Having won Best Local Artist, Best Album and Critics' Choice at Portugal's esteemed Play Awards, Afropop artist Dino D'Santiago has now set his sights on a global takeover. Joined by fellow Portuguese artist Julinho KSD, he hopes his new single "Kriolu" (and the KRIOLA album from which it's lifted) will do just that.
A vibrant and effervescent celebration of Creole culture and its influence across the world, "Kriolu" and the album stir together myriad influences to reflect Creole culture as well as the future of Afropop. The rest of the album, we're told, takes that notion even further, weaving in Batuku, Azonto, Coladeria, Funaná, Afropop and Kizomba with grime and R&B for what is shaping up to be one of the most varied and eclectic albums in recent memory.
Equally, the video — directed by João Pedro Moreira (with additional footage by Mariana dos Santos Pires, Zubayr Hossain and Pedro MKK) — cleverly mirrors this message by merging shots of Cape Verde's jaw-dropping scenery and coastline with silhouettes of Dino and Julinho to show just how much Creole culture and Afropop has shaped music and creativity.
Speaking with Complex via email, D'Santiago told us: "The influence of the Creole community is making a huge impact all over the world. That brings culture, creativity, celebration and conflict, all of which I've seen in Lisbon. 'KRIOLA' explores all of those things. I wanted to make a record that reflects Lisbon's diversity, whether Cape Verdean or Portuguese, with a global appeal that respects traditional genres and looks to the future of Afropop."
"Kriolu" and KRIOLA are both out now.
