Mainha do Brega: meet the seamstress who became a singer at 63: 'I'm still a girl'

Meet 'Mainha do Brega', the seamstress who became a singer at the age of 63
Dressed in a long red dress studded with stones and with feathers on her arms: this is how Fátima Mascarenhas presents herself to the public.
At the age of 63, the Piauí native from Teresina decided that she would put aside the scissors and threads to take risks on stages and in recording studios in Feira de Santana, Bahia, where she currently lives with her daughter and two granddaughters.
Under the stage name "Mainha do Brega", she has become one of the new sensations of romantic and serenade music on social media.
In just a few months, she has reached significant milestones for an artist who has not yet officially debuted on stage: she surpassed the 50 thousand followers mark on Instagram and is approaching 90 thousand followers on TikTok.
On this last platform, engagement is greater: an accumulation that exceeds 1.2 million likes and 11 million views on their videos.
The sudden success paved the way for the launch of "Recordações", their first audiovisual project, made available on May 8.
The work brings together 15 tracks with re-recordings of brega and seresta music classics, including hits such as "Como Brigamos" (eternalized by Diana in 1972), "Naquela Mesa" (recorded by Nelson Gonçalves in 1971) and "Foi Tudo Culpa do Amor" (success by Odair José in 1974).
Together, the videos on YouTube exceed 1 million views.
Seamstress, manicurist, saleswoman..
Fátima had a career marked by different informal jobs: she was a housewife, sold snacks, worked as a manicurist and, more recently, worked as a machine operator, sewing clothes for a local sewing factory.
The relationship with microphones, however, dates back to her childhood in Teresina, her hometown.
"We played auditorium at that time, so I had everyone sitting on the stools, in the taubinhas, and I started to sing. It ended up that I was the only one singing", he recalls.
Despite her long-standing passion for the songs that were popular in her childhood, Fátima had never worked professionally with music until the day she received an unpretentious invitation from her son, Eduardo.
"He wrote the rhythm for a song, invited me to lunch at his house and said: 'Mainha, sing this song for me to see'. Brega'. Then Mainha do Brega remained and from there everything started", he explained.
Son has 800 thousand monthly listeners
Fátima Mascarenhas, Mainha do Brega, alongside her son, Eduardo Mascarenhas, known as "the Rasta". with which he travels around Brazil singing 'sofrência', arrocha and brega.
He learned to play his first chords on a borrowed guitar with just one string, as the family had no financial means.
To support her son's beginnings in music, Fátima worked as a manicurist to raise the amount needed to repair the instrument:
"I did some people's nails, I got five reais at the time and gave it to him to buy the strings", she recalls.
After that, the young man learned to play the keyboard, cavaquinho, double bass and guitar. Currently, he has more than 800 thousand monthly listeners on Spotify and lives solely from music.
Fátima Mascarenhas, Mainha do Brega, in front of the Rasta bus, her son.
Personal collection
'Young people are not just after funk'
The rapid rise of Mainha do Brega on social media attracted the attention of big names in the national arrocha scene.
Singer Tierry commented on one of the artist's publications leaving applause emojis and the message "too good".
Singer Tierry comments on @mainhadobrega's post.
Social media
The content also generated strong identification with a younger audience, who frequently interact with humorous comments such as: "so is this the type of music we like when we reach 30?".
Fátima celebrated this connection with the new generations:
"Nowadays, almost no one calls me Dona Fátima anymore, it's just 'mainha'. They like me and it's the most beautiful thing to see. Young people aren't just after funk, you know, they're after brega too", he said.
No anxiety here
Currently, Fátima Mascarenhas is going through a period of preparation, which includes singing lessons and weekly rehearsals focusing on putting together her first official concert tour.
Although the dates for the presentations have not yet been announced, she states that she receives proposals and hiring requests daily via social media.
When asked if she's nervous for her official debut, Mainha do Brega responds:
"No. I've been to my son's shows and I kept saying goodbye to people, wanting to show up. I really have that charisma. I'm not old. Deep down, I'm still just a girl", she comments, laughing.
Mainha do Brega in the audiovisual project "Recordações".
Disclosure

Source: G1