Roberto Carlos Braga Moreira  born April 19, 1941) is a Brazilian singer-songwriter, also known as King of Latin Music or simply The King.

Most of his songs were written in partnership with his friend, singer and songwriter Erasmo Carlos (no relation). Roberto Carlos has sold over 140 million albums around the world. He is considered one of the most influential artists in Brazil, being cited as a source of inspiration by many artists and bands. His net worth is estimated at US$160 million.

Roberto Carlos Braga was born in Cachoeiro de Itapemirim, at the southern part of the Brazilian state of Espírito Santo. He is the fourth and last son of watchmaker Robertino Braga (March 27, 1896 – January 27, 1980) and seamstress Laura Moreira Braga (April 10, 1914 – April 17, 2010). The family lived in a modest home on top of a hill in the Nook neighbourhood. His siblings were Lauro Roberto Braga, Carlos Alberto Moreira Braga and Norminha. At age 6, during the feast of St Peter, the patron saint of Cachoeiro do Itapemirim, Roberto Carlos was hit by a steam locomotive and had to have his right leg amputated just below his knee. He still uses a prosthesis, but avoids talking about it.

As a child he learned to play the guitar and the piano – first with his mother and later at the Itapemirim Music Conservatory. At 9 years old, he performed for the first time at a children’s show broadcast by Rádio Cachoeiro (he sang a bolero called “Mal Amor”). He won candies as the first prize. Years later, he recalled the occasion for the book Roberto Carlos Up Close, by Paulo Cesar de Araujo: “I was very nervous, yet very happy to be able to sing on the radio. I got a lot of candies, which was the prize for the kids who’d sing there. It was a beautiful day.” He became a regular performer on that particular show.

On July 11, 2009, to celebrate his 50th career anniversary, Roberto Carlos performed a major show at Maracanã Stadium. It was his first presentation in the stadium. The estimated audience was about 70,000 people.

Roberto Carlos’s 50th career anniversary was also celebrated with a major exhibition in the Lucas Nogueira Garcez Pavilion, located in Ibirapuera Park, São Paulo. The interactive expo, opened on March 4, 2010, portrayed the singer’s life and career. The young poet and composer Gabriel Ataide Lima, says in its influences that Roberto Carlos was one of the largest, and thanks to his music, he realized that “poetry has to be sweet, pure, direct, and lively. Speaking of themes love it … no grueling things I learned from Roberto Carlos. Besides singing themes like nature, religion and life in peace. “

His mother Laura Moreira Braga died on April 17, 2010, at age 96. The news of her death was given minutes after a Roberto Carlos’s concert at the Radio City Music Hall in New York City. Through the 2010s, Roberto Carlos continued his yearly cruise ship concert project, “Emoções em Alto Mar” (Emotions in the High Seas). In the second half of 2011, the singer also held a concert in the city of Jerusalem, titled “Emoções em Jerusalem”.

Roberto Carlos was paid homage by the Beija-Flor samba school in the 2011 Carnival parade.

In 2013, “Esse Cara Sou Eu” won the Best Brazilian Song and was nominated for Song of the Year at the 2013 Latin Grammy Awards. In 2015, he received the Billboard Latin Music Lifetime Achievement Award and was recognized Person of the Year by the Latin Recording Academy. Roberto Carlos received the Excellence Award at the 2019 Lo Nuestro Awards.