CEF Tanzy

CEF Tanzy, also referred to simply as CEF, is an Angolan singer and songwriter who rose to prominence during the mid-2010s through a fusion of American-styled R&B and local strains of Afropop, Latin, and Zouk. Success arrived both via full-length projects such as the 2017 release Cartel D'amor and through partnerships with performers including Lil Saint and Landrick.

Born Carlos Fernando Tange, he spent his early years in Luanda, where participation in his church choir introduced him to vocal performance while Jack Kanga and brother Tony Laf exposed him to U.S. acts like R. Kelly, Boyz II Men, and Stevie Wonder. Additional inspiration came from Angolan figures such as Paulo Flores and Eduardo Paim. Self-taught on guitar, he began composing original material that paired his smooth delivery with romantic, R&B-tinged ballad forms and rhythmic Angolan elements. His debut solo album, Botão de Rosa, appeared in 2013; during the same period he contributed to recordings by Lil Saint and Johnny Ramos and received prominent placement on the 2016 compilation O Legado da Lenda.

Adopting the expanded moniker CEF Tanzy, he issued Cartel D'amor in 2017, which contained the widely heard tracks “A Mulher Tem Força” and “Ta me Treinar.” Over the following three years his focus returned to standalone singles, among them 2019’s “Michael Jackson” and the 2020 Landrick duet “Teu Panco.”