Gil Semedo
| Gil Semedo | |
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Gil Semedo Live
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| Background information | |
| Born | 25 October 1974 (age 40) |
| Origin | Santa Catarina, Cape Verde |
| Genres | Caboswing, Zouk, Pop, R&B, Coladeira, Funana, Batuco |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter, music producer, record executive |
| Years active | 1991-present |
| Associated acts | Youssou N'Dour, Suzanna Lubrano, Gilyto, Don Kikas, Nelson Freitas, Kaysha, Boss AC, Loalwa Braz, Kaoma |
| Website | www.gilsemedo.com |
Gil Semedo Moreira (born October 25, 1974), better known by his stage name Gil Semedo, is a Cape Verdean recording artist, songwriter, businessman, and record producer. He rose to prominence in 1991 following the release of "Menina", the first single from his debut album bearing the same name. Gil is one of the most powerful celebrities in Portuguese speaking Africa, having sold over a million records and creating his own music genre ‘Cabo Swing’ (a combination of traditional Cape Verdean music styles such as Coladeira, Funana and Batuko mixed with zouk, pop and R&B).
Gil Semedo was born in Santiago, Cape Verde, and at age six moved to the Netherlands, where he still lives. He got his breakthrough in 1990 when he reached the finals on the Dutch talent TV show Sound Mix Show at age fifteen. He would go on to release his first single ‘Menina’ the following year, in 1991.
In 1991 Gil released his debut album ‘Menina’ under the name ‘Gil & the Perfect 2’. After embarking on a world tour, he released his follow-up album ‘Caboswing’ in 1993.
1994 saw the release of his third album, ‘Separadu’, which includes hits like ‘Moda Bitchu’, ‘Suzy’ and ‘Bye Bye My Love’. The following year he released ‘Verdadi’ (meaning ‘Truth’) which includes the Batuco song ‘Maria Julia’.
In 1997 Gil released his fifth album ‘Bodona’, which includes the hits ‘Flan’, ‘Nos Magua’ and the acoustic ‘Dor’. Two years later Gil released his most successful album to date, ‘Nos Lider (meaning ‘Our Leader’), which sold over 100,000 copies within the first three months of release and reached gold and platinum status in several countries worldwide. At the end of 1999 Gil suffered a tragic accident by falling down 8 floors from a hotel in Dakar, Senegal, while shooting a video for his single “Nha Namorada”. Gil miraculously survived the fall, but he lost his left foot because of the accident.
In 2001 Gil released his first ‘best of’-album of his career. The album also includes the exclusive bonus track ‘Obrigado’ (meaning ‘Thank You’), in which he thanks everybody that supported him during his recovery. The album becomes the best-selling Cape Verdean album of the year. The following year Gil releases Dedicaçon which includes multiple hits like Fan No.1, Casa Ku Mi, Acreditan and the title song Dedicaçon.
In 2003 more than 100,000 people witness Gil’s performance live at the Gamboa Festival and millions of people follow the broadcast on TV, radio and internet. Two years later, in 2005, Gil’s song ‘Lembra Tempo’ is selected for the soundtrack of the Portuguese box office hit ‘Sorte Nula’, directed by Fernando Fragata. The film wins the award for ‘Best Cinematography’ at the Boston International Film Festival. After a 4-year hiatus, Gil released his 8th studio album ‘Nha Vitoria’ (meaning ‘My Victory’) in 2006 to wide acclaim. On the album Gil shares some of the lessons he has learnt so far and sings about overcoming his obstacles.
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Wikipedia