LINIKER: From Samba Soul to Self-Discovery on the Lincoln Center Stage
“I decided to put all my feelings, all my wanderings, all my doubts, all my aspirations to the future in this album.”, reveals Brazilian singer-songwriter LINIKER, encapsulating the deeply personal and transformative journey that defines her music. From a small town in the Sao Paulo countryside to the stage at Lincoln Center, LINIKER’s eclectic sound, blending soul, samba, jazz, and house, serves as a vibrant backdrop for her explorations of identity, spirituality, and the universal human experience. In this exclusive interview, LINIKER shares the inspirations behind her genre-bending artistry, the profound influence of Candomblé on her life, and her empowering message for those navigating their own unique paths.
FEATURE INTERVIEW:
Could you introduce yourself to our audience?
Hello, I’m LINIKER, and I’m Brazilian. I’m 30 years old. I’m a singer and songwriter from a city in the countryside of Sao Paulo called Araracuada. I’m currently in New York to perform at Lincoln Center.
Congratulations on that! Your music blends so many genres—soul, samba, jazz, and house. What was the first sound or artist that made you realize this is what you wanted to do?
When I was very young, I remember staying home with my cousins and watching Beyoncé’s performances. That’s when I thought, “I want to be a musician like her.” Not just Beyoncé, but all the artists that my family introduced me to, like Djavan and Elsa Soares, and music from Samba musicians.
Is there a particular song that you love and really motivates you, especially when you’re feeling confused?
There’s one song from my last release called “Help Me Save the Sundays” The translation in Portuguese is “Me Ajudo Salvaros Domingos.” I think that this song is a song that put myself on my line.
Your album, “Caju” feels like such a personal voyage. When you’re creating music, how much of what you’re feeling in the moment shows up in the songs? Is there a specific emotion or memory you hope your listeners connect with?
When I decided to write this album, I liked to give the sensation of a voyage through feelings that you’re looking for and you already don’t know the answers. The album is tied with a trip coming from Japan to Brazil because it’s a very long journey, and when you have a long time to think, you can catch some decisions. I decided to put all my feelings, wanderings, doubts, and aspirations in this album.
As a candomblesista, could you tell us a bit more about that and how it influenced your music?
Candomblé is a religion that came from Africa with the Black people in Brazil. I was very close to passing through a spiritual healing process in the beginning of last year, and I decided to leave this process in between, focusing on work and what I’m exactly feeling right now. It helped me decide what I want to share with the world and what I don’t.
Where do you see yourself in five years as a person and as an artist?
In five years, I’ll be 35 years old. I hope to have time to enjoy my life, to work a lot, but to enjoy my life in the perspective to have time to compose, time to produce, and a good healthy life to myself and to everybody around me.
Thinking back on your childhood and your upbringing, is there a particular moment you would love to relive?
I think I would love to relive my first day at school. I remember being very tired, maybe six years old, and imagining how my first day in the big school with a new teacher and new friends would be.
What was your favorite subject in school?
History and geography.
Was there a particular moment when you decided, “I’m going to be a singer”?
I was 16 years old when I started to compose. I started to see my poetry, and I thought, “Okay, I think that I can put some music. I think that I can try something, not just to read it, but I think I can sing those words.”
Talking a little bit about your style—it’s so expressive and fearless. How would you define it?
I love fashion, and I love to be comfortable. I love to be expressed in what I’m feeling today. I don’t have a specific style; I love to take everything and just put on my mood about the day. I love to work with people who see fashion as a possibility and not as a rule.
You’ve been open about your journey as a trans woman. How has that shaped your approach to self-expression, not just in music, but in everything?
When I started, everybody wanted to ask me about being a trans person. It shaped my career because I don’t have space to just be myself. So, everybody just wants to talk about my life being a trans person. And I think that today, my voice is a huge voice that could be listened to for a lot of people in the world. But we don’t want to be just that. We know that my body is a political body.
If you could go back in time and give a message to your younger version, what would you tell them?
I would say, go on in your feelings and start therapy sessions because you would need it. The word is not so well like this, but you’re gonna win. And you have to be brave to pass into everything you’re gonna pass, but go on, girl.
TEAM CREDITS:
Editor in Chief: Prince Chenoa
Feature Editor: Taylor Winter Wilson (@taylorwinter)
Writer: Frida García D Adda (@fridadda_)
Photographer: Larissa Kreili (@larissakreili)
