THE ARTIST
I want to be a part of a movement like the African Americans were, like the African Brazilians were. Instead of doing the music of their ancestors, they have created this musical identity of their own. And it is now respected. It is considered whole and authentic and genuine. It will be a long time before people—the people from my generation—do not have to choose between being African or European. I think you shouldn’t have to choose.
—Sara Tavares
Sara Tavares is a leading representative of the new generation of Cape Verdean singers who emerged in the wake of Cesária Évora's transglobal success. Born off the islands, she is part of the generation whose parents migrated from the bleak Atlantic islands off the coast of Senegal, to Portugal in search of work.
As a teenager, Tavares founded the first Portuguese gospel choir in Lisbon and decided music was to be her destiny. Her favorite singers of the day were Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, and Donnie Hathaway. In 1994, she won a national TV competition, and entered the Eurovision Song Contest. From there, a contract with BMG records brought Tavares’s band its self-titled debut, Sara Tavares and Shout.
During the immediate years that followed, the singer was drawn from gospel and pop music into Lisbon's burgeoning African and Cape Verdean music scenes. Her 1999 debut solo album, Mi Ma Bô (finally released in the US last year as part of a two–CD/DVD collection Alive in Lisboa on Times Square) was still rooted in R&B, but its producer, Paris-based African artist and producer Lokua Kanza, helped Tavares find an upbeat Afro-pop mix. It earned her a gold disc in Portugal and a nomination for the Portuguese equivalent to a Grammy (Globos de Oero) for Best Artist / New Album.
Her second album, Balancê (also on Times Square), for which Tavares composed all the songs, was her international launch pad; the promotional tour took her through Europe, Japan, and the US. The focus of her songs had shifted entirely to Cape Verdean and African music; the songs were sung in Portuguese, Cape Verdean creole, and local street slang, moving towards rhythms rooted in the islands and the African diaspora. Her new album Xinti (pronounced ZHIN-tee), on 4Q Records, echoes the singer's inner journey.
World Music Institute (WMI) is celebrating its 25th anniversary season. Since its founding in 1985, WMI has built the most comprehensive concert series of world music and dance in the nation, presenting more than 1,400 ensembles and soloists from over 100 countries and regions. In addition to its concert series in New York, WMI organizes several national tours each year, and maintains an extensive catalog of recordings, videos, and books of traditional music available at our office or online. Visit worldmusicinstitute.org for more information.
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