Come to Brasil puts pop superfans in the spotlight
The Rolling Stone-associated documentary follows four Brazilian fans campaigning to bring Beyoncé, Madonna, Lady Gaga and Taylor Swift closer to home.
By Bianca Rossi · Entertainment Editor
3 min read
The internet’s favorite plea to pop stars, “come to Brazil,” gets the documentary treatment in Come to Brasil, a new short made in association with Rolling Stone Films.
The film turns a familiar comment-section chorus into a story about Brazilian fandom, online communities and the real-world devotion behind the posts. Director and producer Lina Abascal told Rolling Stone she first noticed the phrase online and used it with friends when they missed someone and wanted a visit.
Abascal said the project grew into a look at how internet language can become something bigger. She described Come to Brasil as a story linking digital and in-person communities, and said she wanted to make something that might seem silly from the outside feel human.
Four fans, four pop obsessions
The documentary centers on four Brazilian fans: Thaisa, Netto, Júnnior and Bruno. Each is shown chasing a connection with a major American pop artist and hoping to see that star in Brazil.
According to Rolling Stone, Thaisa has followed Beyoncé since the Destiny’s Child era. Júnnior has been devoted to Madonna for nearly four decades. Netto connected with Lady Gaga’s music while dealing with his queer identity. Bruno, a Taylor Swift fan, camped outside Estádio Olímpico Nilton Santos before Swift’s Eras Tour stop there.
The film follows that intensity without treating it as a punchline. Abascal told Rolling Stone she wanted to get past the stereotype of the frantic teenage girl fan and show a broader range of people who make up pop fandom.
Abascal said she responded to the cast’s personalities and passion, adding that each person had a distinct bond with the artist they loved. She also credited researcher Duda Carvalhaes with helping find the film’s subjects, calling Carvalhaes an “unsung hero” of the project.
From meme to movement
Come to Brasil also asks why Brazilian fans keep calling for international artists to visit their country. In the documentary, Netto says the phrase may have begun as a hopeless joke before turning into a movement.
Abascal told Rolling Stone she hopes viewers recognize themselves in the fans, even if they have not camped outside a stadium for Taylor Swift. She said people often care about something because of the community and value it brings to their lives.
The director also framed the film as a challenge to how pop fandom is dismissed. Abascal told Rolling Stone that pop music fandom is largely made up of women and queer people, and said those fans are a core part of an artist’s global success and relevance.
Her aim, she said, was to present fans first as people and to offer skeptics a more earnest view of the passion behind the posts.
Who made Come to Brasil
Come to Brasil is directed and produced by Lina Abascal. Producers include Gia Rigoli, Vero Kompalic, Tadeu Bijos and Isabel Vallenilla.
The executive producers are Alexandra Dale, Justin Lacob, Emiliana Ammirata, Bernardo Portella, Esteban Zuluaga, Guilherme Meirelles and Frankie Greek. Chica Barbosa is associate producer, Gemma Doll-Grossman is cinematographer and Dri Sommer edited the film.
The documentary is presented by Discordia and Cosmocine, in association with Rolling Stone Films, XTR and Documentary+.
This story draws on original reporting from Rolling Stone.