This Sunday evening, Ana Moura will be giving a performance at the Bowker Auditorium. She will be singing in the traditional Portuguese style known as Fado, which draws from the emotions of suffering, despair and longing.
Fado, a very prominent musical style in Portugal, literally translates to “destiny” or “fate” in Portuguese. The music is reminiscent of American blues; both genres draw on the same spectrum of emotions to produce a similar sound. The only lines that distinctly separate the two are language and geography.
In Portugal, Fado flourished as a way to escape the woes of poverty – a distraction from a bleak situation. Fado is estimated to have emerged in the mid-19th century, about a full 50 years before its cousin, American blues. The doleful words of Fado, once sung by the artist, are often described as the spoken words of the artist’s diary.
Moura was born in 1979 in Santarém, Portugal. Once, Moura was invited to sing for a pop/rock group called Sexto Sentido (Sixth Sense), but she soon realized that she was meant for Fado. The epiphany was cemented when Moura was in her 20s, and Tim Ries, the saxophonist for the Rolling Stones, heard her sing at one of the Fado houses. He had found the special voice that he had long been looking for.
Moura’s first major Fado song was called “Sou do Fado, Sou Fadista” (“I Am of the Fado, I Am a Fado Singer”), and she has followed up with a steady stream of releases. From “Guarda-me a vida na mã” (“Guard my life in hand”) in 2003 to her most recent “Leva-me aos Fados” (“Take me to a Fado House”) in 2009, Moura has thoroughly infused her voice into the fabric of contemporary Fado. For her work on “Leva-me aos Fados,” Moura received a Golden Globe in 2010.
She is currently on tour in North America, showcasing songs from her most recent album. This tour is meant to be an introduction to those who have never been exposed to Fado before and for them to take away their own meaning from the performance.
Moura has also collaborated with internationally renowned artists. Once such example occurred when Prince heard of her music in 2009 and approached her with the idea for a project that is still in the works.
Though Fado is typically dominated by depressive, melancholic music, that fact does not stop Moura from singing the occasional uplifting song, while still retaining the distinctive Fado style. There as much emotional variation in Fado as there is in American blues, if not more.
A relatively young star, Moura keeps up the tradition of Fado. It seems that the older musicians have accepted her as well, welcoming her into the new world of Fado and all it has in store for those who become involved with it. So, upon presenting herself to the masses at the University of Massachusetts, we will see if she matches up to the reputation that has followed her internationally.
Vincenza Parella can be reached at [email protected].
