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Yola Semedo

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Yola Semedo
Birth nameYola Moutofa Coimbra Semedo
Born (1978-05-08) 8 May 1978 (age 46)
Lobito, Angola
Genres
OccupationSinger
Years active1984–present

Yola Semedo (born 8 May 1978) is an Angolan singer, known for her work both as part of the group Impactus 4 as well as her solo albums. She is known for songs such as "Você me abana", "Não entendo", and "Volta amor". Dubbed the "Diva of Angolan Music",[1] she has gone on to win awards from the Angola Music Awards, and was nominated for an award by African Entertainment Awards USA.

Biography

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Semedo was born in the city of Lobito, near Benguela, to a musical family.[2] She has been singing since her youth. She started singing for the group Impactus 4, started by her brothers, as a young child in 1984. In the following years, she would participate more in performances in the region as a vocalist, as well as playing keyboard. Semedo and the group became more internationally known in 1985, when she received the Voice of Gold award from UN Secretary-General Javier Pérez de Cuéllar during the UNESCO International festival in Sofia, Bulgaria.[2] She would be later recognized as the Young Female Voice of Gold of Africa by the government of São Tomé and Príncipe, as well as to commemorate the 1 year anniversary of the death of Mozambican leader Samora Machel. The group went on to perform at many more events and receiving more awards internationally. They also worked on another project called O projecção until 1989.[2]

In 1990, after the divorce of her parents, her mother emigrated with her family to Namibia, where she resided until 2005.[3] During this time period, she continued to tour and perform in both Angola and Namibia, as well as worldwide. She began to record solo albums around the same time, such as Yola Semedo and Minha alma. She performed with artists such as Lucky Dube, Michael Jackson, Brenda Fassie, and Stevie Wonder.[2][3][4] She also has collaborated with Angolan artists such as Yola Araújo and Paulo Flores.[5] Her collaboration with Flores, namely the song "Mar Azul", is featured in the soundtrack of A Única Mulher.[6]

In 1995, she again won the Voice of Gold award.[1] In 2015, she won four categories during that year's Angola Music Awards, including for album of the year with Filho meu, best kizomba, best semba, and female artist of the year.[7][8] During that year as well, she was a judge on The Voice Angola.[9] In 2019, she was nominated for PALOP Female Artist during the 2019 African Entertainment Awards USA in Newark, New Jersey, USA.[10]

Semedo has worked previously with various public health campaigns in Angola, including campaigns targeting the spread of HIV and malaria in Angola.[3] She became an UNAIDS Goodwill Ambassador for Angola in 2015.[11]

Semedo is married to Carlos Manuel Resende Dias and has two children.[3][12]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Yola Semedo: "Diva é uma deusa e eu não me sinto digna de ter tal título, quero deixar apenas o meu legado"". Imparcial Press. 11 April 2023. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d "Yola Semedo - Biografia". Lea (in Portuguese). Lea. 2019. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d Musinguzi, Bamuturanki (15 June 2015). "Up close and personal with Yola Semedo". The East African. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
  4. ^ "Yola Semedo comemora 30 anos de carreira". Rede Angola. 15 June 2015. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
  5. ^ "Singing Gift Contributes to Yola Semedo's Music Quality". Angola Times. 11 October 2010. Archived from the original on 17 October 2012. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
  6. ^ "A banda sonora de «A Única Mulher» mais perto de si". Retrieved 19 December 2023.
  7. ^ "Yola Semedo arrecada quatro prémios no Angola Music Awards". Noticias ao Minuto. 31 May 2015. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
  8. ^ "Yola Semedo arrecada quatro prémios e vence terceiro Angola Music Awards". RTP Notícias. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
  9. ^ "Yola Semedo, Paulo Flores, Dji Tafinha e C4 Pedro no The Voice". Rede Angola. 3 August 2015.
  10. ^ Ruby, Josh (23 August 2019). "Africa Entertainment Awards USA | Full List of Nominees". MBU. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
  11. ^ "Yola Semedo, UNAIDS Goodwill Ambassador for Angola". UNAIDS. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
  12. ^ "Yola Semedo rende tributo ao filho". Jornal de Angola. 25 July 2014. Retrieved 19 December 2023.
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