Humberto Carlos Benfica, known as Wazimbo (born November 11, 1948), is a Mozambican vocalist considered one of the greatest voices of Mozambique and one of the most famous

marrabenta Marrabenta is a popular style of Mozambican dance music combining traditional Mozambican dance rhythms with Portuguese folk music. It was developed in Maputo, the capital city of Mozambique, during the 1930s and 1940s. Etymology The name may be ...

singers. Born in

Chibuto Chibuto is a city located in the province of Gaza in Mozambique, about 200 km north of the capital, Maputo Maputo (), formerly named Lourenço Marques until 1976, is the capital, and largest city of Mozambique. Located near the southern ...

, in

Gaza Province Gaza is a province of Mozambique. It has an area of 75,709 km2 and a population of 1,422,460 (2017 census), which is the least populous of all the provinces of Mozambique. Xai-Xai is the capital of the province. Inhambane Province is to t ...

, Mozambique he moved to the capital —

Lourenço Marques Maputo (), formerly named Lourenço Marques until 1976, is the capital, and largest city of Mozambique. Located near the southern end of the country, it is within of the borders with Eswatini and South Africa. The city has a population of 1,088 ...

(present-day Maputo) — where he grew up in the popular neighborhood Mafalala. There he started as a vocal member for the local group "Silverstars" and then "Geiziers". Later, he joined Orchestra Marrabenta Star de Moçambique.

Career beginnings

Wazimbo started to sing in 1964 with the Mozambican group Silverstars and continued as a singer with the Geiziers, performing a colonial mix of international pop music with a

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ian tinge in Mocambique's capital, Maputo. In 1972 he signed his first contract as a professional singer and moved for two years to

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. In 1974, he returned to Mozambique and was actively in the African Music Association. After Independence, Wazimbo worked with the big band of the national radio station, Radio Mocambique (RM). He became the lead vocalist of Orchestra Marrabenta Star de Moçambique in 1979 and worked with various members from RM's big band. Led by Wazimbo, Orchestra Marrabenta Star de Moçambique developed a full and funky style of marrabenta featuring electric guitars, powerful horn lines and soulful vocals. After becoming extremely popular at home in Mozambique, they toured in Europe and released two CDs on Germany's Piranha record label. Both showcased a varied mix of dance styles plus the occasional, strikingly soulful ballad. The 1990s saw a return to peace in Mozambique, but by then there were no recording studios or music venues, and the group finally disbanded in 1995.

Trademark song and international success

One of the most famous works of this artist is the ballad "Nwahulwana" ("night bird"), first released in 1988. The song was featured in a

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commercial in California, and in 2001 was part of the soundtrack for the movie '' The Pledge'' (directed by

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and starring

Jack Nicholson John Joseph Nicholson (born April 22, 1937) is an American retired actor and filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest actors of all time. In many of his films, he played rebels against the social structure. He received numerous ...

). In the song, Wazimbo expresses sadness at the lifestyle of a wonderful young lady, whom he refers to as "his sister - Maria", wasting her life having a different man every night. An excerpt from the song can be translated as: "''You are a night bird, moving after dark from bar to bar.''"

Selected discography

* 2001 CD ''Nwahulwana'' (Piranha CD-PIR 1572), with Orchestra Marrabenta Star de Moçambique * 1996 CD Marrabenta Piquenique (Piranha CD-PIR 1043) * 1989 CD ''IndepenDance'' (Piranha CD-PIR 15)"IndepenDance"
Piranha.

Sources

National Geographic world music

References

{{Authority control 20th-century Mozambican male singers 1948 births Living people