Hermínia da Cruz Fortes, better known as Hermínia d'Antónia de Sal, (September 17, 1941—7 February 2010) was a Cape Verdean singer.
She was the cousin of
Cesária Évora
Cesária Évora GCIH (; 27 August 194117 December 2011) was a Cape Verdean singer known for singing morna, a genre of music from Cape Verde, in her native Cape Verdean Creole. Her songs were often devoted to themes of love, homesickness, nos ...
, and daughter of António da Rocha Évora and Antónia da Cruz Fortes. Hermínia was born in the island of São Vicente; she lost her mother when she was twelve, and later lived with her aunt in the island of Sal. She returned to her native island when she was 33. She received the opportunity to become a singer, and she recorded morna songs at
Rádio Clube do Mindelo
Rádio Clube do Mindelo was a local radio station in Cape Verde broadcasting in the Portuguese language. A shortwave station (CR4AB), it could be heard 7092kc, and later 4719kc. The station served Mindelo as well as a part of the entire Barlaven ...
studios.
The singer had also worked in specials with her cousin Cesária at Hotel Porto Grande, at the time the largest in the city of
. Although she started singing when she was a child, Hermínia d'Antónia recorded an album when she was 53; she also recorded with the musician
Vasco Martins
Vasco Martins is a Cape Verdean musician and composer. Born in Queluz, Portugal, in 1956, he lives now in Calhau, Cape Verde.
Biography
Self-taught, he began his studies in 1974. He was a member of the band Colá in 1976, but then went to Port ...
.
After recording her album, she began acting in some states in Belgium, Ivory Coast, Spain, France, the Netherlands, Italy, Portugal and Senegal.
Hermínia da Cruz Fortes was considered one of the greatest interpreters of music in the archipelago. She died of a long illness at the age of 68. Hermínia showed her only album ''Coraçon'' (''Heart''), which was arranged by Voginha.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cruz Fortes
20th-century Cape Verdean women singers
1941 births
2010 deaths
People from Mindelo
Singers from São Vicente, Cape Verde
People from Sal, Cape Verde