Hot Air Balloon is a Portuguese-Irish duo formed by Tiago and Sarah-Jane. Since meeting in Vigo, Spain, they have performed across Portugal, Spain, Ireland, Belgium and France, sharing their deeply emotional and intimate sound.

Hot Air Balloon have always moved at their own pace. Their music carries a quiet strength, a sense of space and time that invites you to listen closely.

We had the opportunity to learn more about Tiago and Sarah-Jane’s lives and story.

This interview offers a glimpse into the slow, careful process behind their songs and the steady presence of the band in today’s music landscape.

Ecletismo Musical(EM): “Getting back to myself, because of you” (in “Come this Far”). What led to almost 10 years between your first (and widely acclaimed) album and this new release?

Hot Air Balloon (Sarah-Jane): Our first album, Behind the Walls, came out in 2016 and was nominated for an Independent Music Award that same year. But it was also a year of major change, it was when our first child was born, and two years later, we welcomed our second. We made a conscious decision to focus on our family during those early years.

Music never disappeared from our lives; we played local concerts now and then, and we kept composing, but it was more for ourselves than with any specific project in mind.

Then in 2020, something shifted. We felt ready to reconnect with our music on a deeper level. Tiago immersed himself in mixing and production, and we started composing more intentionally. Eventually, a group of songs emerged that felt like they belonged together. The process of making this album was long and often slow; balancing parenthood, work, and life, but it was incredibly rewarding. In many ways, the album is the sound of us finding our way back to ourselves through music.

EM: Your music feels incredibly intimate, almost like a shared secret. Do you see songwriting more as a safe haven or as a vulnerable exposure?

Hot Air Balloon (Sarah-Jane): When I’m writing lyrics, I’m not really thinking about who’s going to hear them, so in that moment, it feels like a safe haven. It’s a bit like keeping a journal: a private space where I can be completely honest about what I’m feeling or going through. But the moment we play that song live, or share the recording with someone, it transforms. Suddenly, it feels very vulnerable, like I’m letting people read something deeply personal. The first few times I sing a song on stage, I often feel completely exposed.

EM: Does your love life (and parenthood) influence your music more than your music influences your love life, or is it the other way around?

Hot Air Balloon (Sarah-Jane): Our lives absolutely influence the music first; love, parenthood, the day-to-day joys and tensions. And then, the music starts influencing us. Writing helps us make sense of things, work through emotions, and even see a situation from a different angle. It’s almost like a form of therapy. We often say our concerts are like our couple’s therapy; they’re where everything we’ve been carrying gets turned into something we can share.

EM: Can the memory of someone who’s gone become a truer form of love than the need to keep them near? (“Keep me going”)

Hot Air Balloon (Sarah-Jane): I’m not sure. There is a difference between letting someone spread their wings and fly and become their full potential, and having to let go because of illness and disease. Of course, the song “Keep me going” is a tribute to someone I dearly loved. It’s my way of keeping them alive in my memory. But it’s the love I felt for that person when they were alive that brought me to this place. Now, I’m trying my hardest to hold on to that memory and not the memory of their last few months.

EM: Sarah, coming from outside Portugal, how have cultural and linguistic differences shaped the way you write, sing, and express yourself musically?  

Hot Air Balloon (Sarah-Jane): I’m originally from Ireland, but I lived in Galicia for just over ten years, and now I’ve been in Portugal for about the same amount of time. That said, most of my writing is still in English, it’s the language that feels most natural when I’m expressing something deeply personal.

But I do think that living as a foreigner for so long has shaped how and what I write. There’s something about being an outsider, trying to understand and adapt to different cultures, that gives you a unique lens, and that definitely influences my perspective.

Musically, though, I think what shapes my expression most is the way Tiago and I communicate with each other in the music. That dynamic, the way we respond to each other creatively, often says more than words ever could.

EM: Have you found profound emotional differences between the Portuguese and Irish ways of feeling? Or when it comes to emotion, are we all essentially the same, as “Saoirse” is “Liberdade”?

Hot Air Balloon (Sarah-Jane): I think Portugal and Ireland share many cultural similarities. They’re both relatively small countries living in the shadow of historically dominant neighbours—though Ireland, of course, is an island. Learning another language opens up new ways of expressing yourself, sometimes even revealing emotions you didn’t have words for before. Language carries culture and history within it. Just as there are many kinds of English, there are many kinds of Portuguese, each shaped by place and time. Irish, too, is rich with idioms and expressions that offer deep insight into its people and past.

Instead of there being profound emotional differences between nationalities or people, I think essentially we all have the same emotions and feelings but perhaps have not found the words yet.

EM: Professionally, are you exclusively in the music industry or do you also have other activities? Is this what life looks like for independent artists in Portugal?

Hot Air Balloon (Sarah-Jane): Tiago and I both have other professions. He was a professional musician for many years, but these days he’s working in a different field. For us, music is a kind of therapy, and in some ways, not depending on it financially gives us more freedom in how we relate to it.

Making a living solely from music, especially without teaching it is very difficult in Portugal. The market is small, most venues have limited budgets, and it’s not easy to get our music out beyond the country’s borders. This is the reality for many independent artists here.

EM: On that note, how would you describe the current state of music made in Portugal?

Hot Air Balloon (Sarah-Jane): I think the music being made in Portugal is very rich and diverse, with high-quality work in every aspect. There’s a new generation of musicians who have shown a lot of talent and a willingness to take risks and explore new sounds.

EM: If you could curate your ideal festival, what names would be on the lineup (living or not)?

Hot Air Balloon: From Portugal Zeca Afonso, Ornatos Violeta, Clã, From Guimarães our friends Paraguaii, from Galiza our friends Raposa,  From Ireland Idles, Fontaines DC, Lisa Hanigan and Kneecap, The Parcels, Jungle, Ora Cogan, Feist, The Doors, Beatles, Pat Metheny, Bill Frisell, Nirvana, Ravi Shankar, Nina Simone, Arooj Aftab etc etc..

EM: If you had to choose the five greatest albums of all time, which would you pick and why?

Hot Air Balloon:

Please Please me – The Beatles

Because is the beginning of a new era in music.

Nirvana – Nevermind

This is the album of our generation, we listen to this so much that it’s part of our identity.

The Doors – American Prayer

Is simply magical, the way music and poetry blend so perfectly, and how the musicians adapted to the voice recordings despite not playing together, is remarkable.

Zeca Afonso – Com as Minhas Tamanquinhas

Zeca is a unique figure in Portuguese music, one of the first to blend traditional Portuguese music with African influences. His lyrics have had a profound impact on Portuguese society.

Arooj Aftab – Vulture Prince 

The perfect blend of world music, classical, and jazz, this is an absolutely gorgeous album. Arooj has one of the most beautiful voices we’ve ever heard live, this music will age beautifully.

EM: What are your plans for the next few months?

Hot Air Balloon: Enjoy summer with friends and family while playing our album live! We’re so excited for our upcoming concerts, especially our performance at Vodafone Paredes de Coura on the Jazz na Relva stage. 

Agradecimentos:
Foto: Margarida Ramos
Raquel Lains (Let’s Start a Fire)