In June 2001, a young Capeverdean singer, hardly 16 years old, completely unknown until then, won a gold medal at the Plays of Francophonie singing contest in Ottawa Hull in Canada among 35 competitors from around world. Mayra Curado Andrade obtained the first Gold medal for her country during an international singing competition.
This event was huge for Cape Verde , since music is one of the principal exported wealth for this small archipelago of ten islands lost in the Atlantic Ocean 500 kilometers of the coasts of Senegal . The young Mayra, who is today the figurehead of the rising generation of singers of her country, was born in Cuba from Capeverdean parents. Mayra lived in Senegal, in Angola, then in Germany.
At 13 years old, she was already noticed for her voice and her personality. She was selected to sing in Belgium during a conference dedicated to Dalaï LAMA' students. After her victory at the Francophonie in Canada, Mayra did not stop performing. She toured Cape Verde, in particular at Praia and Mindelo.
Then, in the mythical room the "Coliseu Dos Recreios" in Lisbon , she sang alongside Bau, former instrumentalist of Césaria Evora. It is in July 2002 that Mayra is invited for the very first time in France, to the Festival of Jazz of "Rendezvous de l'Erdre". On stage, at the sides of two great ladies of the international jazz, the New-Yorker Sheila Jordan and Armenian Datévik Hovanessian, Mayra obtained an enormous success.
She enchanted the Congress of the City of Nantes during the opening of the 24th International Festival of film of the three continents while singing "a Cappella". Then, it was at the "Festival de la Harpe" that Mayra was the headline for the first time. The invitations began to follow: at the Africajarc Festival, she performed beside Joe Zawinul, Ismael Lo, and Angélique Kidjo. She opened for Césaria Evora at New Morning in Paris, for Enrico Macias in the "Festopale" at Etaples and for the Cuban Ernesto Titos Puentes at the time of the "Festival of Jazz" of Valves.
Mayra imposes consequently her own style. She is astonishingly at ease with Morna, Funana, Coladera, and Batuque while adding a bit of jazz. Her personality and her talent bring a true new breath to the music of the islands of Cape Verde, heir of a mixture of rhythms of Africa, the Old man-Continent.
Lapidu Na Bo
Mayra Andrade Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Dja-u muda botom di bu buluza
Bu fazi pé sámbu sima Djulai,
Pa-u pása na mi pa-m ka konxê-u
Bu fanhi narís, dja-u troka vós,
Bu pega bu pila bu dedom di pé,
Bu trokola odju xuxa kolóla,
Má inda m-sta lapidu na bo minina,
E lapidu na bo minina eh eh eh eh...
Dja-u muda kaminhu pa otu rubera
Na mundu bu s’t’ánda so pa kau rabés
Ta kóri di mi
Dja-u bá mása bósta, Pilotu mordê-u na máma-kadera
Bu kré otu algem pa-m sai di bu pé
Bu da-m um borduáda-bára-marmuleru
Bu fergâ-m narís na pipí di Taréku
Bu da-m káldu d’ása-kafanhotu...
Má inda m-kuntina lapidu na bo minina
E lapidu na bo minina eh eh eh eh (bis)
(*)E lapidu na bo, m-sta lapidu na bo,
Báxu kótchi-kótchi minina, na séti bráku-bu kabésa
Na tudu pásu ki bu da, m-sta lapidu na bo.
Báxu kótchi-kótchi minina, na séti bráku-bu kabésa uoi
Na tudu pásu ki bu da - eh lapidu na bo, minina eh eh…
Dja-u tra kása tedja dja-u po betom,
Bu po muzáiku na sala-jantár,
Bu po kása finu só pa-m skorega,
Pa-m kai pa-m da kokéta na tchom !
Bu po nogósi na Sukupira :
Brajeru ki toma dja subi dja latchi !
Bu kumpra starletixou di karambóla :
Dinheru m-ka sabi dipundi ki bem !
Má inda m-sta lapidu na bo,
E lapidu na bo minina eh eh eh eh...
Bu kumpra pasáji bu bá Bisau
Bu bá fasê-m kórda ku bu iram,
Bu bá rótcha prétu bu bá kontráta
Ku Xuxu pa-u da kábu di mi di bés.
Kusa ka filâ-bu bu bira dodu,
Bu buâ na mi bu korê-m mó na koxa,
Bu odja ma mi é féru kurádu,
Bu pega bu bóka bu po na di meu.
A-gó ki-m bira lapidu na bo minina
E lapidu na bo minina, eh eh eh eh.
