Karyna Gomes

Karyna Silva Gomes Cerqueira, who uses the stage name Karyna Gomes, is a singer from Guin Biussau who started her career in So Paulo, Brasil, where she studied journalism and lived for 5 years. She started singing Gospel music with the Rejoining Mass Choir in 1997, but her passion for music comes from a very tender age.

Daugther to a Guinean father and Cape-Verde mother who emigrated to Guin Bissau, Karyna was born in Bissau, a small and harmonious western African city, where she grew up listening to the countrys traditional music, local urban music and world music in general. She considers her musical roots to be in backyard get-togethers, typical of southern henisphere mixed-race societies, and that she is influenced by her own mixed-race and living experience in three continents: Africa, America and Europe.

 In 2005, after having returned to her native country, she began a professional career with nation wide public acceptance. In 2006 she participated in the CPLP (the Community of Portuguese Language Speaking Countries) festival which was held in Bissau, where she performed alongside artists such as Tito Paris and other well-known names in the Portuguese language music scene.

 In 2007 she was invited by Adriano Ferreira (Atchutchi) to take part in the historical and revolutionary musical group Super Mama Djombo and that same year participated in the recording of the bands last album, as well and in several of the groups tours around the world, while in parallel developing her embryonic solo career.

 In 2009, while on vacation in Cape Verde, Karyna was invited to participate in several concerts and performed alongside Cape Verde singer Pricezito and Diva, among others.

 As a press secretary, Karyna worked in high profile organizations, such as UNICEF and SNV, but in 2011 she decided to abandon Communication to pursue her dream and moved to Portugal where she took part in several important musical events, and shared the stage with names such as Bonga and Boss AC.

 At present she is recording her first solo album, produced by Paulo Borges and edited by Get! Records. It is a sort of musical genealogy in which the singer recalls traditional songs with vocals and percussion, Guinean music modern day classics and what she describes as my music from Guin, which is a fusion of different sounds that represent her very own musicality.

 Vocal: Karyna Gomes

Keysboards: Paulo Borges

Percussion: Joao Balao

Kora: Ibraimam Galissa

Bass: Francisco Santos