Suzanna Lubrano Online

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Back to Zouk! Suzanna Lubrano does her thing again
Africa News – Tuesday, 21 April 2009

© Africa News

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Suzanna Lubrano releases irresistibly danceable LP
Africa News – Sunday, 22 February 2009

© Africa News

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BERLITZ TRAVEL GUIDE

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The only Pop album in this list.

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MARCO POLO TRAVEL GUIDE

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German Travel Guide.

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Now watch Suzanna, producer Marcus “DL” Siskind and radio host Tchesco talk about Suzanna’s Saida album.

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VIBE

March 14, 2007

On Suzanna’s show at SOB’s, NYC, March 11, 2007

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‘The headline was Cape Verdean Zouk artist Suzanna Lubrano. She’s been around for years. Sunday was her first time in New York. Awesome. She performed old and new tracks and even invited Brazilian Zouk dancers to perform along with her.’

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Click here to listen to a Dutch language radio interview on the Lijn 5 Zarayda show of February 7, 2008. (Click on ‘Uur 2′)

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Now watch Suzanna talking about the start of her career.

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Here’s an interview with Suzanna Lubrano in the Dutch language for MTNL Television on winning the Kora All African Music Awards.

Here’s a Dutch language report of FunX Radio, Netherlands, on the release party of Suzanna Lubrano Saida album, Holland Casino Rotterdam, January 31, 2008

Here’s a TV report on Suzanna’s release party in Holland Casino Rotterdam, January 31, 2008

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THE WORLD

Source The World (BBC, American Public Radio), October 2005

By: Gerry Hadden for The World

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The singer Cesaria Evora has become almost synonymous with the music of Cape Verde. Evora took the world music scene by storm ten years ago with her melancholy voice. But another singer is emerging from that isolated archipelago off the coast of West Africa. It’s Suzanna Lubrano. But she’s not singing traditional Cape Verdean songs.

Suzanna Lubrano warms up her pipes before rehearsal in the basement of a beachside hotel on the island of Sal.

Without accompaniment, it’s tough to tell what kind of music Lubrano is singing. Later that night, before a crowd of 15,000 people, it becomes clear: Zouk

Zouk is a caribbean dance music that’s become wildly popular throughout Africa. It is huge here on these islands, though Cape Verde is best known for its traditional “mornas” those sad songs that blend Portugese fado with Brasilian and African melodies and rhythms. Lubrano says she first heard zouk as child, growing up in Holland. Her parents moved there when she was four years old. There among the African diaspora Lubrano wrote and recorded her debut hit, Without You in This World, in 1997.

Lubrano says Holland was a long way geographically and culturally, from Cape Verde.

Lubrano: I never really listened a lot to traditional songs. Cuz I was listening to was zouk, and before that r&b, that was my favorite . Because it’s different in Holland than here. Here everybody plays traditional kinds of music. On a nearby street corner several men play guitars and ukulele-like cavaquinhos. It’s obvious that Cape Verdeans are still big on their own music.

But its Lubrano’s music that’s hitting the charts. Her Zouk songs have reached number one in The Netherlands and in several African countries. In 2003 she won Best Female Singer in Africa, at the prestigious Kora Awards, held yearly in South Africa. She’s especially popular at home. In fact authorities recently conferred on her the title of Godmother of a brand new Cape Verde Airlines jet. Lubrano was only 19 when Cesaria Evora hit it big, but she says she knew of her music much earlier. She says Evora has been an inspiration but there isn’t room here for another traditional diva.

Lubrano: As far as I know only Cesaria Evora has achieved that. I’m trying to go another way now. For example since the Kora award a lot of people got interested in the type of songs I’m doing. And they really loved it. Dutch people, Surinam People, people from Curacao. So I see there’s a lot of possibility to bring it out and that’s what we are trying to do now.

Lubrano is off to the U.S. to record her next record, due out this year. She also recently moved back to her Cape Verdean island of Santiago. The move might just inspire her to incorporate some elements of traditional Cape Verdean tunes in the next release.

Lubrano: Especially now that I live here, and I see so many things happening. I found it also important to do something with traditional, not to lose that. But to take the roots and make something bigger.

She won’t sing a single note of her upcoming songs, but she does sing non zouk song she’s recently composed. It’s a eulogy for a 13 year old Cape Verdean boy. The boy hit a passer-by with a snowball last year. The man turned around and shot him. Suzanna Lubrano, singing about Cape Verdeans abroad and at home.

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SODADE MAGAZINE

Fall 2005

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Suzanna Lubrano is hanging out in a crowded backstage at the Omni Hotel, trying to absorb the ambiance and fit in with the rest of the participants when her manager walks up and stands right next to her. He leans over and briefly whispers in het ear. They both smile as she crouches over, sits down in a small chair in the middle of the harmonious room, her humility on full display.

She speaks to everyone and occasionally strikes poses, never forgetting to smile to her die-hard fans and their friendly cameras. Suzanna does not seem nervous about facing her fans, especially after a long absence. On the contrary, she appears calm, unperturbed, and ready. Jus as she starts to chat with fellow colleagues, getting ready for the show, her manager tenderly taps her on the shoulder: it was time to take center stage, a moment her US fans had been longing for five years.

