Nancy Vieira, A Singer Deeply Grounded in Cape Verdean Tradition

(headline image: Nancy Vieira – Photo by Rita Carmo)

Nancy Vieira was born in 1975 in Bissau, Guinea-Bissau to Cape Verdean parents. She later relocated to Cape Verde. Subsequently, Nancy’s family migrated to Lisbon, Portugal when she was 14 years old.

The young vocalist leapt to prominence in Portugal as a winner of a TV talent contest in Portugal, and then spent the next ten years quietly developing her craft.

Nôs Raça was her first album. In this case, Nancy delivered a fusion of Cape Verdean, Brazilian and Caribbean influences.

Segred was released in 2004. After that, she published Lus.

In addition to her solo recordings, Nancy collaborated with various Portuguese and Cape Verdean artists such as Ala dos Namorados, Rão Kyao, and Dany Silva on an album commemorating 40 years of his career.

One of Vieira’s most significant collaborations was a recording with Portuguese pianist and composer Manuel Paulo. The duo released Pássaro Cego in 2009. The album combined pop, jazz, fado, Cape Verdean morna and chamber music, with lyrics by João Monge.

Nô Amá came out in 2012, followed by Manhã Florida, a tribute to Cape Verdean morna.

In 2024 Nancy Vieira released Gente, a tribute to the people of Cape Verde.

And then in 2025, Nancy Vieira and Brazilian singer-songwriter and guitarist Fred Martins released an album titled Esperança (Hope) that topped the World Music Charts Europe in February 2026.

Fred shared: “The sound of Cape Verdean music resonates very familiarly to Brazilian ears . Furthermore, the feeling of “saudade” inherent in “morna” – music that could be called the music of the soul for Cape Verdeans – is almost identical to the feeling of “saudade” inherent in bossa nova. I believe you can fully sense that feeling in our album too.

“My pianist friend often spoke highly of Nancy. He insisted, ‘You should meet Nancy.’ I listened to Nancy’s recordings and watched her videos. Then, I invited her to feature on my album, which I recorded in Portugal. During that session, she performed the samba flawlessly. I was deeply moved, and that marked the beginning of our long-standing partnership and friendship.”

Discography:

Nôs Raça (Our Race) (Disconorte, 1995)
Segred (Praça Nova, 2004)
Lus (Light) (Harmonia Mundi/World Village, 2007)
Pássaro Cego, with Manuel Paulo, 2009
Nô Amá (Lusafrica, 2012)
Manhã Florida (Lusafrica, 2018)
Gente (Galileo MC, 2024)
Esperança (Galileo MC, 2025)

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.