Nêgah Santos, a remarkable hand percussionist from São Paulo, Brazil, has been influenced by a wide variety of artists and music genres, including Afro-Cuban, Fusion, R&B, Jazz, Pop, African, Indian, World, and Brazilian music.

Nêgah’s music journey began in her teens when she joined a non-governmental organization (NGO) in São Paulo that provided music, sports, technology, and art classes to children from impoverished neighborhoods. There, she first experienced performance and music theory, and within a short period, she was accepted into the renowned Tom Jobim Music School (ULM - Universidade Livre de Musica). After three years of dedicated study at Tom Jobim School, Nêgah received a full scholarship and graduated from Berklee College of Music in Boston in 2015.

In Brazil, Nêgah has also graced the musical theater scene with performances in shows like Mulheres Alteradas and O Primo Basilio. She’s also collaborated with renowned artists like Joyce, Marcos Valle, Jorge Aragão, Alcione, Falamansa, Sandra de Sa, Toni Tornado, and many others.

Notably, Nêgah made history as the first female percussionist for the Riverdance 21st-anniversary Euro Tour in 2016. Nêgah Santos’ range of styles brought her opportunities to also work and perform around the world with renowned artists such as Esperanza Spalding, A.R. Rahman, Alejandro Sanz, Terri Lyne Carrington, Diane Reeves, Meshell Ndegeocello, Christian McBride, Trombone Shorty, Ledisi, Clinton Cerejo, Nona Hendrix, Lizz Wright, Tia Fuller, Valerie Simpson, Sheila E., and many others.

In recent years, Nêgah has received prestigious awards, including an Emmy (from the Television Academy) and a Peabody, for her role as a percussionist on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Her responsibilities include writing, performing, and contributing to the arrangements of the band’s diverse musical genres. Jon Batiste, an Oscar and five-time Grammy award winner led the band Stay Human from season one in 2015, before transitioning into The Late Show Band, currently led by Louis Cato since 2022. 

Beyond her work on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and collaborations with Jon Batiste, Lake Street Dive, Cory Wong, and other artists, Nêgah has her own musical project. The latest being the album, Forró Da Nêgah. This album showcases her compositions in the northeast Brazilian style of Forró.