Luís Henrique Alves, 25 years old, lives with his mother, girlfriend and daughter in Americanópolis, on the outskirts of the city of São Paulo, and makes deliveries by motorcycle as an iFood partner. It was like this, “De Entrega em Entrega”, that gave rise to the idea of composing a song about the daily lives of iFood delivery people and how this work helps them make their dreams come true. With this song, Luís gained more prominence on the music scene, rekindling the flame of a dream that was almost left aside by the delivery man: “De Entrega em Entrega” took MC Luizão towards the realization of his dreams.
In this way, Luizão shows in his music that — as he often says — “Everything works out in the end. If it didn’t work out, it’s because the end hasn’t come yet.” To talk about his life journey so far, the ups and downs, his relationship with art and his dreams, iFood News spoke ping-pong with the young MC.
Check out the full interview below:
iFN: Luizão, tell us: when did you start working as a delivery boy at iFood and why did you make that choice?
MC Luizão: Well, I started working at iFood a little before the pandemic, due to a lack of opportunities in the job market and because I didn't have a formal job. I had encouragement from friends who already worked with deliveries too. Furthermore, delivery is a practical way to earn money, to work for myself, being able to set my own hours, and depend on myself to have this income.
iFN: What are the opportunities and challenges of being an iFood delivery person?
MC Luizão: I believe that iFood was quite an opportunity. With her I learned that you only depend on yourself, I learned to have more responsibility, apart from the places I have been visiting with each passing day.
The challenges of being a delivery person are enormous. For many it may not seem like it, but one of them is knowing that you need the income and having to deal with rain, cold or even a lot of sun. We have to challenge ourselves every day to support our family, not to mention the risks in traffic which, whether we like it or not, also becomes a challenge. So I leave home early in search of places where the demand for order is larger and this ends up becoming more of a challenge.
iFN: How did the idea of composing the song “De Entrega em Entrega”, which reached 3.5 million views on YouTube, come about?
MC Luizão: The song came about shortly after I was working as a delivery boy, which was another incentive for writing it. But the biggest reason was to analyze what happens within the community, and outside as well. I based it a lot on what we experience on a daily basis and the battle it takes for us to pursue our dreams.
iFN: What was your daily life like before music? Did anything change after launch?
MC Luizão: My day-to-day life before music is not so different from what I live today, always fighting to have a better life, always going after what I want with a lot of determination and willpower to get where I really want to get to.
Yes, some things have changed, and they continue to change. The fight for continuous improvement is the same, but music has already given me several friendships. I'm well known in the community where I live and I've been growing more and more in the music business! I got a contract with the music production company Inexplicable Music, which for me was one of the biggest steps so far. Before it was difficult to produce a song, record a music video, and today thanks to them I can do all of that.
iFN: What was it like recording the music video for the song “De Entrega em Entrega”?
MC Luizão: It was quite an experience. It was during the recording of this clip that I really saw that I had real friends. To record the music video, everyone I called helped me in some way, and that was incredible for me. We recorded in 3 different scenarios, I got together with other delivery friends to make a really cool clip. As we referred to the delivery men, I took the bike and went to the point where my friends and other delivery men were, and it was with their help that we recorded the music video.
iFN: We noticed that, in the song, you talk about changing yourself with each delivery, in the sense of evolving. How does your life story mix with the lyrics of this song?
MC Luizão: Yes, “from delivery to delivery it rose”. This phrase is very similar to what I was experiencing, because at the beginning I wasn't very excited, without a job and without being able to record a song, this left our self-esteem very low. But every time I went out to make a delivery I became more and more motivated, because I was taking my living home and I knew that I would soon be able to record my songs. And is not it worked? I managed to help the family with the bills at home and I also managed to record my music! So that's where the part of the song comes from where I talk about getting up with each delivery and changing yourself.
iFN: Still about the lyrics of the song, which talk about achievements without stopping dreaming... How do you see the place you were at the beginning, the place you are now and the place you still want to get to?
MC Luizão: I see the beginning with a lot of “down to earth” from where I am now. I haven't gotten to where I want to be yet, but it's already a big step forward! I talk about feet on the ground because we have to have humility and perseverance to achieve our goals, and I have never lacked that. With every achievement I have, I thank God very much. Always before asking him for things I say a prayer, and whenever I get what I want I thank him in prayer too. I think this is important because I believe that perseverance, humility and faith make us get where we want. And today I see myself fulfilled by everything I have already achieved. This is what motivates me to get where I want to be. I want to provide a better living condition for my family, not see them in need and be able to provide a life that I didn't have for my four-year-old daughter.
iFN: And speaking of your musical career, can you talk a little about your new projects?
MC Luizão: Thanks to the production company Inexplicable Music, today I can record my songs and music videos that I dreamed of so much. I have a lot of new projects, a lot of new music. I'm even planning my next song referring to us delivery people. I've already released 3 more music videos after the song “De delivery em Entrega”, and I'm very happy with everything that's happening in my life.
iFN: To close, Luizão, what would you like to say to iFood delivery people?
MC Luizão: What I have to say to them is that, in life, sometimes a door closes to open a bigger door, so never give up on your dreams and show yourself that you can do it! There is an excerpt from my song “De Entrega em Entrega” that I will leave as a message for all delivery drivers: “We are in search of progress, I don’t want to delay anyone, I just want my success. I want my place where I belong, without taking anyone else’s, I’ve seen my life improve.” And that's it.
