Música sertaneja or Sertanejo is a music style that had its origins in the countryside of Brazil in the 1920s. It is the most popular music style in Brazil, being particularly more popular throughout the interior of Brazil. Sub-genres include Root Sertanejo, Romantic Sertanejo and Sertanejo Universitário.
Sertanejo songs have been, from the 1990s on, the most played music genre on Brazilian radio, constantly topping the Brazilian music charts. Additionally, from 2000 to 2003 and since 2009, música sertaneja albums have been granted a specific category at the Latin Grammy Awards.
Most sertanejo music artists consist of duos, often brothers, typically with one of them being the backing vocalist to the other one. Men have traditionally dominated the scene, although recently some women (notably Paula Fernandes and Maria CecÃlia) have also achieved mainstream success.
The subgenre called "sertanejo universitário" (university sertanejo) has developed from the mid-2000s on, with more stripped-down, acoustic-oriented use of guitars, and has become very popular among Brazilian youth. .
