If some encounters are born by chance, the Matos Trio seems to have been shaped by time itself, the result of a perfect synthesis: tradition carried in the blood combined with a musical formation that expands horizons.

Created in 2024, the project emerges from the vision of pianist and composer Carlos Matos. He approaches the piano as if tracing invisible maps: delicate and sometimes unexpected pathways where the deep roots of Cape Verdean music meet the harmonic freedom of jazz.

On this journey, the master does not walk alone. Alongside him are two generations that give body and breath to a richly nuanced sound.

N’Du Carlos, an essential drummer and percussionist in the national music scene, is a central figure in mentoring new talents and bringing the African soul to the stage. N’Du adds the pulsating energy and striking percussive force that anchor the trio firmly in tradition.

From batuko to funaná, from morna to coladeira, the rhythms that shaped Cape Verde find here an improvisation without borders. Inspired both by the great composers of the islands and by their own creations, the Matos Trio honors the roots without being bound by them. It is music made with grace, humility, and the quiet pride of carrying the identity of a people onto global stages.

The Voice That Doesn't Ask for Permission, It Takes Over!

From the cold of Toronto, a sweet fire is born. Aiza Ntibarikure, who defines herself as the "Afrobop Queen," does not carry this title by chance. Her music dances between Afropop and R&B in a bilingual way, presenting itself as a force that is simultaneously light and powerful.

Born in Montreal to Burundian immigrants and currently based in Toronto, Aiza transforms her heritage into a mosaic of absolute precision. An artist, songwriter, producer, and Grammy voting member, she is also an actor and creator of the award-winning CBC Gem series Real Blackity. On stage, she plays, but she doesn't play around with the message: her presence is an act of affirmation and empowerment, marked by explosive, positive energy that instantly captivates the audience.

Her art is a rigorous technical and emotional construction. While her voice in English conveys impact and rhythmic urgency, in French, she transforms into an atmospheric and metaphorical sonority. This balance led to the resounding success of the album Sovereignty (2023), which has amassed over 2 million streams and remained for 28 weeks on the Canadian charts. The album features a mix of Afropop and R&B, including the track "Majimbo."

Global recognition was consolidated in 2025, when the Recording Academy included her in the prestigious "NEXT CLASS," recognizing her as one of the leaders shaping the future of global music.

The Voice Embracing the World

A daughter of this land of wind and sea, Ineida Moniz weaves the traditional rhythms of the archipelago with contemporary influences, creating a fusion that feels both familiar and refreshingly new. It is Morna breathing differently; Coladeira gaining new textures; beats that cross the Atlantic without ever losing their Creole accent.

Through the Atlântico Sonoro project, she bridged the musical gap between Cape Verde and Brazil, further solidifying her artistic identity. Within her voice, stories are told, rooted in deep heritage yet always gazing toward the horizon.

Her repertoire echoes the greats of our music, such as Orlando Pantera, Tcheka, and Dany Carvalho, alongside striking interpretations like Princezito’s "Kuka". On stage, Ineida is a study in contrast and balance: she possesses the breath to sustain silence and the strength to command a storm within the same note.

Ineida’s sound is an affective map. As a singer-songwriter, she weaves melodies that drink from the well of Morna and Coladeira, yet allow themselves to float through global textures. But her song goes beyond the music. An activist at heart, she is a steadfast voice for gender equity and the empowerment of women, believing that the flourishing of women in the arts is the oxygen that revitalizes a nation's entire culture.

Four years after a debut that left a lasting mark, the artist returns to the epicenter of the music industry.

There, between the city’s concrete and the vastness of the Praia sky, Ineida Moniz will deliver the symphony and the sabura of a Cape Verdean soul that can no longer be contained by borders.

Where Heritage Finds Its Voice

Born in 2004 in São Vicente, an island where morna learns early how to breathe. Derrick Salomão carries this heritage in his voice: young in time, ancient in soul.

His path began to take shape in 2018, within the quiet gathering of a church choir, a place where his voice found its first shelter and music became a school. There, his gift learned discipline, and silence learned how to sing.

