Dandara & Anissa: Riding the Same Breeze with “Viento”
Two artists united by African roots, Brazilian soul and a decade of on/off collaboration finally find a home for their music on Bar 25 Music.
Dandara and Anissa have been making music together on and off for nearly a decade, bound by a shared love of African and South American sounds and a creative wavelength that neither of them fully planned. Their new EP “Viento” on Bar 25 Music brings together two tracks written eight years ago and one written in 2025, united by the image of wind as something that knows no borders, no nationality and no permission. In this interview, they talk about the spontaneous studio session that became the title track, Anissa’s decade living in Brazil and the seven languages she channels into her music, and why neither of them has ever seen art as something local.
Q: Dandara and Anissa, how did the two of you first connect, and what made you want to make music together?
A: We met through Anissa’s cousin, we studied together at that time. We met through a mutual friend and I invited Anissa to the studio and we have been on/off working together ever since.
Q: “Viento” means wind. What does that image represent for this release, and where did the title come from?
A: Wind is a representation of the ever changing. No nationality, no borders, no permissions. The title comes from our co-writer RMB, the same writer who also wrote “Nena.” It was a beautiful collaboration — Anissa handed him back the melody, he wrote the verses, and after that Anissa was writing the B part of the wind being “el verdadero revolucionario,” the true revolutionary. So now we know “Viento” was written by lovers of the wind, who always appreciated the wind and felt that it doesn’t get enough recognition for what it does. And here we go with this beautiful hommage.
Q: Dandara, your productions draw from African and South American music and weave them into house and techno. How do those influences find their way into your tracks naturally without feeling like genre tourism?
A: I grew up listening to a lot of Kenyan music and always had a soft spot for world music. When I started going to raves and was already making different kinds of music, I felt the urge to create the sort of music I raved to and mix it with the music I relate with. I try to get influenced by stuff I hear and implement it without much thought, to be honest.
Q: Anissa, you studied in London and found a deep connection to Brazilian and Latin music. How did that discovery change the way you understand your own voice and identity as an artist?
A: Brazilian music has truly become my second home and always will be. I first really got a taste for it during my time as a student in London, when I had to sing a bossa nova song in my last quarter — my voice immediately felt right at home. Ultimately, I ended up living in Brazil for nearly a decade, where I still maintain strong musical connections and friendships and could still imagine making a life there. I built my entire artistic career there and, through my African roots, found my home there. It has so many rhythms, voices, choirs, and colors, and it represents so much of my personality — just like improvisation itself, whether through my voice or in everyday life. Through Dandara’s instrumentals and music, and now also our fantastic collaboration on the lyrics, I feel like I’m in Brazil and can let my creativity run wild. We’re truly on the same wavelength — or better yet, riding the same breeze!
Q: You co-produced the title track with Nikosh. How did that session come about, and what did working together bring to “Viento” that you might not have found alone?
A: Nikosh and I met a long time ago and we are both based in Switzerland, so we eventually met in my studio and produced together. That day we made an instrumental which in the end turned out to become “Viento.”
Q: “Viento,” “Amor” and “Nena” feel like three very different emotional moments. How did the arc of the release come together?
A: “Nena” and “Viento” are both old songs — around eight years ago we wrote and produced them but we never managed to finish and find a home for them, so they got lost for a while. In 2025 we wrote “Amor” and suddenly those two old songs popped into our minds and they seemed like a perfect fit.
Q: Both of you are based in Switzerland but draw from a very different cultural world in your music. How does living there shape or challenge that connection to those sounds?
A: It doesn’t really. I never saw music or art in a condensed or local way. I draw inspiration from wherever I can find it and try to freely create. I strongly agree on that — it is us creating our space and culture. But of course the inspiration always changes faces, and so perception does as soon as your environment changes. But as long as things flow, it’s just good!
Q: Dandara, you are a regular at Kater Blau, Nordstern and Fusion. How does performing at those spaces feed back into what you create in the studio?
A: Seeing the reaction from people to my music is always a great source of inspiration. When a track lands well and there is a felt vibe, I try to take that feeling to the studio and try to rebuild that feeling into something new.
Q: Anissa, you have collaborated with musicians across many different continents. What do those cross-cultural sessions bring out in your work that stays with you?
A: Everything — each and every song and collaboration is manifested and won’t leave this planet! It’s a constant learning process. I speak seven languages now and I can adapt them all to my music, my musical language, very colorful! Sometimes hard for labels to put me into one box but I don’t care — I AM THE BOX! That also helps me to understand the person or culture opposite me, and it brings alive this beautiful collaboration with Dandara.
Q: What artists or records have shaped each of you the most?
A (Dandara): Peter Gabriel / Real World Records.
A (Anissa): Phuuu! A huge list though. Nancy Wilson, Nina Simone, Erykah Badu, Michael Jackson, Elis Regina, Sergio Mendes, Freddie Mercury, The Beatles, David Bowie — and me, myself and I.
Q: What is next for both of you after this release?
A: We are already working on three new EPs and hopefully play more shows. Play shows! And spread the good vibe!
