Sal grosso literally translates to "coarse salt", but it holds a special cultural meaning.
In many Portuguese-speaking cultures, it's believed to absorb and ward off bad energy and the "evil eye". In the song, the line "Joga no chão o sal grosso" (Throw the coarse salt on the floor) is a powerful, almost ritualistic declaration to protect their love from negativity, making it a very unique and memorable lyric.
Feel the rhythm of "A Nossa Dança" as Calema sweeps us onto a dance-floor where love conquers every doubt. The song opens with good-luck rituals—scattering coarse salt and tossing rice—promising that no bad energy can break the couple’s faith in romance. From the magical moment their eyes first met, the singer knows he has finally found “the one,” and every heartbeat pauses when they lean on each other. In this close embrace, even the clouds seem to drop to their feet, proving that love can reshape the world around us.
Across Portuguese, Spanish, French, and island Creole, Calema repeats a simple message: “I just need you in my life.” The multilingual chorus shows that affection speaks every language. Each time they ask God for strength, it is a reminder that real love is as spiritual as it is physical. Holding tight on the dance-floor, everything becomes easier, everything becomes beautiful, and the music itself turns into a promise to stay together until the very end.
Calema are a duo of two brothers, António and Fradique Mendes Ferreira, from São Tomé and Príncipe who are now based in Portugal. Their name refers to the powerful swell of the ocean along the African coast.
After winning a national music competition back home in 2008, the brothers moved to Portugal to study and build their careers, and they were soon championed by the singer Anselmo Ralph. Blending kizomba, zouk and Afro-pop, their warm, romantic sound has made them one of the most popular acts singing in Portuguese. "A Nossa Vez" became a huge hit, ending 2017 as the most-watched non-Brazilian Portuguese-language music video on YouTube and going on to gather tens of millions of views. Today they are celebrated across the Portuguese-speaking world for their heartfelt love songs.