Suzanna Lubrano

Suzanna Lubrano (born Nov 10 1975) is a Cape Verdean Zouk singer based in Rotterdam. On December 6 2003 she was awarded the Kora All African Music Award for Best Female Artist of Africa of the year 2003. Suzanna's music can be best described as a mix of Zouk and R&B.

Biography

Suzanna may have started out as a golden girl with an angelic voice, but since the release of her debut solo album, "Sem bó nes mund" ("Without You In This World"), she’s become even more - a voice for young women in the Lusophone countries striving to reach their goals. In a number of countries, her concerts are usually sold out the minute they go on sale and her CDs are some of the best sellers in the Lusophone market.

Born in Cape Verde, Suzanna Lubrano and her parents moved to the city of Rotterdam in the Netherlands when she was four. She started to sing when she was still a young child, but picked up singing professionally when she was eighteen. She made her debut as a professional singer in the popular Cape Verdean band Rabelados. Together with Rabelados she recorded a very successful CD album. In the meantime Suzanna had already started a solo career, resulting in three solo CDs: her debut Sem bó nes mund, the successful follow up Fofó - including the megahit Ohi Li Oh La - and Tudo pa bo. On Tudo pa bo (Everything for you) Suzanna is not only working with Jorge do Rosario, Dabs Lopes and Beto Dias, as she has done on her previous albums, but also started a cooperation with Ronald Rubinel, who had previously asked Suzanna to participate on his Jeux de Dames and Zouk me Love CDs.

In 2004 she released the song Silêncio on a single CD. This song was not only released in Cape Verdean Creole, but also in English and Dutch. The song was written for a sad occasion: a 13 year old Cape Verdean boy from the Dutch port city of Rotterdam murdered on the street in broad day light while playing in the snow with his friends.

In summer 2007, Suzanna's new single Gone was released, the first single from her upcoming album Saida, released in 2008. The Saida album contains 19 songs: Zouk Love/Kizomba tracks, written in cooperation with Ronald Rubinel (Edith Lefel) and Jacob Desvarieux (Kassav'), acoustic songs, written together with Marcos Fernandez, Kim Alves and others, and a couple of R&B tracks in English, written in cooperation with producer Marcus "DL" Sisklind, Ryan Toby, Dre Robinson and others. The Saida album will be released by Mass Appeal Entertainment. Most of the songs are recorded at the Blue Jay Recording Studio, owned by Kevin Richardson, formerly of the Backstreet Boys and Saida's producer Marcus "DL" Siskind.

Achievements and other highlights

Suzanna Lubrano has become one of the most demanded Cape Verdean female singers within the Afro Portuguese community world wide. She has performed live on stage in European countries such as France and Luxemburg, Spain and Portugal, Italy and Germany, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom. She also performed on stage in the United States, her home country the Netherlands and has attracted large audiences with her performances in Cape Verde, Angola, Senegal, Mozambique and South Africa. Since the music industry in Mozambique has officially started to track CD sales, Suzanna has received both a golden and platinum this Southern African country. Her performances at the famous Gamboa and Baia da Gatas Festivals in Cape Verde, were transmitted live by Portuguese Satellite Television RTP.

In December 2003 Suzanna won the prestigious Kora All African Music Award for both Best West African Female and Best African Female at an event watched by 600 million TV viewers worldwide. She was personally congratulated by both the Capeverdean President and Prime Minister, the mayor of her home city in the Netherlands, Rotterdam, as well as the Dutch Minister of Development Cooperation. She is a Capeverdean diplomatic passport holder and the Godmother of a new Boeing of TACV Cape Verdean Airlines. Other awards include a Cabo Music Award for best singer and best duo.

Music videos

* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dVDilBiWAY Tudo Pa Bo, You Tube]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gqmSITfDw8 Nha Sonho, You Tube]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwF5ephkp38&mode=related&search= Gamboa Festival, You Tube]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R77NDQGDfAY Interview, You Tube]
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGRM590SARs Zouk Dance on Suzanna's Razao d'nha vida]

Interview

* [http://www.suzannaonline.com/press/BBC-PRIinterview.wma Interview on BBC World Service/American Public Radio]

Discography

olo albums

* 2008 - "Saida" ("Exit") (Mass Appeal Entertainment)
* 2003 - "Tudo Pa Bo" ("All for You") (Kings Records)
* 1999 - "Fofó" ("Honey") (Kings Records)
* 1997 - "Sem Bó Nes Mund" ("Without You in this World") (Kings Records)

Other tracks

Including:
* Sukrinha (with La MC Malcriado(LusAfrica, 2006)
* Mas um vez (Tropical Stars, Tropical Music, 2005)
* Silêncio (single CD, Coast to Coast, 2004)
* In Silence (single CD, Coast to Coast, 2004)
* Stilte (single CD, Coast to Coast, 2004)
* Paraiso (Jeux de Dames volume 4, Rubicolor, 2004)
* Dilemma (Jeux de Dames volume 3, Rubicolor, 2002)
* Nos dos (Beto Dias, Kings Records, 2000)
* Our night (TxT Stars, volume 1, 1999)
* Cada momentu (Sukuru, Rabelados, 1996)

Trivia

The music of Lubrano is very popular among Zouk and Lambada dancers.

She was romantically linked to her fellow Cape Verdean singer Beto Dias, with whom she has a daughter. They are no longer together.

Websites

* [http://www.suzannaonline.com/ Suzanna Online]
* [http://www.myspace.com/suzannalubrano My Space]