Sara Tavares

Sara Tavares16歲時(shí)就贏得過(guò)葡萄牙最享有聲譽(yù)的電視音樂(lè)比賽的兩項(xiàng)獎(jiǎng)項(xiàng)。做為一個(gè)非洲佛得角的第二代移民，她在兩種文化中成長(zhǎng)。
她的音樂(lè)生涯最開(kāi)始，是以演唱福音、靈魂樂(lè)和Funk樂(lè)和作曲為主。在創(chuàng)作的過(guò)程中，她逐漸融入了更多她的家鄉(xiāng)的非洲音樂(lè)在曲子中。1994年她錄制了她的第一張專(zhuān)輯：Sara Tavares & Shout，1996正式發(fā)行這張專(zhuān)輯，為了介紹這張專(zhuān)輯，她在葡萄牙、佛得角和法國(guó)巡回演出。2001年她的第二張專(zhuān)輯Mi Ma Bo，由來(lái)自剛果的著名歌手和音樂(lè)制作人Lokua Kanza 與Sara一起合作制作，在葡萄牙獲得了金唱片獎(jiǎng)，這張專(zhuān)輯用葡萄牙、Criolo語(yǔ)和英語(yǔ)三種不同的語(yǔ)言來(lái)演唱，表現(xiàn)了音樂(lè)語(yǔ)言的多樣性，專(zhuān)輯混合了非洲的節(jié)拍和旋律美妙的流行歌曲。帶著非洲的色彩并帶給聽(tīng)者觸及靈魂的感動(dòng)。
從1998年末開(kāi)始，Sara Tavares決定為她的這張專(zhuān)輯重新開(kāi)始工作。為了達(dá)到這個(gè)目的，她停止了演出， 著手研究她自身真正的民族根源和對(duì)她的音樂(lè)創(chuàng)作有影響的東西，并從中對(duì)自己的音樂(lè)創(chuàng)作進(jìn)行自省。在這些深入的研究之后，誕生了Mi Ma Bo這張專(zhuān)輯，Mi Ma Bo來(lái)自Criolo語(yǔ)（佛得角語(yǔ)言），意思是我和你，這是一張有點(diǎn)私人性的專(zhuān)輯，在專(zhuān)輯里Sara的聲音所聯(lián)結(jié)的所有情感，都用著它特有的歌詞和悅耳的旋律來(lái)表達(dá)。通過(guò)這張專(zhuān)輯，Sara Tavares不僅表現(xiàn)出了她出色的音樂(lè)才華，也體現(xiàn)了她做為一個(gè)作曲家和制作人的才能。也向人們證明了她在音樂(lè)上的日臻成熟，她的才藝和她所擁有的更長(zhǎng)的藝術(shù)之路。
by Evan C. Gutierrez
Afro-Portuguese songwriter Sara Tavares was born in 1978 and brought up in Lisbon. Second-generation Portuguese of Cape Verdean decent, Sara was brought up by an elderly matriarch in her community after her father left for the States in search of a better life, her mother having traveled south in pursuit of the same ends. Sara showed great musical promise from a young age, a potential that was cultivated and bore fruit while Tavares was still in her teens. Winning the Endemol song contest Chuva de Estrelas, followed by a victory at the Portuguese Television Song Contest in 1994, earned Tavares a slot on the Eurovision Song Contest, all at the age of 16. Her winning song, "Chamar a Musica," was featured on her debut single release, Sara Tavares & Shout (1996), where Tavares mixed gospel and funk with her native Portuguese influences. Performing and writing songs in a mix of Portuguese, Crioulo, and English, Tavares spoke to her own lost generation of Cape Verdeans and Afro-European immigrants who searched to define their unique culture. Her sophomore effort, Mi Ma Bo, released by RCA in 1999, marked a noticeable change in direction toward Afro-pop. The record went gold in Portugal, announcing Tavares' arrival as a national star. After a five-year wait, eager fans were treated to Tavares' third album, released independently in 2006. On Balancê, Tavares penned all of the repertoire and added percussion to her list of credits, in addition to guitar and voice. Full of messages of hope and self-worth, Tavares' Balancê established her as one of the diaspora's most distinct and influential artistic voices.