"Barefoot Diva" Cesaria Evora dies at 70December 17, 2011 - 21:50 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Singer Cesaria Evora, dubbed the "Barefoot Diva" for often performing without shoes, has died in her native Cape Verde at the age of 70, BBC reports. The musician, forced to retire earlier this year due to ill-health, began her career singing in the bars of Mindelo in the West African island nation. Evora did not begin her recording career until 1988, and won a Grammy Award in 2004 for her album Voz D'Amor. She was famed for singing songs of longing with her rich contralto vocals. Her sultry voice was often compared to blues star Billie Holliday Her fourth album, Miss Perfumado, was her breakthrough hit in 1992. It sold more than 300,000 copies worldwide, and resulted in a number of tours. She released 10 albums in all. Evora had a penchant for alcohol and cigarettes, and in later life her health began to decline. She suffered a stroke while on tour in Australia in 2008 and later underwent open heart surgery. In September, she spoke of her sadness at having to retire, saying: "I have no strength, no energy. I want you to say to my fans: forgive me, but now I need to rest. "I infinitely regret having to stop because of illness, I would have wanted to give more pleasure to those who have followed me for so long." Evora was considered one of the world's greatest exponents of Morna, a form of blues considered the national music of the Cape Verde islands, a former Portuguese colony which gained independence in 1975. The music is a testament to the country's history, including the slave trade and its physical remoteness in the Atlantic Ocean, hundreds of kilometers off Africa's west coast. Top stories The creative crew of the Public TV had chosen 13-year-old Malena as a participant of this year's contest. She called on others to also suspend their accounts over the companies’ failure to tackle hate speech. Penderecki was known for his film scores, including for William Friedkin’s “The Exorcist”, Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining”. The festival made the news public on March 19, saying that “several options are considered in order to preserve its running” Partner news | Narek Manasyan wins European Boxing Championships silver for Armenia Armenia’s Narek Manasyan (92kg) won Armenia’s second silver medal at the European Boxing Championships 2024 on April 28. Blinken urges Azerbaijan to continue negotiations with Armenia Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken has urged Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to continue negotiations with Armenia. Pashinyan, Blinken talk Armenia-U.S. ties over the phone Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had a phone conversation with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on April 28, Pashinyan’s office reports. Titus, Bilirakis lead legislation to sanction Azerbaijani war criminals Representatives Dina Titus (D-NV) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) have introduced the bipartisan legislation. |