EXCLUSIVE: Deadline has learned that ITV America is developing the music reality series Star Serenade with Brazilian singer model and actress Greice Santo as creator and EP.
The series format is described as having recording artists/pop-stars surprising individuals with a performance of a song that’s particularly meaningful to the person requesting, as well as the artist themselves.
Santo had a eureka moment last year that would reshape the vision for her own life and lead to the development of Star Serenade. Last summer, Santo organized a surprise serenade for her friend, Giuliana Feltscher, wife of LA Galaxy soccer star Rolf Feltscher, of legendary Italian award-winning singer and producer Tony Renis performing the ballad “Quando Quando Quando”. The song meant the world to Giuliana Feltscher as her father sang it to her as a child. In May 2020, Feltscher lost her father to Covid after he endured a three-month battle with the virus in a coma in an Italian hospital. The serenade, which was recorded and went viral around the world in a video posted on DailyMail, showed Giuliana Feltscher breaking down in tears upon hearing Renis’ performance. With the video receiving worldwide media attention, Santo decided to create a show that would do these kind acts to deserving people on a regular basis around the globe.
“As a woman of color from the ghettos of Brazil, who has experienced many hardships of my own in trying to find a way to a better life, my hope is that Star Serenade will leave behind a legacy that will help touch and heal the world,” Santo tells Deadline.
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Santo is currently in advance discussions with sponsor partners for Star Serenade including networks, social media music platforms, and music entities both in the U.S. and worldwide, including Canada, Brazil, India, Italy and Latin America. A sports version of Star Serenade is also in development. We hear that Star Serenade is in advance talks with Resorts World Las Vegas as a possible partner.
Santo recorded the female empowerment pop single “Você Você” with 17-time Grammy Award-winning producer Humberto Gatica (Michael Bublé’s Crazy Love and Nobody But Me, Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On”, Andrea Bocelli’s Cinema, Selena Gomez, Madonna, Michael Jackson, Mariah Carey). Her new single Trankila drops in August. Portions of all proceeds from that single will go to MusiCares.
As an activist, Santo has the initiative Glam With Greice which inspires and helps bullied and battered women with free makeovers, new fashion outfits and concert tickets.
Santo’s TV credits include Blanca on the Emmy-nominated Jane the Virgin, New Girl, The Odd Couple, One Day at Time and Games People Play and the Jason Statham action feature film Wild Card. She is repped by UTA.