Cesária Évora
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Cesária Évora (born August 27, 1941 in Mindelo, Cape Verde) is a Cape Verdean folk singer. Nicknamed the "barefoot diva" for her habit of performing without shoes,[1] Evora is perhaps the best-known practicioner of morna — a local genre related to Portuguese fado and Brazilian modinha, with a sensibility often compared to the blues.
[edit] History
Cesaria Evoria's hometown has long been the cultural center of Cape Verde. Her father died when she was seven. Her mother struggled to support her on her meager earnings as a cook and eventually put her in the care of an orphanage. It was in the orphanage choir that she first learnt to sing.
At age 16 she met a Cape Verdean sailor named Eduardo who taught her the traditional Cape Verdean styles of music of coladeras and mornas. The mornas (which may be derived from the word mourn) are songs of sadness, sorrow and yearning. She began singing in local bars and hotels. With the help of local musicians, she would hone her skills and would later be proclaimed "Queen of Mornas" by her fans. She became famous in Cape Verde but remained relatively unknown internationally.
In 1975, Cape Verde gained independence but its new leader Amilcar Cabral was assassinated during the turmoil that accompanied the end of five centuries of Portuguese rule. Évora was still popular at the time but her fame did not lead to financial success. Frustrated by personal and financial problems, compounded by the very difficult economic and political situation in Cape Verde, Évora gave up singing to support her family. She didn't perform for 10 years which she describes as her "dark years."
Cesária resumed performing after being encouraged by a Cape Verdean exile, leading musician and patron of the arts, Bana, who lived in Portugal. He secured invitations to Portugal where she performed a series of concerts sponsored by a local women's organization.
A Frenchman of Cape Verdian descent named Jose Da Silva persuaded her to go to Paris where she recorded a new album, La diva aux pieds nus (The Barefoot Diva) in 1988. This album won critical acclaim and began for her a dramatic comeback that accelerated with her 1992 album, Miss Perfumado. She became an international star at the age of 47.