Two years later, the stage of Todo Mundo Canta became the showcase of destiny: the victory was not only a trophy but also the breath that opened doors to wider horizons.

Two years later, the stage of Todo Mundo Canta became the showcase of a destiny: the victory was not only a trophy, but the breath that opened doors to wider horizons.

Derrick does not simply interpret; he exhales morna. It is a raw emotion that flows freely, like a living bridge between the weight of tradition and the lightness of contemporaneity. His music runs free, with the patience of rivers, until it finds its own course in the present.

Today, Derrick Salomão is one of the young faces of Morna, a guardian who holds the roots with respect while allowing the seed to grow into fruit. In September 2024, this journey crystallized in “Sentimento Iludido”, his first single, available on YouTube.

A harmony between the breath of today and the echo of centuries. Between youth and memory. Between the Morna that was born in the backyard and learned to travel the world.

A Universe in Breath and Resonance

Between Paris and Tokyo, there is an invisible line. Maïa Barouh walks along it and turns it into sound.

A singer and flautist of Franco-Japanese origin, Maïa has built a musical expression without borders. Trained in classical music and jazz, she found her free territory in fusion: JAPANESE / FRENCH / FUSION / FOLK / PUNK.

Everything together, everything mixed, without asking for permission.
The flute is her first love. But it is not just an instrument. It is voice, percussion, breath. She sings using an ancestral technique from a small island in southern Japan and blends it with electric and modern sounds, creating a sonic landscape that can feel like trance or raw silence.

Still a teenager, she began in Tokyo’s underground scene, playing saxophone in the streets and accompanying drag queens, dancers, and artists from the creative margins. Moving back and forth between Paris and Tokyo, she released projects such as Kusamakura and, more recently, the album Aïda. It is a work she wrote, produced, and arranged, in which the flute and voice build a universe that is simultaneously melancholic, irreverent, and provocative.

There she confronts themes such as anti-Asian racism and feminism, without losing playfulness, that good strangeness, and a sense of freedom.

Between the heat of ancestral fire and the subtlety of tribes, Maïa inhabits the place where sound transforms. Tradition dances with electronics under the spell of a folk enchantment. When she takes the stage, she radiates a burning force, bringing all her heritage together in a single pulse.

There she confronts themes such as anti-Asian racism and feminism, without losing playfulness, that good strangeness, and a sense of freedom.

And there, in the heart of the city, the world will fit into one moment: Japan, France, and Cabo Verde in the same rhythm.

Ugochi Lydia Onuoha, known worldwide as Guchi, is today one of the most magnetic voices in Nigerian Afropop. Her story is a testament to resilience and destiny: from a young church chorister at the age of 7 to international stages, her path has been shaped with boldness. Emerging from the vibrant music scene of Lagos, she proves that music knows no borders when it is made from the heart.

With a sound that flows effortlessly between Afropop, R&B, and Soul, Guchi builds a universe where rhythm invites the body to dance while melody embraces the soul. She became a global phenomenon with the hit “Jennifer”, followed by the massive success “Benzema” (Top 3 on the Billboard Top Triller Global Chart). With more than 400 million streams and a discography that includes the acclaimed Purple Diary and the recent No Skips, Just Feelings (2025), Guchi reveals an identity that refuses to be confined to genres.

Guchi’s iconic purple hair is her crown: for the artist, the color symbolizes royalty and feminine confidence. On stage, this visual comes alive in what she calls “Purple Pop”, a magnetic balance between the vibrancy of her performance and the serenity of her voice, blending the nobility of the color with the rawness of real life.

Acclaimed by critics for bringing “substance and melody” to Afrobeats, Guchi arrives at AME 2026 in one of the brightest moments of her career.
Bringing recent hits such as “Polo” and “Gimme The Money”, Guchi proves that Nigeria’s rhythm can also be smooth and soulful. On stage, she commands both groove and emotion, creating a unique frequency that instantly tunes the audience to her energy.