Mayra Andrade
| Mayra Andrade | |
|---|---|
Mayra Andrade performing in June 2009 at Central Park, New York City, USA.
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| Background information | |
| Born | 13 February 1985 |
| Origin | Cape Verde |
| Genres |
Morna Funaná Batuque Coladeira Jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instruments | Voice |
| Years active | 2001–present |
| Website | Mayra-Andrade |
Mayra Andrade (born 13 February 1985) is a Cape Verdean singer who lives and records in Paris. Often compared to Cesária Évora, Andrade has been praised for her modern interpretation of the traditional Cape Verdean morna music.
Although she was born in Cuba, Andrade's parents are both Cape Verdean, and she and her family returned to Cape Verde a few days after her birth. Andrade spent the first years of her life in Cape Verde, but because her father was a diplomat for the Cape Verdean government, she traveled extensively with her family and lived in many countries during her childhood. Hence, during her childhood, she lived in Senegal, Angola, and Germany. However, she spent around two months of the year in the Cape Verdean island of Santiago. Andrade moved to Paris in 2002 when she was 17 years old and has lived there ever since.
She is multilingual, but most of the lyrics of the songs on her albums are in her native Cape Verdean Crioulo language. The first song she remembers singing is "O Leãozinho" by the Brazilian musician Caetano Veloso, whom she has cited as a musical influence.
Andrade often performed as a teenager, beginning voice lessons in Paris at age 17. During this time, she also met the composer Orlando Pantera and began collaborating with him. Andrade then began to perform in various Portuguese-speaking regions, including the Cape Verdean cities Mindelo and Praia as well as Lisbon.
In 2011, she collaborated with Trio Mocotó on the track "Berimbau" for the Red Hot Organization's most recent charitable album "Red Hot+Rio 2." The album is a follow-up to the 1996 "Red Hot + Rio." Proceeds from the sales will be donated to raise awareness and money to fight AIDS/HIV and related health and social issues.
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