Photo by Axel Joseph

Today Pongo returns with her first new music of 2021, single release ‘BRUXOS’. Available now on Virgin Music, it’s the follow-up to the hotly-tipped Angolan-Portuguese artist’s 2020 EP UWA, which drew her widespread press plaudits and radio airplay across Radio 1, 1Xtra Worldwide FM and 6 Music, who also play-listed UWA and invited Pongo to perform as part of the 6 Music 2020 Festival bill. Arriving ahead of a 15 date UK headline tour - kicking off at London’s Eartha on July 31, ‘BRUXOS’ is streaming now across all platforms from here. Pongo has also recorded a version of the track live in session for COLORS - now streaming here.

BRUXOS - meaning sorcerer in Portuguese - refers to the belief that Pongo was confronted with when growing up in Angola, that jealous people would cast spells on those who succeeded. Pongo grew up with this idea stuck in her head, purposefully aiming not to succeed too much in whatever she undertook, for fear of being caught by the curses of these sorcerers, dissatisfied with their own lack of success. Today, she frees herself from these BRUXOS, and urges her audience to get rid of the constraints, even those self-imposed, that lead to doubt and taint success. ‘BRUXOS’, this new ode to resilience in Pongo's signature style, resonates with everyone and will leave no one indifferent.

There was, around ‘BRUXOS’, the desire to combine the dances dear to Pongo: Kuduro, Break, Malanje, dancehall, an improbable fusion of rhythms found in South and Central Africa, Reunionese instruments (Kayamb) and Caribbean grooves. The composers Dj Tony438, young French dancehall legend, and Lazy Flow, stemming from ballroom indie club culture and member of “House of Ladurée”, have made a wild anthem with the omnipresent concept of escapism at its core. Produced by King Doudou (Pnl, BadGyal, JBalvin), the vision was to incorporate flows from various global electronic music genres (dancehall, BaileFunk), while having a large majority of the elements played by fantastic instrumentalists in the studio, ensuring that the song would have the energy and feel of a live performance. 

TOUR 2021

04/06/2021 - Madrid (ES) - CONQUE DEL DUQUE
17/06/2021 - TOULOUSE (FR) - FESTIVAL RIO LOCO
10/07/2021 - BOULOGNE BILLANCOURT (FR) - FESTIVAL CHORUS DE HAUTS DE SEINE
27/08/2021 - EWIJK (NL) - DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE