Afro-Portuguese electronic musician Pongo — formerly part of European afro-electro collective Buraka Som Sistema — has returned to pursue a solo career, three years after the release of the group's last project Buraka.
Today, Pongo shares "Baia," an eccentric single and music video from her debut solo project of the same name via The FADER. The song — which details the musician's journey and struggles in pursuing a solo career — wastes no time kicking into high gear, opening with rampant chants atop thunderous kick drums and restless percussion. The music video sees Pongo dressed in a futuristic space-suit and triumphantly dances to the song's infectious rhythm.
"Baia is about how sometimes you have to face difficult things and have to go through to find something better after," Pongo told The FADER over email. "I wanted to talk about my past and all the trouble i had to face in my life (personal and in music) and also about how all these things have made me stronger. Baia is an expression used to get people’s attention, i wanted to say something like ‘Hey, look where i am now.’ It’s a song full of energy (not something negative) and for all the strong women in the world.
Pongo's debut solo EP Baia is set to release on September 21.
Watch the "Baia" video above.