(*)E lapidu na bo minina, m-sta lapidu na bo,
Báxu kótchi-kótchi minina…
The song "Lapidu Na Bo" by Mayra Andrade speaks about the singer being infatuated with a person, to the point of being completely controlled by their desires. The lyrics start with the singer describing the changes they are willing to make for this person, from changing their clothing to their route home. The singer mentions being blinded by their attractions, almost hypnotized by this person, and losing themselves in their feelings for them.
The chorus, "Má inda m-sta lapidu na bo minina, E lapidu na bo minina," emphasizes the singer's inability to break free from their infatuation. The phrase "lapidu na bo" is Creole for "I'm stuck on you," and the repetition of this phrase throughout the song highlights their possessive and all-consuming feelings towards this person. The lyrics end with the singer being completely consumed by their desire, stating that they are now a "lapidu na bo," meaning that they are now stuck, unable to move on from their infatuation.
Overall, the song portrays a lack of control when it comes to love and how it can take over a person's life. The lyrics show that the singer is helpless in the face of their own emotions and consumed by their infatuation.
Line by Line Meaning
Dja-u pinta sáia d’otu kor,
I put on a skirt of a different color
Dja-u muda botom di bu buluza
I change the button on your shirt
Bu fazi pé sámbu sima Djulai,
You walk like Djulai to show off
Pa-u pása na mi pa-m ka konxê-u
You pass by me without acknowledging me
Bu fanhi narís, dja-u troka vós,
You fix your nose and change your voice
Bu pega bu pila bu dedom di pé,
You grab your foot with your hand
Bu trokola odju xuxa kolóla,
You roll your eyes and toss your hair
Bu po xupa-káka pé trokádu.
You put on lipstick and change shoes
Má inda m-sta lapidu na bo minina,
But I'm still interested in you, girl
Dja-u muda kaminhu pa otu rubera
I change the road to another suburb
Na mundu bu s’t’ánda so pa kau rabés
You're only living for shallow things in the world
Ta kóri di mi
You're curious about me
Dja-u bá mása bósta, Pilotu mordê-u na máma-kadera
I go to the market, and Pilotu bites me in the buttocks
Bu kré otu algem pa-m sai di bu pé
You want someone else to take me away from you
Bu da-m um borduáda-bára-marmuleru
You give me a shirt embroidered with marble
Bu fergâ-m narís na pipí di Taréku
You twist my nose like Taréku
Bu da-m káldu d’ása-kafanhotu...
You give me a hot pepper soup...
Má inda m-kuntina lapidu na bo minina
But I still can't stop thinking about you, girl
E lapidu na bo minina eh eh eh eh...
And I'm interested in you, girl
Dja-u tra kása tedja dja-u po betom,
I bring you a cocoa house and pour you a drink
Bu po muzáiku na sala-jantár,
You put on music in the dining room
Bu po kása finu só pa-m skorega,
You cook a fine meal just to impress me
Pa-m kai pa-m da kokéta na tchom !
You try to flirt with me
Bu po nogósi na Sukupira :
You put on perfume from Sukupira
Brajeru ki toma dja subi dja latchi !
A witch doctor takes you up to the roof!
Bu kumpra starletixou di karambóla :
You buy a dress with starfruit design
Dinheru m-ka sabi dipundi ki bem !
You spend money without caring for its value!
Má inda m-sta lapidu na bo,
But I'm still interested in you,
E lapidu na bo minina eh eh eh eh...
And I'm interested in you, girl
Bu kumpra pasáji bu bá Bisau
You buy a ticket to go to Bissau
Bu bá fasê-m kórda ku bu iram,
You go to make arrangements with your uncle
Bu bá rótcha prétu bu bá kontráta
You go to rent a cheap room
Ku Xuxu pa-u da kábu di mi di bés.
With Xuxu to kiss me in the afternoon
Kusa ka filâ-bu bu bira dodu,
Something makes you turn soft
Bu buâ na mi bu korê-m mó na koxa,
You cry on me and cling to me
Bu odja ma mi é féru kurádu,
You see that I'm mad for you
Bu pega bu bóka bu po na di meu.
You grab my face and kiss me
A-gó ki-m bira lapidu na bo minina
Then I become interested in you, girl
E lapidu na bo minina, eh eh eh eh.
And I'm interested in you, girl
E lapidu na bo minina, m-sta lapidu na bo,
And I'm interested in you, girl, still interested in you
Báxu kótchi-kótchi minina, na séti bráku-bu kabésa
Short and cute, you on my lap with your head down
Na tudu pásu ki bu da, m-sta lapidu na bo.
In every move you make, I'm still interested in you.
Báxu kótchi-kótchi minina, na séti bráku-bu kabésa uoi
Short and cute, you on my lap with your head down, uoi
Na tudu pásu ki bu da - eh lapidu na bo, minina eh eh…
In every move you make-I'm interested in you girl... eh eh
Contributed by Julia F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.