here’s a glow around Liniker. The Brazilian singer-songwriter has always radiated presence, but today, there’s something softer—and stronger—about the way she moves through the world. “I’ve been enjoying my life and my goals more,” she tells CREMA, speaking from Portugal on a brief break from touring. “And with no guilt. I’ve been kinder to myself.”
That ease didn’t come overnight. It came step by step. Through grief, reflection, and an unflinching return to self, Liniker found her way back to joy. And on the other side of that journey is CAJU, a luminous new album that reclaims pleasure, ancestry, and vulnerability in full technicolor.
1When asked what sparked the album, Liniker doesn’t hesitate: “I decided to create a character. That was CAJU.” The name became a mirror, a tool for transformation. “CAJU was showing me everything that everybody sees in me and I don’t see. So I had to be more flexible, more patient, more lovely with myself.”
According to Liniker, it was a personal revolution. After a decade of building a career, breaking barriers, and enduring the weight of industry expectations, she found herself spiritually depleted. Kassú offered a path back to grace. “I remember myself at the beginning of this journey, and I can see myself now at this point,” she says. “We’ve been growing. And it is beautiful.”
During the making of CAJU, Liniker was deep in a spiritual rebirth. She tells CREMA that her creative process became intertwined with rituals rooted in Candomblé, the Afro-Brazilian religion she practices. “I was passing through a very special healing process, being connected with my orixá,” she explains. “I felt that it was possible to touch my essentiality. To listen to my guide talking to me in my ears.”
That connection shaped every note of the record. “I think to do music, to write a song, getting into a studio—it’s not possible if you don’t have some connection with something,” she says. “Candomblé helped me and taught me how to listen to what I don’t see. How to listen to my intuition.”
2The contrast between Indigo Borboleta Anil and CAJU reveals a major shift. Indigo won Liniker a Latin Grammy in 2022—the first ever awarded to a trans woman—but its creation came from a place of pain. “I passed through a terrible moment,” she says. “Dealing with a lot of desires that did not come from me, but came from the people I work with. I was very hurt. I did not believe in myself.” CAJU, by comparison, is light-filled. It’s what she calls her “eternal summer.” She recalls watching Charlotte Adigéry & Bolis Pupul perform recently and seeing the words “eternal bright summer” flash across the screen. “I think there’s a similarity,” she reflects. “CAJU is giving me the woman I’ve been seeing and wanting to be. I’ve never felt so empowered. So beautiful.”
Produced by Liniker alongside Fejuca and Gustavo Ruiz—the same team behind Indigo Borboleta Anil—CAJU is a genre-defying body of work that blends Brazilian groove-based pop, neo-soul, samba, jazz, house, pagode, arrocha, disco, and reggae. Liniker’s signature voice weaves it all together into something spiritually alive. She recorded the album on analog tape, giving it a rich, tactile warmth. “Recording on tape gives the music a unique texture. If you listen closely, you can hear the subtle hiss of it spinning,” she reveals. Liniker also worked closely with vocal producer Paulo Zuckini to highlight the nuances of her voice.
“For a long time, I felt trapped in the need to prove who I am, to seek validation… CAJU was born from my desire to see myself with more kindness. After nearly ten years in the industry, I’ve realised I must own my narrative,” Liniker explains. “Indigo Borboleta Anil helped me stand tall. Now, CAJU is making me run—it’s giving me movement. For the first time, I feel truly secure. I’d love for people to embrace this album, but I already love it. I made the album of my dreams.”
The album features an impressive lineup of guests: Amaro Freitas, Tropkillaz, BaianaSystem, Lulu Santos, ANAVITÓRIA, Pabllo Vittar, Priscila Senna, and more. CAJU has already generated over 250 million streams and earned spots on year-end best album lists from Rolling Stone Brasil and Pop Matters.
3Since the beginning of her career, Liniker has carried the burden of representation. A Black trans woman making soul-infused Brazilian music? For too long, media outlets have made her identity the main focus of the story. “Every time I released a very special album, it was hard to talk about the album,” she says. “Because I was a trans person in Brazil. I was being a trans person in the world.”
Liniker is clear: she understands the weight of visibility. But she’s also tired of being flattened by it. “I’ve been working so hard to give the world a light. To bring fresh music to the world. Good music,” she says. “I’ve been doing this because I know that I’m good. And my community has been doing amazing things. We just want to create. We want to give the world the best: excellence.”
4Even while on the road—22 shows so far this year—Liniker remains grounded. She’s tired, yes, but also luminous. Her voice carries the joy of someone who’s no longer performing survival. “I’ve been building this career for 10 years,” she says. “I’ve passed through a lot of bad things to stay here. But now, I’m here. With presence.”
With sold-out shows across Europe and a highly anticipated U.S. stop at Lincoln Center in New York City on July 19, Liniker is in a moment of radiant clarity. As CAJU continues to unfold across stages and hearts, one thing is clear: Liniker’s not done healing, and she’s not done shining. She is here, fully. And that’s a gift worth listening to.
