June Freedom

June Freedom channels dance-pop through the cultural lens of Cabo Verde, the West African island nation where he grew up. His arrival came via the 2020 single “Dor d’um Kriolu,” which led to the full-length statements Anchor Baby in 2021 and 7 Seas in 2023.

Pedro Fontas Veiga, Jr. entered the world in Boston yet passed the bulk of his early life in Cabo Verde, sharpening his command of English and Spanish alongside Portuguese and the nation’s Creole variant. A vibrant local circuit fusing hip-hop, R&B, worldbeat, and Zouk supplied the spark; the resulting 2020 release “Dor d’um Kriolu” paired him with Cabo Verdean Zouk trailblazer Nelson Freitas. Praise from Akon and Jerry “Wonda” Duplessis prompted relocations first to New York and later Los Angeles. R&B vocalist Stacy Barthe from the United States joined Cape Verdean rappers Djodje and Elji Beatzkilla on the 2021 debut Anchor Baby, whose momentum built around the buoyant cuts “YSL,” “Melanin,” and “Andréia.” Twelve months later a deluxe edition doubled the project’s runtime. By 2023 the artist was performing at South by Southwest and AfriCon, inking a pact with the independent hip-hop label EMPIRE, and unveiling the follow-up 7 Seas, highlighted by “Messi” and “Say Salud.”