A mere two years ago, Fiorella was a high school student in Capitán Bado, a tranquil town nestled in the Paraguayan countryside when she signed the biggest contract of her life, with Sony Music Brazil. At 16 close to 17, she is forging a unique artistic path that effortlessly blends Portuguese, Spanish, and Guaraní, with over half a million Instagram followers.
This young woman, still juggling with secondary education and music aspiration, sits down with The Asunción Times to talk about her deep roots, her passion for music and horses, and her ambitious future. This is the story of Fiorella Noemy Giménez Ayala, a rising music star from Paraguay.
Life on the border
Fiorella, who is turning 17 at the end of November, is the quintessential small-town girl.
“I am from the countryside of the countryside,” she explains with a smile, describing her hometown, Capitán Bado, in Paraguay’s Amambay Department. The small city shares a border with Coronel Sapucaia in Brazil’s State of Mato Grosso do Sul. The small city, with an estimated population of 20,000, offers a peaceful existence.
“It is a calm life: here in my city everyone knows everyone, everyone knows me and I know everyone. On this corner I run into a friend, on the next corner is my grandmother’s house, on the street behind is my aunt’s house.”
The significance of Paraguay for Fiorella
For Fiorella, her home country is the bedrock of her career. “Paraguay actually means a lot, because I am Paraguayan,” she affirms. Her parents’ love for music connected her with local musicians who helped hone her craft.
Fiorella’s early musical experiences involved performing at various Paraguayan TV programmes and festivals, singing Guaranias such as “Mercedita.” “That opened many doors to meet many people,” she notes. The Paraguayan artist acknowledges the vital role her heritage played in her ascent.
Roping and the ranch life
Fiorella’s artistry is inseparable from her love of the farm. The passion for music, she shares, was born alongside her lifelong love of horses and roping (laço). “I love the farm, I love spending a quiet weekend on the farm, disconnected from the internet and being able to live that moment.”
Roping, a sport where a competitor (roper) on horseback must lasso the head of a bull, is Fiorella’s “second passion.” Having been riding since the age of six, it is a key part of her essence. This shared love of horses proved instrumental in her professional life, connecting her with her eventual “musical godparents,” the Brazilian sertanejo duo Fernando & Sorocaba.
A passion born in the cradle
Fiorella’s discovery of music is a charming tale her mother often recounts. Around the age of four or five, during a family dinner, she retired upstairs but found she could not sleep due to the music. “It felt like something was calling me to come back downstairs. So I went down… in my little pajamas with a blanket, and I went to lie on my mother’s lap because the music really caught my attention.”
Her talent, surprisingly, is unique in her family. “It is bizarre, it is only me who sings in my house, in my family,” she muses. Her school teacher quickly spotted her promise, encouraging her parents to “invest in her” after seeing her enthusiasm at school festivity.
Fiorella’s trilingual tapestry
Fiorella’s musical output is a reflection of her cross-cultural upbringing. She confesses to now listening to more Portuguese music as she enters the Brazilian artistic scene. However, her heart remains with the original Spanish and Guaraní songs she started with. “I never stopped singing in Spanish and Guaraní… I am always listening,” she explains, keeping the bridge between the three languages strong.
When being asked, English, she admits with a big smile, is a current challenge. However, she is taking classes and working on it. The artist agrees with her teacher that speaking Guaraní gives her a distinct advantage with the “rolled R” sound needed for English pronunciation.
When Sony Music came knocking
The biggest turning point came in the form of a direct message that changed her life. “I, at 14 or 15, received this proposal… A Paraguayan girl, 15 years old, living in the countryside of Paraguay, where practically no one knows you… and signing a contract with Sony Music, for me, was total craziness. It is very gratifying to know that, at such a young age, to get where I got and be with the best label.”
When asked about the album she is proudest of, she immediately names “Meio Cidade, Meio Interior” (Half City, Half Countryside). “It is a dream come true, I can say.”
The project, which was recorded in São Paulo and features collaborations with Guilherme & Benuto, speaks directly to her dual existence. The album incorporates a blend of sertanejo (a popular Brazilian genre) and cumbia, with inspiration drawn from Paraguay. “This album is incredible. I think it is the best album and the biggest dream I have fulfilled in my life.”
Her musical inspiration remains the late, great Marília Mendonça, the “Queen of Sertanejo”, whose songs Fiorella knows by heart. Her ultimate “dream collaboration” would be with another Brazilian icon, Luan Santana.
Balancing stardom and school
Despite the commitments of her budding career, Fiorella remains focused on her education. She maintains a remarkably normal life in Capitán Bado.
“I can be living the life of a 16-year-old teenager calm since I still study,” she says. Crucially, she has not abandoned her studies, which currently involve catching a bus every day at 05:00 to travel 30 kilometres to a school outside of her city. She then finishes schooling around 14:00.
“I think it is important for us to finish this first because everyone has to go through this stage in life, which is studies.” Her biggest goal is to keep advancing professionally and personally. The goal is to eventually move to São Paulo to be closer to her professional base without sacrificing her studies.
Fiorella’s advice for aspiring artists
Fiorella’s message to other young dreamers is simple and powerful: never give up. She shares a profound piece of advice from her mother: “The little white horse only passes in front of you once. So you have to take that opportunity and make yourself worthy of it.”
She stresses the need for sacrifice, dedication, and focus: “Success you sacrifice many things, like time you have to dedicate yourself completely to it, not get distracted by other things that will not take you forward.”
Fiorella is a testament to the power of hard work, talent, and never forgetting where you came from. With an incredible label behind her and a supportive family, the young star is only just beginning her journey.
For more from the artist, check Fiorella’s Instagram.
Article made in collaboration with Sarah Spagnol. Pictures provided by Caldi Comunicação and taken by Gabriel Silva, and Douglas Velloso.
