Ão

In the organizer's words:

Ão bring their new album "Malandra" to Germany in October

Presented by kulturnews and ByteFM

"A real musical melting pot" is how ARTE describes the sound art of the Belgian quartet Ão (pronounced like "meow" without the "m"). This probably refers to the fabulous mix of different genres and influences in which the band effortlessly combines pop, electro and ambient with global elements such as fado or Latin American sounds. In 2020, the group, consisting of Mozambican-Portuguese singer Brenda Corijn, guitarist Siebe Chau, Jolan Decaesteckers on the multi-layered electronic elements and Bert Peyffers on percussion, began releasing their versatile songs and quickly played their way into the hearts of their native Belgium and beyond. Following in the footsteps of artists such as Stromae, Rosalía or C. Tangana, the band's art is difficult to grasp, wriggling out of any genre attributions and managing to integrate everything from electronica and art-pop to saudade or alternative Latin into their coherent overall sound. The four released this sound for the first time in album length in 2023 on their debut "Ao Mar", whose Portuguese and English songs were celebrated by fans and critics alike and earned the band an MIA nomination. Ão's rapidly growing popularity is not least due to the special live experience with which the Belgians captivate their audience. Every single show is a captivating, electrifying experience, ranging from intimate, balladic moments to danceable beats and rampant atmosphere, in which Ão showcase their skills on a variety of instruments, including the charango, bandoneon and tiple alongside guitars, percussion and synths. In February 2026, the band released their second album, "Malandra"; a conceptual work whose 13 tracks each embody different characters that can be found throughout the campaign, from artwork to music videos. The long-player is more profound, rhythmic and complex than its predecessor and its title alone - a Portuguese word for a woman who can be intelligent, charming and humorous, but also manipulative and deceptive - shows how multi-layered the sound is. The musicians will prove this on their "fall club tour" this October, which will also see them make three stops in Germany to present their extraordinary live performance to local audiences.