Assa Matusse
A singular voice from Mozambique born in Mavalane, Assa Matusse reinvents the marrabenta between Maputo and Paris, worn by her album Mutchangana.
Born and raised in the Mavalane district of Maputo, Assa Matusse, nicknamed "Menina do bairro", is a Mozambican singer and composer with a raucous voice immediately recognizable. Bathed from childhood in the traditional rhythms of her country — marrabenta, xigubo, mutimba and tufo — she publishes her first album, +EU, which establishes her as a voice of the Mozambican afro-jazz.
Set up in Paris from 2022 as a resident artist at the Cité internationale des Arts, she finished Mutchangana (April 2023), an album that began in Mozambique and sung in changenana, her mother tongue, Portuguese, English and French. The album, a tribute to her father and to the Bantu peoples, blends traditional rhythms, blues, modern guitar and electronic touches, carried by the single "Aprende aonde?".
Her country's cultural ambassador — she twice represented Mozambique at UNESCO headquarters in France — and performed on prestigious scenes: Summer Garden of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation in Lisbon in 2024, showcased at the ACCES 2024 market, and the MTN Bushfire Festival 2025 in Eswatini, where she presented Mutchangana to an international audience.