It is one of the new revelations of the music of Cape Verde. Elida Almeida sings her need to express through music her feelings, the good times and less good of her life.
You entitle your first album "now doci now margos", why? Let's start by this story.
Elida Almeida: It is a title that has a lot to do with me. With this being my life, it is also something that will appeal to many people. Today for more swimmingly that is your life, there is always a bitter tone, a time when things do not work out. Taking into account all the music I had on the record, the title could not have been better.
These songs speak of your life. Let's talk about composition, which inspired many of the themes?
EA: I did not write this album so I write always. Usually I talk about my life and for all that went so far to inspires me. I take it out through the music and the lyrics, I think that it can move people, because although the various stages of my life, people also live these moments in their day-to-day and I think so the public identifies a lot with my fear, for I approach the everyday life.
So when you started writing in terms of lyrics?
EA: My first composition was "Nta Konsigui" I wrote when I was 17 years old at the time was able to make a chord with my guitar, is a very simple melody and a few chords, but it had much impact in Cape Verde and people sing it. In Portugal thanks to the tv show on TVI has become well known, only in "youtube" we have over 2 million views.
You write a lot, from a young age, so what united all the themes of this album?
EA: We have been hearing and selecting, when we decided the title of the albun "now doci, now margos" chose themes that met with the title. So, we chose 13 songs, but there were more than a dozen topics that I had written and I wanted to play, but most of all were my choices.
I find it curious that you said that many people identify with your songs, however, you are so young and the lyrics look like from someone much more mature.
EA: Yes, but life took charge that maturity was part of my life from an early age, due to circumstances my father died when I was very young, my mother had to go to seek life in another island and I was responsible for my brothers, I had an early pregnancy, everything that made gain maturity of an early form so to speak. I am very happy to know that I am entering life of adults but also in children, because in Cape Verde they come to me and tell me they love me and that's rewarding.
You have won awards, one as revelation in your country. It weighson you in any way?
EA: Of course, the prize always weighs in terms of responsibility, and you think now? Ups! I had already won a prize in the Cape Verde Music Awards (CVMA), was the most awarded artist of the night, for best album of the year, in an unprecedented composition and most popular artist of the internet and these awards do not come every day, but turn into challenges, I have another title to defend and I earned it.
You do not come from a musical family, which is also curious, because much of the Cape Verdean musicians always have a musical past. So how music came into your house, to the point of you decided to learn to play chords and write lyrics?
AE: Very early. In Cape Verde there is very much the tradition of listening to radio. I was born and raised in an area where today still do not have electricity and I heard a lot of African or American music and I followed the themes and the second time had already memorize the lyrics. Then we had to invent things to do, were groups of children, We sat in chairs, we caught plastic bottles and we started to do drumming, improvised songs and talked about the day-to-day life and then I was part of the choir of the Catholic church, for a period I worked in radio and won two competitions in Cape Verde we have called 'the world sings "and how I won, people started talking about me and I started singing.
Are you preparing a new album?
EA: No, I'm just writing. the success of my first album was amazing, we were not expecting so much work, I still have until September a very full month with the tour and in the same July will come out a single set with a clip and then in November I will enter a phase of rest to compose, to start a new album, but do not know the date.
But you still writing?
EA: I write every day.
And the main themes continue to be your life? Or your writing is changing?
EA: I just yesterday was thinking about it, lately I've written a lot about love, which before was not my forte. I wrote about people and the everyday, but I'm lately writing about love, it's a new phase, but will pass. (laughs)
