Nancy Vieira, born in Guinea-Bissau, grew up on the islands of Cape Verde before moving to Lisbon, where her father became ambassador of the Republic of Cape Verde. During her university studies in the 1990s, Nancy won a song contest which resulted not only in the release of her first album, but also in her decision to focus on her ambitions as a singer. Since then, she's released four albums - the most recent, Manhã Florida, in 2018 - using songs from such prestigious Cape Verdean songwr...iters as Mário Lúcio, Teofilo Chantre and Eugenio Tavares. Based on her overwhelming success, we can confidently say that she took on the title of 'Ambassador of Cape Verdean music' after the death of Cesaria Evora. She was destined for this title after several of Evora's musicians got behind her, but it was above all her brilliant voice, radiant performance style and the ease with which she created her own style from morna traditions that won people over.
Djénéba Kouyate and her husband Fousseyni Sissoko first met at the music academy in Bamako, Mali, and both of them belong to the caste of musicians and storytellers. They hadn't yet made a recording when they were invited to the Africolor festival in France, where they performed with such outstanding success that a prestigious music publisher immediately signed a contract with them. For two years, they worked on their album Kayeba Khasso, which is just as characterised by the magic of centuries-old Malian tradition as it is by its expanding of the boundaries of geography and style. In spring 2018, the album topped European world music radio charts, and promises to be the year's biggest African sensation with its variety and depth.