Plácido Vaz (Cabo Verde)
Plácido Vaz is a singer and songwriter from Calhetade São Miguel, on the island of Santiago in Cabo Verde, who now lives in Luxembourg. He writes and performs in traditional Cabo Verdean styles such as funaná, morna, and coladeira, and his music draws on a life spent between Cabo Verde, Portugal, and the Cabo Verdean diaspora. He released his debut album, Caminho Longi (2022), featuring 11 original songs. In 2026, he followed it with the single “Nha Kumadri” (My Comadre), a slow funaná that honors cachupa, the national corn-and-bean stew, as a symbol of Cabo Verdean culture.
Featured Song:
“Di Cabo Verde” (From Cabo Verde) opens Caminho Longi. Sung in Cabo Verdean Kriolu, it urges listeners to answer with pride when asked where they are from and celebrates the islands’ blue sea, grogue rum and cachupa, and morabeza, the Cabo Verdean spirit of warm hospitality. The song also names the islands’ musical styles and artists including Cesária Évora, Ildo Lobo, Katchás, and Orlando Pantera. “If someday they ask you / Where you’re from / Lift your head with pride and say / Oh, I’m from Cabo Verde / Sweet land.”
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