HMB’s music brightens up the 2025 National Wine Tourism Award

They’re just three letters long, but they promise to make a whole alphabet of sounds that bring together soul, R&B, funk, jazz and hip hop. The HMB are the musical guests at this year’s National Wine Tourism Gala, held in the heart of the Dão, at Quinta do Castelo in Nelas, on 30 May, starting at 6pm. The joy and energy they bring to their performances will always be the centrepiece of our party.
Considered one of the best national bands today, HMB, the acronym for Héber Marques Band, the group’s lead singer, are the musical guests at the APENO/Ageas Seguros 2025 National Wine Tourism Awards. You could say that ‘Amor é Assim’ (Love is Like This) is a meeting between music and wine tourism, bringing together the soul of Portuguese music and the heart of the Dão region. This is where the good energy of the HMB will palpitate, in what is already considered the biggest wine tourism ceremony in the country. On 30 May, starting at 6pm, all roads will lead to Quinta do Castelo, in Nelas, for the Gala that awards the best projects, companies and professionals that stood out in the wine tourism sector in 2024.

With a luxury cast, with broadcaster Joana Cruz hosting the ceremony, the HMB will further brighten up the festival that celebrates wine, the territory and the tourist experience with a line-up that is still the secret of the gods, but which promises to excite and make an entire audience dance, eager to hear songs like ‘Não me Leve a Mal’, ‘Dia D’, “Paixão” or the fun ‘Naptel Xulima’.
“Having the HMB with us at such a special moment is a huge honour. We couldn’t be happier. I believe that the HMB will bring a contagious energy to our party. The relaxed and happy rhythm of what is considered to be one of the best national bands fits in very well with the purpose of the National Wine Tourism Award, which wants to emphasise, year after year, these same feelings among all the guests. Everyone’s relaxation and good humour, with Joana Cruz introducing the Gala and the HMB rounding off the party, is a moment of Portugal at its best,” says the president of the Portuguese Wine Tourism Association (APENO), Maria João de Almeida.

With a sound that fuses soul, R&B, funk, a touch of jazz and hip hop, the HMB came together in 2007 to form what became known as the acronym of their lead singer’s name: Héber Marques (Band). He was joined by Daniel Lima (keyboardist), Joel Silva (drummer) and Joel Xavier (bassist). They all come from previous backgrounds and all profess the religion of the evangelical church, the place of worship where they started playing together and formed the group that quickly gained wings on the Portuguese music scene, always singing in their mother tongue and with a lot of groove.
From there to band competitions was a flash in the pan. They won many until they decided to take a more serious step in their musical career. In 2012, they released their first album with the same name, ‘HMB’, and the single ‘Dia D’ was an immediate hit on the radio.
We haven’t yet revealed whether this song will be played at the APENO Gala, but we do know that they’re delighted to be part of the National Wine Tourism Award 2025: “We’re delighted to be playing in Dão on 30 May and celebrating the rich local wine culture. We can’t wait to enjoy the stunning landscapes, the incredible wines and the delicious food of the region at the APENO event, which promises to bring together music, wine and unique experiences in one very special evening,” says the band.

Influenced by North American black music, with Al Green, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson at the forefront, HMB released their second album, ‘Sente’, in 2014, which proved that their debut album wasn’t pure luck. Here you can hear for the first time the songs ‘Feeling’, “Talvez” and ‘Naptel Xulima’, real calling cards for the band. With a more danceable sound, this disc also explores creative partnerships: Da Chick, Samuel Úria, Sir Scratch and DJ Ride lend their talents to ‘Sente’, in fusions that become a wave of hits for HMB.

Nominated for ‘Best Portuguese Act’ at the 2014, 2016 and 2017 MTV Europe Music Awards, it was at the Golden Globes in 2017 that HMB won ‘Best Song’ with ‘O Amor é Assim’. Born out of an unlikely duet with fado singer Carminho, this song became the band’s biggest hit to date and is still on the lips of all the Portuguese today.
This was followed by new albums in 2017 (‘Mais’), 2020 (“Melodramático”) and 2023 (‘Neste Deserto Nascem Flores’), new partnerships with Rui Veloso and Pedro Abrunhosa, among others, many concerts and a lot of travelling, always at the frenetic pace of HMB. And if 2015 was the band’s breakthrough year, ten years later the public still expects a lot from a group that was formed in a church and suddenly opened its doors to the world. On 30 May, HMB’s world will be in the heart of the Dão region, with their music confirming the increasingly strong pulse of wine tourism in Portugal.