At Bibliotheque, Luiza Girardello Set the World Ablaze
For Brazilian singer-songwriter and Berklee graduate Luiza Girardello, music is equal parts connection and catharsis. That meant the intimate atmosphere at Bibliotheque NYC was just the right setting for her recent pocket show.
Girardello’s debut album, “World Ablaze,” was released on August 14, 2026. For her fans, the pocket show was an opportunity to experience new renditions of beloved songs. For new listeners, it was an unforgettable introduction.
The album’s title comes from a line in “Drunk on You,” an original song that was also arguably the centerpiece of the show.
“The song narrates an intense, destructive romantic relationship using alcohol as the central metaphor,” says Girardello. But she notes that the theme of cross-cultural identity is present in a whisper of subtext.
“We didn’t specifically conceptualize it in terms of Brazil-versus-Boston, but it being my universe, I’m sure it’s in there nonetheless,” she adds.
“Drunk on You” opens with a sparse, contemplative piano line and moves into vivid emotional imagery. Lyrics like “Set the world ablaze/Just to mess with my heart… I dig my nails into your skin/Trying to get the room to stop to spin” and “Your hard liquor soul/Turns everything to smoke/If I’m white wine, you’re whiskey, neat” come across as authentic and accessible without dipping into the realm of the cliché.
The show interspersed Girardello’s original work with vibrant covers of American rock and Brazilian pop songs. Her haunting version of Nirvana’s “Heart-Shaped Box” captivated the audience, and she performed fresh takes on Brazilian classics “Dê um Rolê” and “Samba e Amor.”
Girardello was joined onstage by guitarist Niko Malinowski and saxophonist Yuval Agam. She’s worked with both since her time at Berklee, and Malinowski has since contributed to some of her upcoming work as an arranger.
The audience was one filled with creative voices, but one of the most notable was Zabelê Gomes, Brazilian pop musician and former member of SNZ. Gomes is Girardello’s manager and artist mentor, and she’s been instrumental in shaping Girardello into the artist she is today.
“I met Zabelê in 2024. I had started releasing the songs from the album as singles in a fully independent way, figuring out all the logistics of it by myself,” Girardello reflects. “When we met, I had a few stickers with the cover artwork that I had been giving away as somewhat of a greeting card, and that made us talk about distribution and how much of a struggle all aspects of being an independent artist are.”
“When she and her boyfriend came to Boston a few months later, I hosted them at my apartment,” she continues. “We got to talk more in-depth about music and the business of it, and kept texting. That’s when she mentioned she had offered consulting to artists in the past and had been wanting to branch out into managing more directly. We’ve been working together ever since, and I’m so grateful to have her as a mentor.”
Gomes’s presence added a uniquely personal touch to Girardello’s performance of “Dê um Rolê.” The song was originally recorded by Brazilian rock group Novos Baianos, of which Gomes’s parents, Baby Consuelo and Pepeu Gomes, are both members.
The night was a showcase for Girardello’s artistry and range, but it was much more than that. She’s spoken about feeling in between American and Brazilian cultures, about wanting to find a more consolidated identity as an artist.
But an artist can contain multitudes. And under the lights at Bibliotheque, each of Girardello’s facets shone.
