Cesaria Evora

Born on the Cape Verdean island of São Vicente, Cesária Évora became the world’s most celebrated voice of morna, the soulful musical genre that embodies the spirit of Cape Verde. After beginning her career in local bars and on regional radio, she stepped away from music in the 1970s before making a remarkable comeback in the mid-1980s. Her recordings in Portugal and Paris launched an extraordinary international career. Nicknamed the “Barefoot Diva” for her habit of performing without shoes, Évora introduced Cape Verdean music to audiences around the world through acclaimed albums including Miss Perfumado, Cabo Verde, Café Atlantico, Voz d’Amor and Rogamar. Her warm, instantly recognizable voice and collaborations with artists such as Caetano Veloso and Bonnie Raitt helped establish her as one of the defining figures of world music. In 2004, she received the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary World Music Album for Voz d’Amor and was named Officier des Arts et des Lettres by the French government. Despite health challenges later in life, she continued recording until her retirement in 2011. She passed away on December 17 of that year in Mindelo, leaving behind a timeless legacy that elevated morna to the global stage and made her one of the most influential voices in contemporary music.