Guitarist and singer Badi Assad and singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Sérgio Pererê had already enjoyed individual success when they joined forces in 2024 to create a collaborative album. Nevertheless, it is a stroke of luck that the musical and spiritual spark ignited so strongly.
Bentu means “wind” in Guinea-Bissau Creole. The duo draws from traditions of the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais: Sérgio Pererê, originally from Belo Horizonte, feels connected to the Irmandade do Rosário Os Ciriacos, an Afro-Brazilian brotherhood and Congado group. Congado is a folk festival that combines Afro-Brazilian traditions with Catholic faith. Sérgio Pererê blends those features with elements of pop culture and contemporary sounds. Mariangela Assad Simão was born in São Paulo, she is a virtuoso guitarist. In 1995, Guitar Player magazine named her “Best Acoustic Fingerstyle Guitarist”. The duo’s compositions move between ceremonial ritual and reflections on human existence, and between the sacred and the popular.