De Barros Warms Up New Bedford And The Hearts Of Haiti

By JESSICA BOTELHO
Special Writer

(NEW BEDFORD, MA) – With her sensuous voice and sultry style, world music singer Maria de Barros is excited to be taking the stage at the Zeiterion Performing Arts Center in New Bedford, Massachusetts on Friday, Feb. 19, at 8 p.m.

“It will be my first time performing in New Bedford in many years and I would love to see everyone there,” she said. “I thank the Zeiterion Theatre for inviting me and giving me the chance to keep Cape Verdean music alive.”

Despite the fact that she doesn’t enjoy the winter weather, she loves being in town because she lived in New Bedford as a child.

“It’s very cold, but my brothers and sisters are here and it’s truly a pleasure to be back,” de Barros said. “I was just 12 years old when my family traveled to the United States. Coming to New Bedford actually [feels] like home because all my other relatives were there.”

Born in Senegal and raised in Mauritania, which is right above the Sahara Desert, de Barros said she considers herself 100 percent Cape Verdean because she came from a Cape Verdean family.

“My parents are from the Islands of Cape Verde and they made sure we always kept our roots,” she said. “In their home, we ate the food, spoke the language, and listened to the music. That was when I really got interested in Cape Verdean music.”

Her mother, who sang in church, was a big musical influence on her.

“I got into music because of my mom,” de Barros said. “She used to sing around the house all the time and I started singing along with her. Her father, my grandfather, was a very well known violinist and composer.”

She sites Djosinha and Bana, two highly revered Cape Verdean singers, as her favorite artists.

“They were the first voices I heard as a child,” de Barros said. “When I lived in Mauritania, we listened to the radio that played all kinds of music: American, African, French. It was really interesting. But Cape Verdean music was very prominent in my life.”

For someone who doesn’t know what Cape Verdean music is or what it sounds like, de Barros said it’s like Africa meets Brazil and the Caribbean.

“It’s traditional Cape Verdean music with a contemporary touch. I don’t have a pure traditional voice. I sing the songs in my own way,” she said.

Her songs have been written in all six languages de Barros speaks, including Portuguese, French, Creole, Spanish, English, and French Creole.

“When you come to my concert, I sing in all those languages because those are the songs from my albums.”

Morabeza, her third and latest album, has been nominated by the NAACP Image Awards as Outstanding World Music Album.

“I’ll be at the show walking on the red carpet on February 26th,” laughed de Barros. “It’s such a huge honor. I’m not even expecting to win because I’m up against amazing artists that have been out much longer than I have.”

She also said one of the biggest radio stations in Portugal picked their top 10 albums of 2009 and Morabeza was in second place.

“It’s so wonderful to see that people love it and appreciate it because it took me four years to really put it together the way I wanted it,” de Barros said. “When people buy my album, I want them to say, ‘this was worth my money.’ I do this because I am so in love with my culture and I want to give the absolute best.”

Not only does de Barros want to excel musically, she wants to use her talent to help others. In March, she is traveling to Haiti to sing for International Women’s Day.

“I’m supposed to perform March 6th and 7th,” she said. “If it doesn’t happen, I’m still going there because I want to bring supplies and whatever else they need. I finally spoke to my friends there and thank God they’re all OK.”

De Barros performed there last year and said the hotel she stayed at is now completely destroyed.

“I can’t help but think of the people that worked there that were so nice. To think that this has happened is almost unbearable. They are a wonderful people,” she said.

She said the one good thing she has seen through all the destruction and turmoil is the fact that there are many people in the world doing everything they can to help Haiti.

“We have great people in the Americas,” she said. “Everyone is so giving. The amount of poverty in Haiti is high and my heart just melts for them. It’s great to see people being so generous, especially when everyone is having a hard time paying bills and getting work.”

She is also affiliated with several non-profit organizations in Cape Verde, including the Battered Women of Cape Verde.

“We see women being beaten or even killed all around the world. As women, we have to defend one another,” she said.

She also sponsors three schools in Cape Verde, making sure the children have the tools they need for class, as well as regular appointments with physicians.

“I want to make sure doctors and dentists see them,” de Barros said. “They are very dear to my heart. I feel it is my responsibility to lend my voice to these causes because I live off the music of Cape Verde and the least I can do is give back.”

The Zeiterion Performing Arts Center’s box office is located at 684 Purchase Street, New Bedford, MA 02740. Tickets are priced at $34 each. Box Office Hours: M-F 10am-5pm, Sat 10am-3pm and one hour before each performance. For more information, visit www.zeiterion.org.