Equipped with a wireless microphone, and while the band played the intro, she was escorted into the spotlight to relentless applauses. Suzanna may have never expected this kind of reception from the sold out crowd. Since the release of her debut dolo album ‘Sem bo nes mund’ in 1997, Suzanna’s career has been one success story after another and to be among some of Cape Verde’s best artists is evidence of that.

‘It was very nice and explosive, I enjoyed the pleasant environment during my performance,’ reacts an overwhelmed Suzanna, surrounded by fans demanding autographs and pictures. In December of 2003, after the release of the sizzling ‘Tudo Pa Bo,’ (All for You) she won the prestigious Kora All African Awards for Best African Female Artist and Best Video.

Music has been part her life from childhood, but Suzanna’s musical career began with Os Rabelados, a band that will be remembered for songs such as ‘Nos Dos,’ ‘E so Mal,’ ‘Ki Vida,’ ‘Sukuro,’ ‘Piteco’ or ‘Nhu Santo Amaro.’ The godmother of the newly purchased Cabo Verde Airlines (TACV) Boeing 757 named ‘Emigranti,’ she is generally referred to as the Diva, a title she feels uncomfortable bearing.

Sexy and beautiful – in a way that could be threatening – she possesses a voice of impressive clarity, fitting for her musical genre, which is a blend of Zouk, coladera, and funana sprinkled with R&B and Reggae. Despite enjoying all the accolades as a solo artist, Suzanna, whose sophomore album ‘Fofo’ (1999) was a platinum-plus, is definitely not resting on her laurels.

In the midst of the recording of her new album, Suzanna will take on the world with a lengthy and busy tour, which will take her as far as South Africa, the country where she was crowned the African Queen of Pop music.

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CVMUSICWORLD.COM

Monday, May 02, 2005

Osvaldo Dos Reis, CVMusicWorld.com Senior Editor.

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After five lingering years, singer Suzanna Lubrano finally returned to the United States and there was clear indication that she had been deeply missed. Following her staggering performance during “Taste of Capeverdean Music” mega concert in Washington DC on April 22nd, Suzanna reconnected with her New England groupies at Club Lido this past Friday

The crowd showed up expecting a fun overflowing evening with plenty of excitement, and they got just that. Soon after opening act Brockton-based Rapper D. Lopes animated the audience performing several tracks from his newly released sophomore album “The Bright Darkness,” the band jumped on stage to set off “Nha Sonho,” prompting the fans to show their passion, jumping and screaming “Suzanna, Suzanna.”

Sexy and beautiful–in a way that could be intimidating–she appeared on stage and began singing, not without greeting the crowd. Backed by a five-piece band and a backup singer, Suzanna, winner of the prestigious Kora Awards in 2003, delivered an honorable one-hour show during which she tendered a list of hit songs from her three solo albums “Sem bo nes mundo,” “Fofo,” and “Tudo pa bo.”

On songs such as “Nha sonho,” “ladies night,” “fofo,” “Comunicaçao Visual,” and “Sem bo nes mundo,” she showed impressive power and vocal ability.

Throughout the evening, Suzanna, who also performed at Club Ghetto in New Jersey on April 30th, cajoled with her fans, inviting them to sing the chorus of each of her songs. Before “Silencio,” a graceful Suzanna took the time to explain that the song was dedicated to a young adolescent who had been assassinated in Holland, her adoptive country.

Suzanna and her band were heating up but the announcement of the night’s last song left her warm fans begging for more. “Tudo pa bo,” (All for you) seemed to be the right way to end a concert slightly shortened because of a delay caused by the crowd’s late arrival at the venue.

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PRESS IN THE NETHERLANDS

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“Suzanna Lubrano’s warm and rhythmic sounds attracted many people. Lubrano gave a powerful performance which – looking at the dancing people in front of the stage – was received with great enthousiasm by the audience.” (June 21, 2004, Brabants Dagblad on Suzanna’s show at the Festival Mundial)

‘Her band was great and everything came together when she started ‘You’re too good to be true (Tudo pa bo)’, a song with the allure of Youssou N’Dours duet with Neneh Cherry’. (January 2004, Magazine OOR about Suzanna’s performance at the Dutch Noorderslag Festival)

‘Finally, Suzanna Lubrano could be seen again at home. Dressed in black, she totally proved her reputation outside Rotterdam within Rotterdam. The audience danced on her music and when they had to sing, they did without a problem.’ (May 30, 2005, Algemeen Dagblad daily on Suzanna’s performance at the Rotterdam Dunya Festival)

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CVMUSICWORLD.COM

May, 2005

Train 171 to Live at 500

By: Omar De Oliveira

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It is hard to talk about “Connecting the Global Caboverdean Nation” conference and omit the side stories of many coming together from all corners of the globe to celebrate the culture, share stories and inmany cases even to find relatives. For many, the journey started in Boston with a train replete with musicians and media personnel embarking in a seven-hour odyssey to Washington, DC, the nation’s capital.

