The spirit of Rio’s rapturous annual Carnival provides the heartbeat of Oliver Heldens and Ian Asher’s new release, a re-imagination of the worldwide hit “Mas Que Nada”.
Originally written and recorded by Jorge Ben, the song achieved enormous international popularity when Sérgio Mendes and his iconic band Brasil ‘66 released their cover. Since it’s 1966 release, “Mas Que Nada” peaked at #4 on the U.S. Billboard charts, was voted the fifth-greatest Brazilian song by Rolling Stone Brazil, and was inducted into the Latin Grammy Hall of Fame in 2013. The anthem continues to be a cultural music staple throughout Latin America.
Originating from a viral sound posted by Ian Asher in July 2023, “Mas Que Nada” was reworked by Oliver Heldens into a light, freeing, groovy, and nostalgic party tune with a sugar-coating of percussive vibrance, receiving the blessing of the Brazilian music legend Sérgio Mendes himself.
“I’ve always loved the vocals of the timeless ‘Mas Que Nada,’ and over the years, I must’ve played it in hundreds of my DJ sets in several mashups/remixes, which always got great reactions from the crowds. Last year I really liked what Ian did in his initial viral sound with the stuttering/gated vocal drop, so when he approached me to collaborate on it and finish it together, I had no doubts at all! I’m glad I could do my thing with it by adding a funky, distinctive melodic bassline while staying true to Ian’s initial idea, keeping the main focus on the stuttered ‘Mas Que Nada’ vocal. It’s been a pleasure working with Ian, and it’s such an honor to get the approval of the legendary Sergio Mendes!,” Oliver Heldens says.
“It was fascinating to see the incredible reaction to Ian’s initial sampling of the song. It’s always flattering when young artists want to reinterpret one of my songs, and I’m eager to see what happens with this release,” said the three-time Grammy Award® winner and Oscar®-nominated songwriter, Sérgio Mendes.
Ian Asher adds, “I’m so excited to be working with one of my favorite artists Oliver Heldens, and the Brazilian legend Sérgio Mendes to rework his classic Mas Que Nada! I first posted a snippet of the edit last summer, and when I did, I had no idea that it would become such a viral moment that would be shared around the world… even being heard by Sérgio, the man himself who made the song famous so many years ago. After getting his blessing and working on it with Oliver, I think we made something that’ll be a weapon on the dance floors for many years to come.”
Accumulating over 175,000 organic user-generated videos on social media since Ian Asher’s original sound post, fans are obsessed with this stuttery, high-energy, dance hit. Creating catchy reworks is nothing new to Asher, who repopularized Jain’s “Makeba” with a mega-viral TikTok remix in 2023, earning 50 Million streams globally on his remix since. The Oliver Heldens and Ian Asher rework of this classic hit is doused in rich production, uptempo energy, feel-good chords, and an addicting stutter vocal that sticks in your head for days.
Oliver Heldens, Ian Asher, and Sergio Mendes – ‘Mas Que Nada’ is out now on Easier Said.
