ELLA Brazilian Singer Born 1997 in Guajará-Mirim

Early life

Ella Viana de Holanda was born on 8 October 1997 in Guajará-Mirim, in the Brazilian state of Rondônia. Ella records and performs under the names Ella and Jotta A, and works as a singer and songwriter.

Career

Ella's recording career began in gospel music with the 2003 album Sou Um Milagre. National attention came in 2011, when Ella won a talent contest on the television programme of the presenter Raul Gil, where the high register of the voice drew notice. The win led to a contract with the label Central Gospel Music.

The label released the album Essência, which is reported to have sold more than eighty thousand copies and received a platinum certification. At the 2012 Troféu Promessas awards, Essência earned nominations in several categories, including Revelation, Best Singer and Best CD, and Ella took home the Revelation prize. Ella also won the Best Singer category at the Troféu de Ouro awards. In February 2011 Ella took part in the recording of the DVD Ao Deus das Causas Impossíveis with the singer Davi Sacer and the group Apascentar de Louvor.

In 2013 Ella released Geração de Jesus. The singer Daniela Araújo produced it with Jorginho Araújo, and it combined original songs with pieces written in partnership with Daniela. The Christian music portal O Propagador described it as a search for identity and noted that it showed new sound elements, which it connected to the changes a voice goes through in adolescence. The album sold thirty thousand copies within a few days. In 2014 it was nominated for the Latin Grammy for Best Christian Album in Portuguese, an award that went to Graça by Aline Barros.

The next album, Recomeçar, appeared in 2017 under the name Jotta A and marked a return to the market. Jeziel Assunção and William Augusto produced it, and "Princípio e Fim" was released as its single. In 2018 came the first album in Spanish, Muéstrame Tu Gloria, whose title track went on to collect more than one hundred million views on YouTube and found a large audience in Spanish-speaking countries. Extravagante Adoración followed in 2019.

In 2020 Ella announced a departure from gospel music and entered pop with the Spanish-language single "Aventurero", with reggaeton influences. In 2021 the single "Pessoa Certa", recorded with the drag performer Aretuza Lovi, moved the music toward the LGBTQ pop scene and drew a strong negative reaction from part of the earlier gospel audience. The same year saw the release of Noel, Vol.1.

In 2022 Ella released the singles "Éden" and "Apollo 11", built on retrowave arrangements and an 1980s visual style. Looking back on the change, Ella said that gospel had been a school and that pop had been an industry full of learning. The singles "Humano" and "Alasca" came a few months later and belong to the first studio album in pop. In February 2023 the eight-track album La Drácula appeared, including the single "Tóxico".

Recognition

Ella's recognition comes mostly from the early gospel period. The Revelation award at the 2012 Troféu Promessas, the Best Singer prize at the Troféu de Ouro and the 2014 Latin Grammy nomination for Geração de Jesus mark that stage. Beyond these awards, Ella's YouTube channel had about 806,000 subscribers as of July 2025.