Kizomba
| Kizomba | |
|---|---|
| Stylistic origins | |
| Cultural origins | Late 1970s, Angola |
| Other topics | |
Kizomba is a popular genre of dance originating in Angola. Unlike semba, kizomba music is characterized by a slower and usually very romantic rhythm.
The origins of kizomba can be traced to late-1970s Africa, with influences variably attribed to Angola and Cape Verde. Kizomba is characterised by a slower, romantic, sensuous rhythm than the traditional Angolan semba dance. Kizomba music emerged as a more modern music genre with a sensual touch mixed with African rhythm and Haitian Kompa. Most kizomba songs are sung in Portuguese.
Cape Verdean singers and producers with kizomba compilations include Suzanna Lubrano, Kaysha, Atim, Nilton Ramalho,Johnny Ramos, Nelson Freitas, Mika Mendes, Cedric Cavaco, Elji, Looney Johnson, Klazzik, Mark G, To Semedo, Klaudio Ramos, M&N Pro, Gilson, and Gil. Original influential music styles from Cape Verde are funaná, morna, coladeira and batuque. Thanks to the French Antilles Kompa music and the strong influence of semba (from Angola), Cape Verdean singers have developed significantly Kizomba and zouk (mixing it with coladeira) known as cabo love or cola-dance. Moreover, every lusophone country has developed its own Kizomba music flavour.
Semba has been danced in the 1950s in Angola. In the 1990s, when the actual kizomba music got more and more popular, Angolan semba dancers started to adapt their semba steps according to the tempo and flavour of the Kizomba beats.
After many Cape Verdean emigrants arrived in France where they were exposed to compas music in the 80s, they mixed it with a traditional Cape Verde style, the coladera, creating the cola-zouk, which is very similar to kizomba and typically sung in Cape Verdean Creole. It is this rhythm that was confused with kizomba, and was heard in Portugal when Eduardo Paim arrived there and released his first record with kizomba music.
The influence of kizomba is felt in most Portuguese-speaking African countries, but also Portugal (especially in Lisbon and surrounding suburbs such as Amadora or Almada), where communities of immigrants have established clubs centered on the genre in a renewed kizomba style. Kizomba is now also quite popular among white people that come to these clubs in growing numbers. The São Tomean kizomba music is very similar to the Angolan, Juka being the most notable among the Sãotomeans, and also one of the most notable performers in the genre.
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