Mayra Andradeis one the leading voices interpreting and furthering the sounds of Cabo Verdean morna music (made popular by the likes of Cesária Évora) for contemporary ears. The Cabo Verde-rooted, Paris-based singer released her pop-oriented fourth album Lovely Difficult last year, which featured "We Used To Call It Love" and was nominated for France's Victoires de la Musique Awards. The video for "Ilha de Santiago," the latest single off Lovely Difficult, is a sun-drenched collage of local scenes and faces from the island of Santiago, including batuku legend Ntóni Denti d’Oro.
"Beyond the beautiful landscapes, what makes Cape Verde unique to me is the intense human experience one gets to live there," Mayra Andrade states, "This is the first thing I told to director Colin Solal Cardo and that I deemed very important to feature in the video. While this song praises the popular singers, musicians and composers of Santiago; the video pays tribute to the authenticity, care and hope that characterize the Cape Verdean people far from the common clichés. I’ll always remember this shoot traveling across my island surrounded by so much love.” Watch the music video for "Ilha De Santiago," directed by La Blogothèque's Colin Solal Cardo, below.