Tiago Bettencourt

In 2007 Tiago Bettencourt introduced Tiago Bettencourt and Mantha, shifting from his established role as frontman of the popular band Toranja. Born in Coimbra in 1979 and later relocating to Lisbon, he had already driven sales past 60,000 copies each for Toranja’s 2003 album Esquissos and its successor Segundo while collecting several MTV Music Awards nominations.

Toranja’s indefinite hiatus beginning in 2006 opened the door for Bettencourt to assemble his own trio, recruiting drummer João Lencastre and bassist Tiago Maia. The group traveled to Montreal that same year to track his debut solo release, which was helmed by local rock veteran Howard Bilerman, the producer behind Arcade Fire’s Funeral. Once the sessions concluded, Bettencourt and his bandmates returned to Portugal to play an extensive round of club dates across the country.

Polydor issued O Jardim (The Garden) in October 2007; the album earned favorable notices and climbed into the Portuguese Top 40, aided substantially by the single “Cançao Simples.” Em Fuga arrived as the follow-up in 2010, after which Bettencourt appeared as a celebrity duet partner on the Portuguese television program Sing for Me. He moved swiftly into his third project, unveiling Tiago Na Toca & Os Poetas in 2011. The next year brought Acústico, a collection of unplugged renditions that featured guest appearances by Concerto Moderno, Lura, and Jorge Palma.