Ana Moura

The elegant and vivacious sihouette of Ana Moura has graced stages worldwide. Her voice has the intensity and soul necessary to transmit the depth of melancholy associated with fado. Moura was inspired from a young age by the great Amalia Rodrigues because, says she, “Rodrigues had it all, and she was a very good improviser.” As a child, the singer was bathed in traditional fado and, on family occasions, her parents would encourage her to sing the standards.

However, Moura began performing as a pop and rock singer in a local band before turning to Portugal’s symbolic genre. By chance, the popular fado singer Maria de Fe overheard Moura singing at a party and invited her to sing at her café. Quickly, her contralto singing attracted local television producers and her reputation spread to Lisbon. Newspapers glowed about the “rare and primitive quality” in her voice and Moura became part of a new generation of fado singers that tackle contemporary issues. Songs like “Eu Quero”, “Creio” and “Fado de Pessoa”, on her latest album “Aconteceu” testify to this modern vision.

Moura collaborates regularly with guitarist Jorge Fernando who has been the inspiration for her most important songs (he used to play with Amalia Rodrigues). Their renown was enhanced by a powerful performance at New York’s Carnegie Hall in March 2005. In January 2007 the precocious fadista returned to the United States to confirm the dazzling impression she had left a few years before.

December 2006

Daniel Brown

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