San Francisco Frontiers - Ceuzany, Cape Verde's golden voice with volcanic emotion

From the very first notes the deep yet soaring timbre of the song, part of a new generation of Cape Verdean music, sparks applause.

"Enough! We're calling it quits, go your own way, I am happy without you," several women sing from the audience, joining the musician who is moved to tears.

On this late-May evening in Mindelo, a city on the archipelago nation's Sao Vicente island, passersby who recognise the singer stop in the street to join the concert.

Ceuzany's voice ranges from crystalline highs to deep lows, as she performs everything from jazz to slam, commanding the stage with wavy blonde hair and earrings framing her radiant face.

The day before she radiated infectious energy under the bright lights of a music video shoot, dancing with abandon in a silver rhinestone suit and Panama hat to the galvanising percussion of her latest and fourth album.

The record blends saxophone, percussion and the cavaquinho, a popular four-stringed instrument, although some songs are more stripped down, featuring Ceuzany's voice and an acoustic piano, or a swaying zouk rhythm set against the warm sound of the ukulele.

"I started singing at age 12 in a competition in Cape Verde, and I haven't stopped since," Ceuzany Pires, 35, told AFP with a beaming smile.

"My grandmother had dreamed of becoming a renowned artist in Cape Verde, but her parents didn't want her to sing," said the mother of two.

"She was always singing serenades at home and I was always listening. It is thanks to her that I have this taste for music and that I deeply love singing," she added.

- 'Soul coming through' -

Ceuzany is often compared to the legendary Cesaria Evora, the "barefoot diva" who introduced the world to two traditional genres of Cap Verdean music: morna, which is characterized by soft, nostalgic melodies and coladeira, which features a faster rhythm.

"Ceuzany is one of Cesaria Evora's heirs, as she is a great morna singer," said her producer, Jose Da Silva, who has served as producer for both women.

"Ceuzany is capable of injecting a bit of rap into coladeira. She is just as comfortable with urban music artists as she is with traditional ones," he said.

Warm and funny, Ceuzany is also "a true daughter of Mindelo, she possesses that same spontaneity that Cesaria had".

The singer herself says that she is "immensely honoured" to be part of the Cesaria Evora Orchestra, which performs around the world to keep alive the music of the "barefoot diva" who died in 2011.

For musician Hernani Almeida, who arranged Ceuzany's latest album and composed several of its songs, she is unique among the new generation.

"When Ceuzany sings, you feel soul coming through," said the guitarist, adding that "it really touches people".

- 'Queens' -

Ceuzany's songs evoke Mindelo, the ups and downs of love, and difficult topics like the ravages of crack cocaine ("pedra") on the impoverished archipelago located off west Africa.

She says her fourth album is very special to her "because it deals with domestic violence".

"I've been through it," Ceuzany said, explaining that "I gathered the strength to leave a toxic relationship" that lasted nearly five years.

The title track and single "No tchal te li" ("We stop here") tells the story of a romance that sours into a cycle of physical and emotional abuse.

Ceuzany, who has since received numerous messages and has engaged with women who are victims of domestic violence, has turned the song into an anthem of liberation and self-empowerment.

"I believe women deserve to be treated like queens. That's the message I want to share with all women, in Cape Verde and across the world, because if I managed to leave a toxic relationship, you can do it too," she said, unable to hold back tears.

The artist is at a pivotal moment in her career, seeing the first signs of international recognition.

Spotted in 2022 by French singer Christophe Mae, she recorded a single with him in Cape Verde titled "Le Pays des merveilles" ("Wonderland"), an uplifting tribute to her home country.

In 2024, she joined him for a 40-date tour across France.

In early June, Ceuzany also won the "Traditional Music of the Year" category at the Cape Verde Music Awards.

Following her concert in Mindelo, Ceuzany greeted fans and friends with hugs before people dispersed into the windy night.

"I want to record more music, release more albums, take Cap Verde further, bringing myself along. And continue singing for my people", she said.

M.Hill--SFF