Ne Nas

Manuel “Ne Nas” Gonçalves has travelled a long way to fully discover the musical voice that was planted within him 45 years ago in his birthplace on the island of Fogo, Cape Verde. As a child growing up in the city of Praia on the island of Santiago, Ne Nas felt a deep connection in the music of his teachers and fellow students in Granja de São Filipe that inspired him to get involved in the art of music. So, at 11 years of age, along with studying carpentry as a trade, Ne Nas made sure to include music in his lessons, studying under some of Santiago’s nest musicians, and taking it to heart.

But it was not until Ne Nas immigrated to the United States in 2002 and connected with musicians of the Cape Verdean communities in Rhode Island and Massachusetts that he began taking his music more seriously and evolved as a tting frontman. With skills honed on the traditional rhythms of Santiago – Funaná, Batuku, Finaçon and Tabanka – Ne Nas, in collaboration with other musicians formed the CV Tempra, which played throughout New England.

A growing reputation in the Cape Verdean music community brought Ne Nas full circle and made him a natural choice to perform in a recent memorial concert in honor of one of Cape Verde’s greatest singer and composer, Orlando Pantera. Fitting of a skilled carpenter, all these steps served as a musical staircase that has led Ne Nas to his rst album, “Balanciadu.”

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