With Boston disappearing in the rear mirror, it was time for everyone to reacquaint or get familiar with each other. Soon after, the atmosphere for the long trip was finally set, as musicians and the rest of the convoy engaged inconversations on their latest endeavors and other relevant topics. Short after departing the last station in the Big Apple,the Spencers (Nhelas and Santos) divulged their instruments and started jamming, and soon after, one after another, musicians started joining the jollity, tagging along with harmonious chorus line.

Musicians from different styles and backgrounds came together. The moving train was suddenly filled with apleasant rhapsody of classics tunes. Bino from Ferro Gaita was singing morna, Nhelas Spencer, Santos and Kim Alves held their acoustic solos while Suzanna Lubrano, Zeca diNha Reinalda, Tinny Tavares and Esmy were nodding as a sign of appreciation. Filmmaker Guenny Pires had his videocamera going, as Nacio Prigozu immortalized those moments with a digital camera.

Mornas and coladeras seemed fitting for relaxation even though the lyrics did not quiet tone with the scenery of the fast moving green fields and skyscrapers outside the windows. There was an announcement of “no quiet wagons” in the PA system, but at that point no one cared. The non-Capeverdeans, who probably thought they hopped in the wrong train, were perplexed but seemed to enjoy the pleasurable sounds coming from the spontaneous collaboration.

The media group, most of them non-musicians, made themselves serviceable, becoming interviewees to thecuriosity of many: “Where are you guys from? What kind of music is this? Is that Puerto Rican music?”… If they only knew about Claire Andrade-Watkins’ documentary, Some Kind of Funny Puerto Ricans!

This whole experience was a great case study for the Friday workshops that revolved around Branding Capeverdean music, and the Mendes Brothers, active participants in the event, seemed to be soaking up their thoughts of the occurrence in their laptop.

The following day, Ramiro and John Mendes were panelists in the first section of the workshop that brought David Rabkin from the OTF Group, who highlighted the strategy Jamaicans used as a possible model for Capeverdean music industry. Many participants who arrived via train were sure of the potential but uncertain about the methodology to follow. Singer Maria de Barros represented the artists and Daniel Spencer spoke about protection of intellectual material through SOCA, while Atlanta-Based DJ Guelas gave some advice to artists and producers in terms of promoting their music.

Osvaldo dos Reis from CVMusicWorld.com re-enforced the important role of the internet in divulging our music to the mainstream audiences. Producer Jose da Silva from Lusafrica talked about the obstacles he encountered while trying to elevate the career of Cesaria Evora.

At the end of the workshops, the Q & A section triggered many interesting dialogues, which resulted in worthy recommendations to be taken in consideration in order to achieve the goals outlined earlier, above all the establishment of a greatly desired musician’s association.

After all that 411 it was finally time to see the stars. One after the other, these musicians stepped on stage infront of a spacious but filled ballroom, in a grandiose concert that many compared to one that took place at Zenith, France, a few years ago. Suzanna, Kora award recipient, saved her best for last. After her brilliant performance, she joined the rest of the pack on stage where she successfully tested her voice in the ensemble performance of “sodade,” a tease for aficionados of traditional Capeverdean music. “What is she waiting for?” was echoed throughout the hotel.

On Saturday, the last evening of the conference, with Washington DC under clammy weather, the band Ferro Gaita, during the evening dinner and music gala, concentrated on quality rather than quantity. Their short performance left the fans thirsty for more. However, everyone seemed very energetic and not ready to end the night.

Musicians were walking around, experimenting with every instrument they find. The lobby was fragmented in groups of friends looking for a possible after party before ending to the night. Talented artists, with instrument just idling, were wandering around the hotel from floor to floor looking for an open door and an audience toperform for. “Eureka,” they thought when they heard people chatting in room 500. Soon, people were no longer whispering about 500 and the crowd at that sizeable room was augmenting with every guitar stroke.

Everyone wanted to join forces, objects from the apartment were becoming makeshift instruments, and the chorus was steadily increasing in volume, “So sabi, malcriado ca ta entra li…”, while some starving for “convivência” kept order and proposed snapping fingers in lieu of applauses. The clock stroke 3:30 a.m. and the next day engagements were forcing the end, and the classic Hora di Bai was a relief for those looking forward for to rest for a couple hours. But there was an accord: Our Culture is Alive and Well!

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INTERVIEW WITH TITO PARIS

Asemana, 21-08-2004

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I’m a personal friend of Suzanna Lubrano, she’s like a sister to me, and when she won the Kora award it was as if I had won it myself. The award is mine, just as it is that of all other Cape Verdeans, just as the prime minister is the minister of all Cape Verdeans. I was in Mozambique for a concert when I saw Suzanna Lubrano win the award. I was very happy. At the time, the prime minister went to the media to display his satisfaction. But when Cesária Évora won the greatest award in music – a Grammy – José Maria Neves remained silent. I don’t know why, he didn’t say anything.

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