash Pose" at the 2019 MTV Europe Music Awards.

In 2024, Vittar was featured on the single "Alibi" alongside Iranian-Dutch artist Sevdaliza and French singer-songwriter Yseult. The song debuted at number 95 on the Billboard Hot 100, marking Vittar's first entry on the chart and the second entry of a drag queen on the chart in history.

Artistry Musical and vocal style Vittar is mainly a pop singer, although her music incorporates other genres. Her debut studio album Vai Passar Mal mixes pop with elements of electronic music and Brazilian genres such as tecno brega, arrocha, funk carioca, and forró. Music critics noted that her second studio album Não Para Não follows a similar formula, mixing Brazilian and international influences. Speaking about the latter album, Vittar explained: "I lived in Santa Izabel do Pará and listened to cumbia, carimbó, tecnobrega and guitarrada. In Maranhão, I heard axé and Bahia pagode… Pabllo Vittar is all over this album, I cannot go against my origins." Her lyrics often explore themes such as love, self-confidence, and partying. Shannon Sims of The New York Times described Vittar's voice as a "nasal soprano".

Influences

Vittar grew up listening to artists such as Aretha Franklin, Donna Summer, Whitney Houston, and Tina Turner, whom he imitated as a child before he even considered becoming a drag queen, as well as Gilberto Gil, Ney Matogrosso, Elis Regina, Alcione Nazareth, and Caetano Veloso. He became interested in drag after watching the reality show RuPaul's Drag Race and cited RuPaul as an important inspiration: "All the drag artists in this world have to thank RuPaul for the visibility we have today." Top model Bella Hadid is another strong visual influence, particularly on makeup and style. Her music and performances are greatly influenced by bands such as Banda Batidão and Companhia do Calypso.

Early in his career, he used the stage name Pabllo Knowles as a reference to Beyoncé. Kanye West, Lady Gaga, and Britney Spears, as well as "Sua Cara" collaborators Anitta and Major Lazer.

Public image and impact quote="I think gender doesn't matter to me. If you write 'him,' I'll find it incredible, if you write 'her,' same. But when I get in drag... I won't stand in front of the mirror two hours putting on makeup for someone to call me 'he,' right? Call me 'she'! 'She' is beautiful, 'she' is a singer, 'she' is a drag queen! I like to be called in the feminine." — Vittar on pronouns Vittar's openness about being gay has made him an icon to those living in a prejudiced environment. As an openly gay Brazilian drag queen, Vittar has served as a positive representation of homosexuality and gender fluidity. He has used his visibility to support LGBTQ+ individuals in Brazil and in other countries in South America. He said: "They tell me a lot about their daily struggle to go out on the street being gay, being drag. I want to give them strength so they can continue being who they are." During the same interview, Vittar said he is "making music for humans".

Since her debut, Vittar became the most followed and most streamed drag queen in the world, surpassing RuPaul.

On 4 May 2024, Vittar performed with Madonna during her The Celebration Tour on Copacabana Beach, in Rio de Janeiro in front of 1.6 million concert attendees. Vittar joined Madonna on stage during a samba remix of her hit song "Music".

On 30 June 2024, The New York Times issued Vittar as "the world's next big drag queen".

On 3 May 2025, Vittar performed as DJ in the opening act of Lady Gaga's Mayhem promotional concert on Copacabana Beach.

Discography

Vai Passar Mal (2017) Não Para Não (2018) 111 (2020) Batidão Tropical (2021) Noitada (2023) Batidão Tropical Vol. 2 (2024) Lost in Lust (2026)

Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 2017 Oitavo Himself Short film 2018 Crô em Família 2020 Emicida: Amarelo

Television Year Title Role Notes 2016–2017 Amor & Sexo Vocalist 2 seasons 2017 A Força do Querer Himself Episode: "5 October 2017" Vai Que Cola Himself Episode: "Você Decide" 2018 Prazer, Pabllo Vittar Host O Outro Lado do Paraíso Himself Episode: "11 May 2018" Super Drags Goldiva Season 1 Vai Anitta Himself Season 1 2019 Autênticas Himself Season 2 Queen of Drags Guest judge Season 1 2020–2021 Wild & Free HimselfSeason 1–2 2021 MTV Millennial Awards Host 2021 MTV Millennial Awards 2022 Queen Stars Brasil Germany's Next Topmodel Special guest Season 17

Internet Year Title Role Notes 2016 Vlog da Pabllo Himself Web-documentary 2018 Up Next: Pabllo Vittar Himself Web-documentary 2019 Pabllo Vittar: A Trajetória da Artista! Himself Web-documentary Whindersson Nunes: Próxima Parada Himself Episode: Nova Iorque – Filadélfia

Tours Open Bar Tour (2015–2016) Vai Passar Mal Tour (2017–2018) Não Para Não Tour (2018–2019) Não Para Não PRIDE Tour (Summer 2019) Não Para Não 2.0 Tour (Fall 2019–Spring 2020) Tour with Pabllo (2022)

Canceled tour 111 Tour (2020–2021; )

Awards and nominations

YearAwardCategoryResultRef. 2020 Meus Prêmios Nick Favorite Artist 2020 Prêmio Jovem Brasileiro Melhor Live 2020 MTV Millennial Awards Brazil Musical Artist 2020 Multishow Brazilian Music Award Clipe TVZ