Cape Verdean singer Cesaria Evora recovering from heart surgery

Singer Cesaria Evora has undergone open heart surgery in Paris following an emergency "coronary problem" this weekend. She is recovering in hospital and has cancelled the remainder of her 2010 concert dates.

Evora, Cape Verde's most famous musician, was in the middle of a world tour – her first major performances since suffering a stroke in 2008. She performed in Lisbon on Saturday night, but was rushed to a Paris hospital's emergency department the following day. Surgery took place on Monday night, lasting about six hours. "Everything went as well as could be expected, according to the surgeons," her record label, Lusafrica, said. "She was placed in intensive care following the surgery and she regained consciousness [on Tuesday] morning."

According to the Guardian.Co.Uk, sixty-eight year-old Evora is the world's best-known singer of morna, a Cape Verdean song and dance tradition that is often compared to the blues. Celebrated as the "Barefoot Diva", she has released 11 albums since 1988. The most recent of these, Nha Sentimento, was issued late last year. Recorded as Evora recovered from her stroke, it explored the Middle Eastern influence on Cape Verdean music, including a collaboration with Egyptian musician Fathy Salama. The reissue of Nha Sentimento, featuring a bonus duet with rising Cape Verde star Lura, is due shortly.

Evora appeared in London just last week with European dates scheduled for May. She has also cancelled a North American tour, and late summer visits to China, Brazil and Tunisia.