Mariella Santiago is one of Bahia’s most mesmerizing and influential performers. Her music, a fusion of local afro beats, Jazz and Soul, draws on her African heritage but also flows in distinctly original directions. She was one of the first Bahian female black songwriters who dared to write and sing songs not related to the local Carnaval revelry, alongside
with Rosa Passos who came about three decades earlier. sultry melodies to lyrics that often talk about overcoming oppressive conditions, as well as a search for transcendence, some spiritual dimension beyond (and within) daily life struggle. Over the past few years, her work has been awarded Natura Musical, Itaú Cultural and other
important prizes in the Brazilian cultural field. She has collaborated with multiple international artists such as Sting, Eberhard Schoener, Hermeto Pascoal, Arto Lindsay, Carlinhos Brown, Zhal Sissoko Moreno Veloso, Wagon Cookin’ and Chico César, who became a songwriting partner in her last 2 projects. Despite her early involvement
in the international music scene, she still lives and works in Salvador, unlike most Bahian artists who have moved to São Paulo to escape the “off-circuit” isolation. The band formed her ongoing project, has a tight rhythm section: brothers Ângelo and Gilberto Santiago (bass and drums), with her on vocals, driving a multi-track loop station to support her latest vocal experiments, going from folk afro bahian chanting to beatboxing.