Angolan vocalist Anselmo Ralph delivers energetic stage shows marked by a romantic style that fuses R&B, Latin pop, hip-hop, and African musical roots. His breakthrough arrived with the 2006 debut Historias de Amor, which ascended to the top of the album charts throughout Angola and other Portuguese-speaking territories. Ralph has sustained his standing as a consistent chart presence through subsequent releases including the 2009 album O Cupido and the 2016 album Amor e Cego.
Anselmo Ralf Andrade Cordeiro entered the world in 1981 in Luanda, Angola. He passed his early years in that city until his father’s diplomatic posting relocated the household to Madrid during the ’90s. While a teenager in Spain, he cultivated a passion for music that examined links between Latin and African traditions and encountered the work of singer Juan Luis Guerra, an artist who would exert lasting influence on his trajectory. Following secondary school he relocated to New York to pursue accounting studies at Manhattan Community College, where he assembled a band and performed with a gospel choir before heading back to Angola to launch his recording career. There he established the hip-hop group NGB (aka Nova Geração Bantu) and issued a 1996 album prior to the members going their separate ways.
In 2000 Ralph moved once more to New York and immersed himself in the city’s thriving Latin music community, singing with a rock band and issuing tracks in Spanish and English. He ultimately returned to Angola and unveiled his solo debut in 2006 with Histórias de Amor. Crafted under the guidance of producer Aires Francisco, the R&B-infused project achieved strong commercial results by claiming the number-one slot on album charts in multiple countries and supporting an extensive tour. The release also earned Ralph recognition in the form of two Channel O Music Video Award nominations together with an MTV Europe Music Award victory for Best African Artist. Capitalizing on that momentum he issued a special edition titled As Ultimas Histórias de Amor containing the track “Um Dois,” which secured him the “Best Male Voice” honor at Angola’s 2007 Rádio Luanda awards.
Ralph next entered a recording agreement with Angola-based LS Produções and delivered his third studio album O Cupido, again produced by Aires Francisco. After an EP he unveiled his fourth long-player, the 2011 set A Dor do Cupido, which carried production credits for Nellson Klasszik and Dji Tafinha. That project reached the number-two position on the Portuguese album charts and yielded singles such as “Não Me Toca,” “Está Dificil,” and “O Que é Que Andianta” featuring Bruno M. One year afterward he took part in the all-star Team De Sonho endeavor alongside Peroloa, Zona, and additional collaborators. The compilation Best of Anselmo Ralph appeared in 2012 and included the previously unreleased cut “Sem Ti.” In 2014 Ralph joined The Voice Portugal in the role of coach. He later aligned with Sony Music and, in 2016, released the album Amor e Cego. He resurfaced with the full-length Momentos in 2020.
