Bio:
Mateus Aleluia is from Cachoeira, Bahia, Brazil. He was one component in the legendary vocal trio Os Tincoãs (a tincoã is a bird native to the region, reputed to warn humans of impending danger), and the group's primary composer.
Mateus was brought up in candomblé (the West African religous belief system more alive now in Bahia than in Africa itself) -- in Cachoeira's house of Ventura -- and most of the Tincoã's songs are based in candomblé, often built around melodies sung in candomblé ceremonies.
Mateus lived for years in Luanda, Angola, studying the culture which would come to predominate in his native Bahia, and he now lives between Bahia and Angola.