“Perfect
sundowner
soundtrack”
(WDR Cosmo)
The singer, composer and multi-instrumentalist Bia Ferreira combines rhythms of the African diaspora such as soul, R’n’B, reggae and rap with Brazilian music such as samba and repente. The Brazilian is one of the leading musical voices in the field of gender equality. Her Portuguese, queer-feminist lyrics are a strong political plea against racism, homophobia and other forms of discrimination. According to the artist herself, she makes “MMP – Música de Mulher Preta” (Music of the Black Woman), which in her case are often love songs.
Even as a teenager, Bia Ferreira travelled around Brazil alone with her guitar, making a living from her music and playing wherever she was allowed to. She sang with her powerful voice against injustice and preached love. Her breakthrough came with a performance at a Sofar Sound Session: her song “Cota Não É Esmola” has been streamed more than 13 million times on YouTube and has even been integrated into school curricula. Since then, the singer-songwriter has been conquering international concert stages either solo or with her band. Her showcase at the WOMEX 2023 world music trade fair in Lisbon was unanimously hailed by trade visitors and the press as one of the best performances of the entire event, and since then the singer has been inundated with booking requests. Last year alone, Bia Ferreira played 53 shows in the USA, Canada and Europe, including Portugal, Spain, the Netherlands, France, Italy, Germany, Austria, Switzerland and the UK. She has performed at festivals such as North Sea Jazz and Summer for the City at the Lincoln Center in New York and at dozens of clubs. At asphalt she will be performing with her band.
Bia Ferreira’s influence extends beyond music – for example, she regularly writes editorial articles for newspapers and radio programmes. Bia Ferreira has released two albums to date: “Igreja Lisbeteriana: Um Chamado” (“Lesbian Church, a Call”, 2019) and “Faminta” (“Hunger”, 2022).
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What the press says:
“Music with a political message: you shouldn’t miss Bia Ferreira’s performances.” (mdr Kultur)
“She makes music that harnesses a combination of funky beats, reggae and soulful ballad grooves while lyrically pushing her listeners toward the discomfort that generates ‘movemente’, or action.” (NPR Music)
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Funded by the Ministry of Culture and Science of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, in cooperation with TheDorf
Bia Ferreira – voice and guitar
Marcelo Araújo – drums
Fabíola Nobre – bass
