Music of São Tomé and Príncipe

The godfathers of São Toméan popular music was the band Leoninos, which was founded in 1959 by Quintero Aguiar.

Leoninos broke up in 1965, but were followed by Os Úntués, led by Leonel Aguiar, who added American, Argentinian, Congolese and Cuban musical influences, and introduced the electric guitar and other innovations.

Among these groups was Mindelo, who fused São Toméan rhythms with rebita, an Angolan style, to form puxa.

In the latter part of the 20th century, songwriters like Zarco and Manjelegua found a domestic audience, and São Toméan-Portuguese musicians like Camilo Domingos, Juka, Filipe Santo, Açoreano, Gapa established a Lisbon-based scene.

Other 21st century singers who follow similar steps are Flavia, Bruna Lee, Marisyah, Calema.