What you need to know about Cesária Évora, Africa’s “Barefoot Diva” honored by Google
Cesária Évora, a Cape Verdean singer and Grammy Award-winning recording artist who became known as the “Barefoot Diva”, remains one of the biggest musical acts of the 21st century, long after her demise.
Born on 27th August 1941, Évora began singing when she was young. Upon becoming an adult, she began pursuing music as a career by performing at bars in her hometown of Mindelo.
After several years of singing without financial success, she was eventually spotted by former musician and record producer José da Silva, who urged her to record her music in France.
She was known for her exceptionally beautiful voice and managed to rock anyone who listened to her music despite the language barrier.
Since her demise in 2011, numerous international artists have released songs and albums in homage to her achievement, contribution, and mentorship. Even some streets in Cape Verde and Europe (particularly in France) have been named after her for the great person and singer that she was.
She continues to be celebrated at home and abroad until today.
In a bid to remember her rich legacy, Google created a special doodle in her honor to celebrate what would have been her 78th birthday on Tuesday 27th August 2019.
Considering that, here are the most interesting facts that you need to know about Cesária Évora.
She sang in Creole-Portuguese
Cesária Évora composed her music and sang them in Creole-Portuguese. Évora specialized in morna, the traditional music style of Cape Verde. Her songs typically had melancholic, poetic undertones.
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Morna is widely considered the national music of Cape Verde as is the merengue for the Dominican Republic, the rumba for Cuba, and so on.
One of her most famous songs is a recording of the coladeira song “Sodade”, which encapsulates the nostalgia of emigrants from Cape Verde. Évora included the song, which dates back to the Fifties, in her 1992 album Miss Perfumado.
She performed barefoot on stage
Apart from her exceptionally beautiful voice, there was also one striking quality about Cesária Évora; she performed barefoot hence the name the “Barefoot Diva”
Many people have interpreted it as a sign of solidarity with the poor and even being in touch with her humble beginnings.
After the death of her father, a musician, when she was seven, Évora was placed in an orphanage. While she built a reputation as a singer early on in her life, Évora was forced to temporarily give up on music in the 1970s due to financial issues.
She only returned to it in the 1980s and released her first album, La Diva Aux Pieds Nus, in 1988.
Cesária Évora, however, disputed this theory, in an interview with The Washington Post in 2001.
“People used to say that I did that in solidarity with the hungry people and all the poor people of the world, but that’s not true.
“In Cape Verde, lots of people are like me. They just don’t like to wear shoes.”
She had a stunning musical career
Born on 27 August 1941, Évora took up singing as a girl, and as an adult began her career by performing at bars in her hometown of Mindelo.
After several years of singing without major breakthrough, she was eventually spotted by former musician and record producer José da Silva, who urged her to record her music in France.
After she got her start in 1988, Évora released new albums every two years or so over the course of 21 years.
In 2004, her album Voz d’Amor won Best Contemporary World Music Album at the Grammys, following up on her first nomination for the 1995 Cesária.
Her final album, Nha Sentimento, came out in 2009, two years before her death.
She has an Airport named in her honor
Not many musicians can boast of having airports named after them, Cesária Évora is an exception.
São Pedro Airport which operated since 1960 was renamed Cesária Évora Airport on March 8, 2012, in honor of the singer.
The airport, which is located on the island of São Vicente, is the third busiest in the tiny island country.
A statue of the singer also stands at the terminal entrance.
She is featured on the new 2000 Escudos banknote
Evora’s face is featured in the new 2000 Escudos banknote which was introduced in December 22, 2014.
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