Tour Cape Verde with Dino D’Santiago’s Kriola album

D’Santiago's reputation is going global; he was a key influence on Madonna's latest album Madame X, collaborating with her and joining her on stage in Lisbon, in January. He is now ready to bring Cape Verdean music to the rest of the continent. He believes that the Nigerians, Ghanaians and South Africans have already set the pace in the African music sector but his native country should be part of the conversation.

The first step towards his pan Africanism drive comes in the form of his third album Kriola (Creole), which was released on 3 April. Kriola is a poised hybrid - a multi-cultural mix of influences, spanning his native Cape Verde to Portugal, from the UK to Nigeria and Angola. It organically fuses elements of batuku, azonto, coladeria, funaná, Afrobeats and kizomba with grime and RnB. The album charted number one within its first week in Cape Verde and Portugal.

"My biggest dream is that the new generations believe that it is possible to win, with our rhythms, our melodies and flows, and that our culture can compete with any other, as it is very rich!. If we believe in this movement, we can make history in the global music circuit!" he tells Music In Africa.

‘Morabeza’ starts the album off with gentle guitar picks introducing us to D’Santiago's captivating angelic voice. The album begins to pick up a bit with track 2, 'My Lover'. The track brings an edge and even an undertone of Afrobeats. It is the classic parting song, and heavy with promises of romantic loyalty.

The tone changes with the next track ‘Kriolu’. He shares vocals with young rapper Julinho KSD who has so far garnered over 20 million streams on Spotify.

‘Kem ki Flau’ is my favourite and one of the album’s strongest. The unrelenting pattern of the bass drum matched with D’Santiago's bright vocals implores you to enjoy your life.

Despite its fetching - groovy nature, Kriola is a melancholic album. It reflects D’Santiago's upbringing - he was raised in a culture that uses the joy of music as a coping mechanism when things got tough. It’s also his most socially conscious album. He hopes to draw attention to the fact that Cape Verdean Creole is the second most spoken language in Portugal's capital Lisbon, yet society struggles to value the Cape Verdean community’s contribution to the city.

Cape Verdean culture in Lisbon is associated with gastronomy, music and dance. But, there is a lack of better opportunities on the matters of employment for the community. The majority of the Cape Verdean women work as maids and cleaners while the men are construction workers.

“It's hard growing up realizing that our culture is rich, but our people live in poverty,” he says. "In this Kriola, there were no filters. I opened the gates and allowed everything I believe in being shown in full display. This album reinforces the message of elevation I brought with Mundu Nôbu, but this Kriola is freer!"

D’Santiago ends the album in a way that leaves you not just wanting, but needing more. The way he effortlessly weaves in and out of genres, following no rules but his own, shows just how talented he is, making this an album not to be overlooked.

Kriola is available for preview and purchase here.

Artist: Dino D’Santiago
Album: Kriola
Year: 2020