Maria Teixeira

An experienced singer of morna and coladeira, Duducha (Maria Teixeira), now of West Haven, Connecticut, grew up singing in Sao Vicente along with her father and her brother who played guitar. Her first stage performance at age 12 convinced Duducha that music would always be central to her life, but she has also trained as a beautician, learned five languages, and had six children. As others dedicated to traditional Cape Verdean music, she deplores the "globalization" of sounds and influences favored by some of the younger generation. Being in America has brought both new Cape Verdean experiences - she danced kola for the first time last New Year - and nostalgia: "Now I love my music more than when I was in Cape Verde. When I sing morna it goes straight to my heart - we feel it." People say of her performances "Her hands will give you the words."