Téofilo Chantre

Who is Téofilo Chantre?

Teófilo Chantre is a Cape Verdean musician.

He was born on the island of São Nicolau. At the age of thirteen, Chantre's family left Cape Verde and migrated to Paris, France. The dislocation from his native land only served to foster Chantre's creativity as he began to compose, during his teenage years, songs inspired by the traditional morna and coladeira of Cape Verde. He was also exposed to international music and, in particular, was deeply influenced by Brazilian music. His reputation as a singer and songwriter began to increase. Cesária Évora, the legendary songstress of morna, recorded three of his songs for Miss Perfumado, the hit album that made her an international star. While Chantre also composes for others, he has meanwhile established himself as a respected performer and recording artist. His albums include Di Alma and Viaja. In concert, he plays his songs with a mostly acoustic line-up of accordion, double bass, guitar or cavaquinho and drums.