Captivating vocalist Eneida Marta was born in Guinea-Bissau and later moved to Portugal. Descending from a family of artists, especially her father, who came from Cape Verde, she started singing as a little child, working on her voice and participating in some children’s music contests.
Some years later, after moving to Portugal, she met Juca Delgado, one of the most important African music producers, and started working together, which gave her the chance of taking part in the work of some of the most important African musicians in Portugal, such as Don Kikas, Rui Sangaras, Fernando Santos (Aiaia), Aliu Bari, Punga, Iva and Ichi.
Coinciding with the release of her first album, Nô Stória (Maxi Music, 2001), produced by Juca Delgado, Eneida toured Cape Verde, France, Holland, Germany, Guinea-Bissau and Portugal.
As the second album became a reality, it revealed a remarkable interest in some international record companies such as Putumayo, Club Star and JPS Production. Finally, with Putumayo, and with her track Na Bu Mons, Eneida took part in a compilation dedicated to the music of the former Portuguese African countries, An Afro-Portuguese Odyssey (2002).
In 2002, Eneida Marta released a second album, a maxi-single, where she pays tribute to Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde’s African sounds and where she also sings in Arabic, showing her multifaceted artistic side.
Eneida Marta participated in other compilations and also appeared in the albums of renowned African artists.
In July 2005, Eneida won first place in the World Music category, in a contest that took place in Portugal, with the song “Mindjer Dôlce Mel”. With this winning theme, which is also included in Putumayo World Music’s compilation “Acoustic Africa“, she recorded her third music video.
In January 2006, Eneida Marta released her third album, “Lôpe Kai”, on French label Íris Music.
In 2008, Eneida was selected to perform at the influential World Music Expo (WOMEX) showcases. Eneida performed songs from “Lôpe Kai” [2006] (Iris Music), which gave rise to the Lôpe Kai Tour and took her to some of the most prestigious stages in the world.
Eneida and Juca explore a great variety of styles, gumbe, morna, singa, with some flamenco, Gospel and jazz nuances. She sings in Manding, Fula, Criolo, Futa-Fula and Portuguese.
Eneida released “Nha sunhu” in 2015 and “Ibra” in 2019. Eneida dedicated “Ibra” to Guinean kora maestro Ibrahim Galissa, a regular collaborator who passed away prematurely earlier that year.
Discography:
Nô Stória (Maxi Music, 2001)
Amari (Maxi Music, 2002)
Lope Kai (Iris Music, 2006)
Nha sunhu (2015)
Ibra (2019)
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
Updated biography and discography