Renata Flores and Nana Benz du Togo to Oslo World 2026!
A peruvian trap queen and electronic voodoo-soul at Nasjonal Jazzscene.
Renata Flores - Nasjonal Jazzscene - October 31
Through her urban genre-blending and use of the Quechua language, Renata Flores has given Peruvian music a fresh and modern twist, while simultaneously helping revitalize an Indigenous language still fighting for its place in the modern world. Flores was born in 2001 in the Ayacucho region and broke through in 2015 when she uploaded Quechua-language versions of “The Way You Make Me Feel” by Michael Jackson and “House of the Rising Sun” by The Animals to YouTube. The videos quickly went viral, and ever since, her artistic project has been centered around promoting Quechua through contemporary music, making the language more appealing to younger generations.
In 2021, Renata Flores released her debut album Isqun (which means “nine” in Quechua). Since then, she has reached far beyond Peru’s borders, performed at international festivals, and collaborated with artists from around the world. In 2020, The New York Times called her “the queen of Quechua rap.” Renata Flores’ music is irresistibly catchy and filled with both ancient and futuristic ideas, forming part of a new wave of artists bringing clear influences from the Andes Mountains into contemporary music culture.
The concert is presented in collaboration with the Embassy of Peru.
Nana Benz du Togo - Nasjonal Jazzscene - October 28
Hard-hitting, minimalist, infectious and deep – in the music of Nana Benz du Togo, voodoo traditions meet the modern dancefloor, and the result is impossible to stand still to. This will be one of the hottest and most danceable nights of this year’s festival.
The members of Nana Benz first met during a musical workshop. They did not know each other beforehand, but quickly discovered they were on the same wavelength. The two percussionists played an instrumentarium made from recycled materials. The basslines were created using two PVC pipes (Gazé Tuyau), while a suitcase that had belonged to one member’s grandfather — “a voodoo travelling salesman who visited the four corners of the earth” — served as the bass drum. The organic groove, infused with sub-bass and polyrhythms, supports the voices of the electro-soul preachers, accompanied by a small vintage Korg keyboard. It is a rather simple yet immensely powerful setup.
Dive into their latest album, Sé Nam, for a taste of their infectious sound – and come back for more in November.
