MJ Pérez transforms precariousness into merengue in the new music video “BINGO!”
A song in Portuguese that blends humor and frustration to speak about class, precariousness, and survival.
MJ Pérez presents “BINGO!”, the new music video for one of the most striking tracks from her latest work, Je tiens bon. With an unexpected sound—a bright and danceable merengue—the song acts as a counterpoint to a backdrop marked by uncertainty, precariousness, and daily frustration.
In the artist’s own words, it is one of the “lightest and most fun” songs on the album, but also one of the deepest. Through humor and irony, MJ Pérez tackles themes such as economic instability, the difficulty of making a living from creation (and beyond), and the constant feeling of trying to survive.
A conscious contradiction between form and content: happy music to talk about the exact opposite.
Sung in Portuguese, the song mixes influences ranging from merengue to echoes of fado in its harmonic progressions, creating an unusual combination that reinforces the hybrid character of the piece. The production is signed by Peter Petrowski, with a musical ensemble featuring Ailén Kendelman (percussion), Alberto Romero (guitar), and a brass section with arrangements by Richi Casás, who also plays the saxophones, alongside María Prado (trumpet) and Xiana Naval (trombone).
A visual universe between illusion and reality
This same idea extends into the music video, which builds a visual parallel between the world of bingo—understood as the illusion that something external can change one’s life—and the reality of those trying to stay afloat.
The piece plays with the aesthetics of ostentation and apparent luxury, contrasting it with a precariousness revealed in every detail. The characters move between brilliance and fragility, exposing a reality marked by instability and survival.
Cast and technical crew
The music video also stands out for its cast, one of the production’s strengths. It features Ailén Kendelman and Areta Bolado (former members of the theater company A Panadaría), actor Fran Paz (known for series such as Rapa), and Marta Gómez, who has a background in amateur theater.
It also features Baia Fernández, a well-known figure on Galician social media, who stars in the final moment with an intervention that links directly to the song’s symbolic universe.
On a technical level, MJ Pérez takes on the general production, direction, editing, and color grading, reinforcing the project’s auteur character. The cinematography is by Iago Vilarinho, while Gustavo Dieste handles the art direction. Characterization and makeup were overseen by Baia Fernández.
More than a game: a structural critique
Far from being an apology for gambling, “BINGO!” questions precisely the idea that luck can solve structural problems. The song speaks of class, work, and frustration, but also of the necessity to keep creating despite everything.
A new artistic cycle
This release is part of the new artistic stage opened with Je tiens bon, an album that marks a turning point in MJ Pérez’s career. The artist was recently a finalist in the 2025 aRi[t]mar Awards with the track “Perdín a memoria,” finishing in 3rd place—a recognition that values musical creation in Galician and Portuguese.
Who is MJ Pérez?
MJ Pérez is a Galician-Portuguese singer-songwriter with over a decade of artistic experience and more than 200 concerts performed between Galicia and Portugal.
Throughout her career, she has released several albums and established herself as one of the most recognizable voices of contemporary Galician song. In 2021, she was honored with the Martín Códax Music Award.
Her musical style combines singer-songwriter traditions, pop-rock, roots music, and international influences, maintaining a strong connection to the Lusophone world.
In parallel, she also works in the audiovisual field and is the creator of the radio program De lá para cá on Rádio Galega Música, where she promotes Portuguese music to the Galician audience.
New album: “Je tiens bon”
“BINGO!” is part of Je tiens bon, the new album by MJ Pérez, which marks a new artistic stage in her career.
The record is born from a process of maturity and personal reconstruction, blending singer-songwriter traditions, pop-rock, Latin rhythms, and Lusophone influences. It also highlights the track “Amar!”, a sonnet by Florbela Espanca.
In this work, Portuguese takes on a significant presence alongside Galician and French, reinforcing the desire to build bridges between different cultural identities.
MJ Pérez (María José Pérez) é uma prestigiada cantautora e compositora galega, vencedora do Prémio Martín Códax da Música Galega, com mais de dez anos de carreira e centenas de concertos na Galiza e em Portugal. A sua obra destaca-se pela fusão entre a canção de autor, pop-rock e ritmos ibéricos e latinos, combinando letras interventivas em galego e português com reflexão, humor e crítica social.