Cape-verdean born in La Havana, Cuba, in 1985, the precocious talents of Ma… Read Full Bio ↴Cape-verdean born in La Havana, Cuba, in 1985, the precocious talents of Mayra Andrade first reached a world stage in 2001. That’s when the singer won her country’s first gold medal at the Jeux de la Francophonie in Canada. Her crystalline and agile voice has since graced stages on the four continents. In 2006, Andrade released her first CD “Navega”, on the Sony/BMG label.

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.

Le jour se lève
Mayra Andrade Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Le jour se lève
Comme un rêve
À peine un dessin
Dans un sourire
S'étirent
Les fleurs du jardin

Le vent me berce

Et c'est comme
Tes caresses
Je m'abandonne
Aux promesses
D'un nouveau matin
Qui m'étreint

Le jour se glisse
Pâle esquisse
Et sans dire un mot
Avec tendresse
Paresse
Ta main sur ma peau

Tu prends la pose
Rendors-toi
Si tu l'oses
Au creux de moi
Tu déposes
Ton cœur sur le mien
L'air de rien

Le jour s'achève
Comme un rêve
Déjà si lointain
Les ombres douces
Éclaboussent
Ton corps et le mien

La nuit remplace
Nos désirs
Nos audaces
Mais les soupirs
Ne s'effacent
Pas au petit jour
Tu sais mon amour

La nuit remplace
Nos désirs
Nos audaces
Mais les soupirs
Ne s'effacent
Pas au petit jour
Mon amour

Près de toi mon amour

Overall Meaning

Mayra Andrade's "Le jour se lève" is a French song that speaks about the beauty and comfort of a new morning with a loved one. The lyrics are poetic and paint a picture of the gentle transition from night to day. The song starts with "The day rises like a dream, barely a drawing, in a smile, the flowers in the garden stretch." This opening line sets the tone for the rest of the song as it gives listeners a glimpse of what they can expect from the song: gentle, dreamy, and romantic.

The second verse say "The wind rocks me and it's like your caresses, I surrender to the promises of a new morning that embraces me." The imagery of being rocked by the wind and feeling like they are receiving caresses from their lover sets the scene for their intimacy. The next part of the song speaks about a new morning that takes over everything with its tenderness and promises. As the day continues to unfold, the lovers share tender moments together before the night eventually takes over, replacing their desires and audaces, but their love and gentle sighs don't disappear at dawn.

This song is a beautiful celebration of love, capturing the essence of what it feels like to spend a night with someone you care for deeply and waking up together at dawn. It highlights the beauty of the start of a new day and the promises that it brings.

Line by Line Meaning

Le jour se lève
The day begins

Comme un rêve
Like a dream

À peine un dessin
Hardly a sketch

Dans un sourire
With a smile

S'étirent
Stretch out

Les fleurs du jardin
The flowers of the garden

Le vent me berce
The wind rocks me

Et c'est comme
And it's like

Tes caresses
Your caress

Je m'abandonne
I surrender

Aux promesses
To the promises