After 11 months at sea, Tchiss landed back in Rome, the city that sparked the inspiration to his very first solo album: Stranger Já Catem Traboi. Accompanied by band members of Cabo Verde Novo, with whom he had previously collaborated in 1981 on their one and only LP Moreninha, Tchiss composed what he considers his musical passport. And in 1982, after a two-day session at the Pomodoro Studio in Sutri, Stranger Já Catem Traboi was recorded. Drawing from his personal and collective experience, Tchiss sings of the hardships of finding a job abroad and getting an education, of love that comes and goes and other people’s judgment, of the tragic loss of lives at sea: themes from 40 years ago, yet so relevant today. More than an album, Stranger Já Catem Traboi is a journey through the layered life and music of Tchiss Lopes.