At 16, Bankrol Hayden almost died, so he wrote a hit song about it

American rapper Hayden Inacio, professionally known as Bankrol Hayden, discusses his music career and cultural identity from his Modesto, California origins, born in a family of Portuguese descent, to gaining prominence in the music industry at a young age, accumulating over a billion streams early…

Carlão was once either too white or too black: now he functions on love and music

Born in Angola and raised on the south bank of Lisbon, in Almada, by Cape Verdean parents, Carlão, the voice of the emblematic hip-hop band Da Weasel, joins Tony Gonçalves in an earnest and nostalgic conversation about being 50, about legacy and about growing up either too white or too black. Carl…

Richie Campbell: Portugal gave him the foundation, Jamaica gave him his purpose

For Richie Campbell, music has never been mere entertainment. Reggae offered him a profound sense of resistance and cultural depth that he found lacking in other genres, transforming his craft into a lifelong dedication rather than a fleeting commercial project. As part of a generation that sideste…

Pedro Abrunhosa’s legacy is making legacy in a country that had nobody like him before

Pedro Abrunhosa’s career is nothing short of incredible, but his words always speak louder than fame or talent. A man of causes, he is quick to denounce the bombings in Gaza and Iran… in less than 10 minutes since the beginning of this conversation. He started as a double bass player, went to New Y…

Joana Vicente: Independent film and the AI revolution

The conversation between Joana Vicente and Tony Gonçalves examines the current strain on the industry: distribution bottlenecks, shrinking financing, and established directors struggling to secure budgets once considered routine. Vicente frames technology, including artificial intelligence, as a po…

The Legendary Tigerman: from punk rock roots to playing for Joey Ramone

Emerging from Coimbra in the 1990s with Tedio Boys, Paulo Furtado’s early career was marked by confrontation, underground momentum and a rapid leap to international stages, including tours in the United States. The shift to a one‑man band came after the exhaustion of group dynamics and a deep attra…

Nelson Freitas sold millions of records and created a new sound. Now he’s retiring on a high note

Born in Rotterdam to immigrant parents, shaped by the Cape Verdean culture and global Black music, Nelson Freitas has a career forged through self‑reliance and constant hustle. He helped define ghetto zouk by merging zouk melodies with hip‑hop and R&B sensibilities, built his own label when no one …

Serena Kaos turned chairs on “The Voice Portugal” then turned heads on the streets of London

At the center of the conversation with Serena Kaos is fear. Not as a dramatic concept, but as a daily operating condition. The artist describes growing up as “the weird kid,” a creative outsider shaped as much by insecurity as by imagination, and how the search for belonging became a source of anxi…

Ângelo Freire carries the soul of Portugal with him

Born in Lisbon’s Graça neighbourhood, Ângelo Freire grew up in fado houses, absorbing the language of the genre long before he began to articulate his own. He sang from the age of seven, picked up the Portuguese guitar shortly after, and by eleven was already performing on national television. Play…

Jessica Cipriano on losing her voice and finding it again

In this earnest conversation on “The Heart & Hustle of Portugal”, Jessica Cipriano opens a window onto a career shaped by pivotal encounters, exposed vulnerabilities, and an unwavering truth: music is the place where everything in her comes alive. She recalls her season on “The Voice”, the surprisi…