Gloria Groove celebrated her birthday last night (Jan. 18) in a big way. The Brazilian drag pop star released the music video for her song “Proibidona” featuring Anitta and Valesca Popozuda.
Like her frequent collaborator Pabllo Vittar, Groove has busted down doors for drag artists who are also singers. Last year, Groove reached the No. 1 spot on Spotify’s Top Albums Debut Chart with her album Lady Leste. She also surpassed RuPaul on Instagram to become the second-most followed drag queen on Instagram behind Vittar. Now Groove is turning up the heat on her career with her new single “Proibidona” alongside Anitta and Popozuda.
“‘Proibidona’ is my first single of 2023,” Groove said in statement. “The song is a partnership with Anitta and Valesca Popozuda, mainly celebrating the history of these women in funk and the aesthetics they helped to create.”
“Proibidona” is a funk carioca, or Brazilian funk, banger. Groove pushes the genre into the future while working with two artists who have helped popularize the sound. She revealed that Popozuda was going to be featured in a smaller capacity before she decided to reach out and include both her and Anitta on the track.
“We were using a sample with Valesca’s voice and I thought, ‘Why not bring her in full?’” Groove added. “She is such an essential part of funk history. Talking to Anitta, we understood that it was a wonderful chance to shed light on the fact that Valesca is a great icon. Together with them, I can get this party started with my fans.”
In “Proibidona,” Groove, Anitta, and Popozuda take turns singing about living life on the wild side and loving it. The music video was filmed earlier this week during Anitta’s Ensaios Da Anitta event in São Paulo. The theme of the festival this year was “Warriors,” so the three artists were dressed like battle-ready goddesses during the explosive performance. The song will be included on Groove’s upcoming album Futuro Fluxo.
Check out the music video for “Proibidona” below.