Biography

Carmen Souza was born in Lisbon (1981) within a Christian family of Cape Verdeans. Very early she experienced the “Sodade” feeling of missing someone with the long absence of her father due to his work at sea. She grew up in a mixed language environment of Creole, the Cape Verde dialect her parents spoke at home, and Portuguese, always surrounded by the Cape Verdean way of life. Theo Pascal, her producer and mentor and one of the best bass players in Portugal, discovered her talent and introduced Carmen to Jazz and other contemporary sounds that markedly influenced her musical development. Carmen Souza & Theo Pascal has been touring extensively around the World since 2005. All their 9 Cds released to date, in a fruitful artistic relation, have been acclaimed by both the worldwide press and audiences and featured in countless Best Album polls, World Music Europe Chards and Transglobal World Music Charts. Souza has become the only female Cape Verdean artist, in the musical history of this country, to have composed, co-produced and executed on piano, guitar and vocals a complete original repertoire included in several albums combining the local Creole dialect, the traditional rhythms of the Islands and Jazz in a total unique way. For that, in 2013 Carmen Souza won the title of Best female singer and Best Morna at the Cape Verdean 'Grammys'- Cabo Verde Music Awards and made it to the #31 Best Vocal at the 2013 NPR Jazz Critics poll right next to all the greats of Jazz in the World! Undoubtedly, she is a true world music force and one of Europe's most in-demand jazz singers, as someone said: "Carmen Souza does not have to decide whether her music is Jazz or 'World Music'. Her style is just as unique as convincing and her Cape Verdean roots as evident as her desire to create a new language under the label of 'World Jazz'. "