About
Ão blend electronic and alternative pop with threads of Portuguese and Latin American music traditions, and the combination feels genuinely singular. The Leuven rooted Belgian group formed in 2020 around vocalist Brenda Corijn and guitarist Siebe Chau, and their sound carries a clear emotional pull tied to the concept of saudade, that Portuguese sense of longing and melancholy. Their 2023 debut album Ao Mar, with songs in both Portuguese and English, earned them a MIA nomination for Breakthrough act and put them on the radar of outlets well beyond Belgium, including US radio station KEXP out of Seattle. The band expanded to four members when Jolan Decaestecker joined as multi instrumentalist and producer and Bert Peyffers came in on percussion. Their second album Malandra arrived in 2026, built around a fictional female character whose name in Portuguese can mean anything from a cheeky kid to a sharp, self determining woman. Ão have described it as a celebration of female autonomy, and the record includes Cinza, a track the band frames as a reflection on violent conflict in the world and the helplessness that comes with watching it unfold.
