Neyma

Neyma's passion for music began at a young age where she sang at various events in and around Maputo.

Neyma fully began her career when she appeared on the Fantasia TV singing competition, in which she took in the second place. However, her breakthrough came when she was given a recording contract and in 1999 released her first album, Brigas. It featured the popular singles "Brigas", "Mae virtude mais bela" and the well received single, "Praia feliz", which won her much publicity. The success of the album Brigas led her to release Baila in 2000 and Renascer in 2001. But it was Arromba, released in 2005, that brought Neyma back into the spotlight as an acclaimed singer who was internationally recognized as a major singing sensation from Mozambique and the Lusophone world. In early 2010, she released her sixth album, entitled Neyma 10 Anos in acknowledgement of her 10 years in the Mozambican music industry.

In the summer of 2005, Neyma released Arromba, her most popular album to date which sold more than 40,000 copies in Mozambique alone and had an outstanding sale internationally. The album was well received in Angola, Cape Verde, and Portugal. The album features the self-titled single, Arromba which is kizomba genre. Another single off the album which was well received was Lirrandzo, which turned out to be the most popular song the year, and Arromba turned out to be the summer anthem of 2005.

In early 2006, Neyma returned to the studio and recorded a new album. In late 2006, she released Idiomas and released Mbilo Yanga as the first single off the album. With this album, Neyma mixed Marrabenta, Coupé-Décalé, Kizomba and traditional Mozambican rhythms to create a unique sound. Mbilo Yanga, a Kizomba genre of music, put her again on international scene where she received numerous nominations for the song. Other acknowledged singles off the album include Nunawanga Yuwi, Xilhamaliso, Marrido do Dono and Te Amo, a Kizomba-Balade style.

• www.neymamusic.com