Leading Lisbon electronic music festival Sónar Lisboa is back next week! The pioneering Sónar Festival that has been bringing the best in electronic music to Barcelona since 1994, has fully announced it’s line up and schedule set to take place from 22nd-24th of this month. Full set times and stages at Pavilhão Carlos Lopes have now been revealed here along with a number of updates to the festival experience. Wonderland are set to travel over and bring you the lowdown – watch this space!

Joining world-renowned names such as Nia Archives, Shygirl and Sevdaliza next weekend is ZenGxrl, a rising DJ and producer from the outskirts of Lisbon with Angolan roots. Tying together a plethora of electronic sub-sounds – from amapiano to jersey club, house to baile funk – the emerging talent offers an immensely captivating live listening experience, crafting sonics full of emotion and surprises.

She’s also been busy in the fashion world; modelling for revered brands such as Calvin Klein and Jaguar, she’s featured on international campaigns for Gant and Berskha, and has used her platform to perform at fashion-centric events with brands such as Prada, Louis Vuitton and Supreme.

With the multi-talent set to take her career into the next stage with fresh music and a busy summer, we caught up ahead of Sónar Lisboa, discussing inspirations, fashion, and what to expect from her set in Lisbon.

Read the interview…

How did you first find yourself in the world of music? 
I was actually talking about this the other day with my mom, and I realised how music has been such a significant presence in my life since a very young age. My dad used to listen to music from Congo and Angola every day – he had these huge speakers, and the rhythms would travel through our entire house. When my uncle visited from the UK, he got me my first guitar, and I began experimenting on my own with a chord book. That creative connection with music was dormant for some years, until in my mid-teens I discovered Soundcloud and it opened up a whole new world. I found artists like Hannah Faith, Sango, and Kaytranada. I also started going out to parties during the height of the trap scene in Lisbon, seeing DJs that bridged that world with dance music, and I grew curious about the different genres of electronic music and DJing as a craft. Fast forward a few years, I decided to try it myself, and I haven’t really looked back since!

Who and what has been an inspiration to you?
People say this a lot about creative work, but inspiration really can come from anything at any given moment. My origins play a big part in what I do: the Angolan heritage obviously shapes my sound, but I’ve also thrown in some Portuguese folk music into my mixes. It’s a reflection of my identity, so it makes sense to me. Obviously, listening to music and spending time around other people helps kickstart my own creativity, and I can mention collectives like Soulection, Moonshine, Kunye and Keinemusik as huge driving forces behind my music-making and DJing. My approach to music is also inevitably intertwined with my work in content creation and the fashion industry, whether I want it or not. That, alongside being a woman, invites greater scrutiny of my work, but I’ve always been aware of it and just use it as fuel to push myself further. 

How would you describe your essence as a producer and as a live performer?
I think of it like an encounter. It’s about the possibility of bringing my own references to an audience and making someone there feel at home, even if our backgrounds are entirely different. 

What do you draw from when conceptualising your sound?
Music isn’t really something that I approach rationally. If anything it evades conceptualising. It’s about a feeling, something communal that we all struggle to put into words. I do focus a lot on the technical aspects, but mainly as a tool to reach a crowd and translate those vibes which we can’t really capture in other ways.

You combine a plethora of musical styles, how do you do so succinctly?
I like to say I DJ in the same way I dress – it will be different every day. You might come see me play and I’ll be exploring a certain music style, and the next night I might not play it at all, and that’s fine! When I structure a set, I’m mostly thinking of narrative and common threads between songs, whether that’s about the mood, the intensity, or even just a specific instrument. That’s what’s both challenging and exciting about it. It might sound a bit clichéd, but it really is all about following the vibes, rather than thinking in terms of labels and genres. If it sounds right, I’ll play it.

What have been some highlights of your career to this point?
This is more of a personal note, but when I played in Madeira and brought my mom along with me. It was the first time I got to take her traveling through my work. I was also featured on a BBC podcast discussing music creation in a post-pandemic Lisbon, and the blend of new and traditional sounds in the local scene, which made me realise how the cultural implications of my work extend beyond the decks. As for the DJing itself, playing in Jakarta really brought home how my work has reached audiences across the globe. Also, looking ahead, Sonar has been one of my goals for a while, so I’m excited to include that in this list soon.

Talk us through your introduction to modelling, the work you’ve done in the fashion industry, and why it appeals to you as a creative?
I blame the Bratz dolls for making me interested in self-expression through clothing. That planted the seed. As I grew up, I realised I enjoyed developing my personal image and that garnered an online following, which in turn led to interest from brands. At first it was just seeding, then I got invited to local campaigns, and over time the scope of my work expanded. My approach has always been to create selectively, which I try to do with every facet of my work. These days, I think I’m just happy to express myself through both music and fashion. They’re two important sides of who I am and combining them makes more sense than ever.

Why is it important to be multi-faceted as a modern creative?
It allows you to look at the industry from different perspectives and get a more complete picture of it. Knowledge is cumulative and there are a lot of transferable skills: my experience as a content creator has taught me about photography and video editing, which I’ve used to share some of my mixes on social media, and in many ways I can just rely on myself, from styling my outfits to doing my own hair before a gig. It also meant that when I started DJing I was already aware of the less glamorous aspects of the entertainment industry.

How are you feeling about your upcoming performance at Sonar Lisboa festival?
I definitely feel nervous when I think about it, but they’re good nerves – the butterflies and gratefulness kind of nerves! It’s what pushes me to give my best and makes me want to keep doing this. 

What can attendees expect from your set? 
I want them to have a great time, to feel connected to me and vibe to the music. My DJing is about getting people to experience how music reaches far beyond the categories we try to fit it into, so I try to recontextualise sounds that may be familiar to people, to break stereotypes around certain genres, and to hopefully make an audience feel like they’re part of something bigger than themselves. 

Which other artists are you looking forward to see live? 
I have so many artists on my list! I definitely want to see Shygirl, Nia Archives, BRANKO, VHOOR, Vanyfox and Sevdaliza – very different genres, but I love them all and think they really fit together. Overall, I’m excited about finding inspiration and connecting with people, from the artists to the audience and the production team.

What’s to come from you this year?
I have a few dates coming up that I’m excited to play, and I’ve also been working on some music that I might sneak into my next sets. Showing is always better than telling though, so just follow me and stay tuned for what’s to come!