Do you remember the video that went viral (it was even shared by Billie Eilish) of the singing little pig helping a cyclist who fell next to him?
This viral video was a milestone in the life of Jonathan de Jesus Oliveira, Joow J., better known as Porquinho da Paulista. Aged 29, he became a success and a huge phenomenon on the streets.
But this was not always the case. Working at a hospital, he decided to quit his job to sing around the city. Joow has been doing this for ten years, but only three years ago he decided to dress up in costumes.
He has worn many costumes — from Spider-Man to Naruto — but it was the little pig that went viral and became his brand. Today, in addition to singing on the street, Joow takes part in events and is invited to perform at companies. With 332 thousand followers on TikTok and 88 thousand on Instagram, he has been fulfilling his dream of making a living from art.
TINO Econômico had an unusual meeting with Joow, in the building where our newsroom operates. Upon seeing him at the building’s reception, we invited him for a chat and he said yes. “This is crazy, I came for a dentist appointment and look where I ended up”, he commented.
Completely in character, Joow only needed to press a button for the clothes to inflate and he transformed into the Porquinho da Paulista.
In our newsroom, he told us a little about his story and the difficulties he faced in following his dream, as well as leaving a tip for young people who dream of starting a business.
“Just start, don’t wait to have the cell phone with the best camera to start making videos, don’t wait to set up the entire structure for the ideal business, make do with what you have and grow little by little. This is how dreams come true.”
