"I'll go after the electric trio, I'll..." If you're Brazilian, you didn’t read this sentence. You sang it! This is one of many phrases that marked Axé Music, the Brazilian rhythm that celebrates 40 years of existence in 2025.

Born in the heart of Bahia in the 1980s, Axé Music is more than a musical genre: it is a cultural movement that transformed Salvador's Carnival and brought Brazilian music to the world. With its contagious beats and lyrics full of joy, spirituality, and resistance, Axé blends Afro-Brazilian rhythms, samba reggae, frevo, ijexá, and even influences from pop and rock. This fusion shaped Bahia's cultural identity and became a global phenomenon.

Der Begriff «axé» stammt aus dem Yoruba-Gruß und bedeutet «Kraft» oder «Lebensenergie». In diesem Sinne brachten Künstler wie Luiz Caldas, der als «Vater des Axé» bekannt ist, das Genre mit Liedern wie Fricote (1985) auf den Weg, die Brasilien einen lebendigen und noch nie dagewesenen Sound verliehen. Bald trugen Künstler wie Daniela Mercury, Ivete Sangalo, Margareth Menezes und Bell Marques dazu bei, den Rhythmus über die Grenzen Salvadors hinaus zu verbreiten. Die Axé-Musik dominierte den Karneval und die Massenkultur, eroberte die internationalen Bühnen und zog die Massen in ihren Bann.

Although the genre emerged from Afro blocks and Candomblé terreiros, celebrating its Afro-Brazilian roots and black culture, Axé went through a process of whitening over time. This led to the predominance of white artists and the dilution of Afro-descendant cultural elements to cater to the mainstream market. This process reflects a broader dynamic of cultural appropriation, where elements of marginalized cultures are absorbed by dominant groups. Therefore, it is essential to recognize and value the contribution of black artists, as well as the cultural and religious references from African heritage, to the development of the rhythm.

Axé is recognized as a cultural phenomenon symbolizing the joy, resistance, and creativity of the Brazilian people. Its influence extends beyond music, leaving its mark on fashion, dance, and tourism. Salvador's Carnival, deeply linked to Axé, has become one of the largest tourist events in the world, attracting millions of revelers every year. This year, Brazil prepares to celebrate four decades of Axé Music with a series of special events. Salvador will be the epicenter of the celebrations, hosting historic shows, reissues of landmark albums, and tributes to artists who helped build the movement.