The Voice:

The Novella Effect: How Brazilian Soap Operas Built Irish Music’s Unlikely Bridge to Millions

By David McLoughlin, Director of Brasil Calling

From U2 to Hozier, discover how the immense cultural power of Brazil’s nightly telenovelas turned Irish anthems into the soundtrack of a nation.

The Brazilian telenovela represents one of the most powerful cultural platforms in the global entertainment landscape, with prime-time shows on TV Globo regularly attracting 40-60 million viewers nightly. For Irish artists, this platform has served as a remarkably effective gateway to South America’s largest music market. From Gilbert O’Sullivan’s pioneering placement in 1981 to Hozier’s surprise inclusion in 2020, Irish musicians have consistently penetrated Brazil’s lucrative telenovela market, generating millions in revenue and cultivating dedicated fanbases through this unique cultural bridge in Brazil’s $1.2 billion entertainment industry.

The Novela Phenomenon: Brazil’s Cultural Powerhouse.

Few cultural phenomena globally match the dominance of Brazil’s telenovelas. These prime-time dramas transcend mere entertainment to become national rituals that shape fashion trends, introduce new vocabulary, and crucially, define the country’s musical landscape. The impact is measurable: TV Globo’s official soundtrack albums, historically released through its Som Livre label (acquired by Sony Music in 2021), routinely sold hundreds of thousands of copies, with classics like 1985’s “Roque Santeiro” surpassing 1.5 million sales.

The process of music selection in novelas is meticulously curated. At Globo, teams of music supervisors work alongside writers and directors to select songs that underscore key emotional moments. Since the 1970s, this process has been intrinsically tied to Som Livre, which handled licensing of masters from international labels and cleared publishing rights with major companies like Sony/ATV, Universal, Warner Chappell, and BMG. Each novela typically released two soundtrack albums—one featuring Brazilian artists, another with international tracks—both promoted heavily on TV and in stores.

In the streaming era, the novela effect has transitioned seamlessly from physical album sales to digital platforms. Songs featured in Globo dramas now experience massive surges on Spotify, YouTube and Apple Music, with placement still guaranteeing daily national exposure, radio rotation, and performance royalties.

The most striking contemporary success story is Gavin James, whose strategic placements between 2017-2019 demonstrate the modern novela effect. His track “Nervous” in 2017’s “Pega Pega” generated success across Latin America, while “Always” in 2018-2019’s “Espelho da Vida” drove a 450% surge in his Brazilian Spotify streams. Unlike earlier artists, James actively leveraged this exposure through touring São Paulo and Rio and giving interviews on Brazilian media like Alpha FM, solidifying a lasting connection with his newfound audience.

Hozier‘s experience demonstrates the continued relevance of the novela format. He was surprised to learn his deep cut “Nobody’s Soldier” had been included in a remake of “Vale Tudo,” one of Globo’s most iconic novelas famous for its critique of corruption and inequality. For an artist whose “Too Sweet” became a viral hit in 2024, discovering his music woven into Brazil’s television heritage was both unexpected and deeply meaningful.

U2’s anthemic “With or Without You” found a second life in the 1987 novela Mandala. Already a global hit, its nightly presence in Brazilian living rooms transformed the band from international rock stars into a part of the family’s emotional fabric.

Enya’s ethereal “Orinoco Flow” was a perfect match for the historical fantasy Que Rei Sou Eu? (1989). The exposure propelled her album sales in Brazil far beyond her established base in Europe and North America.

The foundation for these contemporary successes was laid by pioneering artists like Gilbert O’Sullivan, whose ballad “What’s in a Kiss” featured in 1981’s “Baila Comigo,” reaching an average of 50 points in Ibope ratings (equivalent to tens of millions of viewers nightly). At a time when international artists rarely broke into Brazil, O’Sullivan became a household name through the emotional pull of the novela format.

Perhaps no Irish band left a bigger mark than The Cranberries, whose multiple placements between 1994-2002 made them novela soundtrack staples. “Linger” in 1994’s “A Viagem” coincided with the band’s MTV Brasil breakthrough and topped local charts, outselling global acts like Roxette and Aerosmith. By 1994, driven largely by novela-fueled demand, The Cranberries had sold over 576,000 albums in Brazil, with Dolores O’Riordan’s distinctive voice becoming the soundtrack for a generation of Brazilian youth.

For Damien Rice, whose “The Blower’s Daughter” experienced organic adoption in Brazil during the 2000s, the creation of a Portuguese version entitled “Então Me Diz” by Zélia Duncan and performed by Simone for the 2005-2006 novela “Belíssima” represents a particularly interesting case of cross-cultural adaptation. This version was included as a bonus track on Simone’s live album “Simone ao Vivo” (2005) and peaked at number 45 on Brazilian charts. Such adaptations require additional copyright considerations but can significantly deepen market penetration.

The financial upside extends well beyond initial sync fees. ECAD performance royalties continue throughout a work’s lifetime, particularly valuable for evergreen tracks like Damien Rice’s “The Blower’s Daughter” or The Cranberries’ “Linger.” Additionally, the streaming surges following placements typically generate 200-400% increases in Brazilian streams, creating substantial long-term revenue.

For particularly successful integrations, brand association deals and touring opportunities offer additional revenue streams. Gavin James’ ability to tour São Paulo and Rio following his novela placements demonstrates this expanded commercial potential.

Brazil’s openness for Irish music is both proven and expanding, representing one of the most promising sync opportunities in the global music market. The emotional resonance between Irish musical storytelling and Brazilian narrative traditions creates a unique commercial and artistic synergy that has benefited artists from Gilbert O’Sullivan in the 1980s to Hozier in the 2020s.

The novela effect represents a rare convergence of massive exposure, substantial revenue, and cultural impact. For Irish artists and rights holders, this unlikely bridge to millions of Brazilian listeners remains one of the music industry’s most undervalued opportunities. With strategic approach and cultural sensitivity, the next decade could see even deeper integration between Irish music and Brazilian storytelling, benefiting artists, publishers, and audiences alike.

Irish Music in Brazilian Novelas: A Timeline

• 1981 – Gilbert O’Sullivan, What’s in a Kiss — Baila Comigo
• 1987 – U2, With or Without You — Mandala
• 1989 – Enya, Orinoco Flow — Que Rei Sou Eu?
• 1994 – The Cranberries, Linger — A Viagem Internacional
• 1996 – The Cranberries, Salvation — Vira Lata
• 2002 – The Cranberries, Stars — Sabor da Paixão
• 2017 – Gavin James, Nervous — Pega Pega
• 2018 – Gavin James, Watch It All Fade — Deus Salve o Rei
• 2018–2019 – Gavin James, Always — Espelho da Vida
• 2025 – Hozier, Nobody’s Soldier — Vale Tudo

About the Author

David McLoughlin: Your Bridge to the Brazilian Music Scene

David McLoughlin has worked in the Brazilian music industry for over three decades. He ran his own independent label licensing international acts like Public Enemy and The Prodigy, and later served as international manager for the Brasil Music Exchange (BME) under APEX Brasil, helping Brazilian artists showcase their music at global events like SXSW, WOMEX, and MIDEM. Today, through his project Brasil Calling, David curates and distributes new Brazilian music to global radio, press, sync supervisors, and festivals.