ÃO
Betoverende mix van Portugese artpop en alternatieve Latin
With their enchanting blend of electronica, art pop, Afro-pop, saudade and alternative Latin, Ão have become one of the most exciting acts on the Belgian music scene. The quartet refuse to be neatly pigeonholed into any one genre and blend their diverse backgrounds into a unique hybrid sound, in the spirit of Stromae, Rosalía and C. Tangana.
Frontwoman Brenda Corijn draws on her Mozambican-Portuguese roots and sings in Portuguese and English. Her warm voice intertwines with Siebe Chau’s southern-tinged guitar playing, Jolan Decaestecker’s layered electronica and Bert Peyffers’ eclectic percussion. Live, Ão are an exhilarating experience, shifting from delicate melodies to danceable beats in a hypnotic world where you never quite know where a particular sound is coming from.
Their second album, Malandra* (2026), marked their breakthrough: rave reviews, a sold-out show at Ancienne Belgique, a sold-out club tour and more than 80 performances across Europe. On 16 April 2027, the Malandra series will be completed with ‘Obra’, Portuguese for ‘work’ or ‘creation’: five new tracks created during the same period that bring the story of the malandra to a close. Around that time, the quartet will be going on tour, and they won’t be skipping the Simplon!
