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Maria Alice was born on 23 October 1961 in Sal Island, in Cape Verde. At the age of 14, began to sing in the family circle in the Cape Verdean nights after having participated in various competitions of young singers, in which achieved some success with her sweet voice, that attracted the attention of some musicians who visited the island.
In 1981, she settles in Lisbon and since her arrival, she collaborates on performances with Cape Verdean musicians. Her talented voice, crystal, sensual and intense for singing "morns" and "coladeras" - meant that it was soon pointed to by many as a possible successor of Cesaria Evora, who she admires, although she has her own style and personality.
In 1994, she records her 1st album "Ilha d'Sal", which was very much appreciated by the public and by the press, like it was the album "D'Zemcontre", published in April 1996. Maria Alice had the opportunity to record with some of the best musicians of Cape-Verde such as Armando Tito, Vaiss, Dalú, Manuel Paris, Toy Vieira; among authors who composed for Maria Alice are Ramiro Mendes, Jorge Humberto and Luis Lima. This is the album that Maria Alice establishes the aesthetic lines through which orients her artistic future by choosing for an acoustic form that means investing in young musicians and Cape Verdean authors.
Meanwhile, she participates in festivals in the Netherlands, Greece, Italy, USA, Expo 94 (Seville) and Expo 98 (Lisbon), the Montreal Jazz Festival, the Festival of Santa Maria, the tour "Cesaria Evora and Friends" (England, Switzerland, Sweden, Germany and France) which resulted in a album, recorded live in Paris.
In late 2002, "Lágrima e Súplica" is edited. Since then, Maria Alice has performed in Cape Verde, France, Germany, the Netherlands, San Marino, Switzerland, she sang in Moscow next to Cesaria to Évora and made a tour in England with the project "Women of Cape Verde" alongside with Lura and Nancy Vieira, as well as tour in Portugal.
In 2008, the Cape Verdean singer releases her 4th album "Tocatina", a project dedicated to her father.