In just 2 years, Elida Almeida has made a name for herself performing at world music venues in Europe, Africa and North America.

The unknown Elida won huge acclaim for her first album and the song Nta Konsigui (2.7 million views on YouTube), her warm, smooth voice conveying a powerful exultation. On her second album, Kebrada (named for the village where she grew up), she asserts her African identity, seasoning her Cabo Verdean beats – batuque, funaná, coladera and tabanka – with Latino energy. Her fiery temperament and joie de vivre do nothing to undermine the social criticism she expresses in her nostalgic ballads tinged with pop.

Winner of the 2015 RFI (Radio France Internationale) Discoveries Prize, the 25-year-old Elida Almeida learned the art of fusion as she toured the globe from Côte d’Ivoire to Haiti, Paris and Cuba. The new pearl of Cabo Verde has a powerful appetite, curiosity, a ton of good humor and an equal measure of determination.