Lisbon from Home #5: You have no excuses to miss Fado
You can't say Fado without saying Lisbon! And the other way around...
Although there are many fadistas (fado musicians) such as Judith and Holofernes, Max, Carlos Ramos and Celeste Rodrigues, Dulce Pontes, Mariza, and Katia Guerreiro it was Amalia Rodrigues (1920 – 1999), previously known as the ‘Rainha do Fado’ (Queen of Fado), who initially pushed the genre’s boundaries, helping to develop and define it into what it is today. Rodrigues travelled the world performing and recording.
Portugal mourned for three days after her death and, as one of the nation’s signature icons she was buried in the National Pantheon in Lisbon. The new Queen of Fado is Mariza; a multiple Grammy nominee and a winner of the BBC Best European Act award, she represents a contemporary interpretation of this old musical tradition, and has performed on the David Letterman Show.
Here is the history of Fado presented by the greatest singers of them all: Mariza.
A cancelled trip to Lisbon because of the covid virus is not an excuse of missing it. Enjoy the History of Fado presented by Portugal’s biggest star Mariza.