Kawe & Lele

Kawe & Lele are a Brazilian duo from Rio de Janeiro who started working together in the early 2010s. Their 2016 single "MDS" became a viral hit in Brazil, built around a simple abbreviation for "Meu Deus do Céu" (My God in Heaven). The song's straightforward emotional delivery connected with listeners in a way that felt immediate rather than calculated.

They followed that breakthrough with several more singles over the next few years, including "Rabiola" in 2017 and "Piscininha" in 2018. Their music operates in that space where pop, funk, and R&B overlap in contemporary Brazilian music, though they've never seemed particularly interested in genre definitions. In 2019 they released "Estudando Samba," which suggested a different direction, and "Abraço" came out in 2020.

There was some legal trouble around 2017 regarding ownership of their music, but they kept releasing material through it. Their songs tend to work with everyday language and situations rather than grand statements, which might explain why "MDS" caught on the way it did. They're both credited as vocalists, songwriters, and producers, with Kawe (Rafael Ramos) handling lead vocals and Lele (Lucas Rafael) contributing vocals and production work.