Ana Moura

Ana Moura ranks among the most decorated and popular fadistas to emerge during the twenty-first century, with her vocal work repeatedly earning awards and occupying prominent chart positions. Her catalog has maintained steady commercial performance while her international concert schedule routinely generates sold-out venues. She entered the world in Santarem, the historic settlement along the Tejo River lying north of Lisbon. Fado surrounded her from an early age inside a household that prized the tradition and performed it regularly at home and during family assemblies. Although she tested pop and rock material as a teenager by joining local groups, her attachment to fado stayed constant; even during pop engagements she continued to feature fado selections.

Her deeper turn toward the national repertoire began at age twenty after she visited a regional fado house with friends. At their urging she sang for the guitarists and devotees present, who responded with immediate warmth, after which she became a fixture in the area’s fado circles. Later the same year, at an informal Christmas gathering, Maria de Fe discovered her and asked her to perform alongside her at her own residence. As her local profile rose, so did her devotion to the music, bringing appearances on area television and features in the regional press.

Universal Music released her first album, Guarda-Me a Vida Na Mão, in 2003, drawing critical praise. The second album, Aconteceu, expanded her reach by entering international rankings and preparing the way for the breakthrough Para Além da Saudade in 2007. Its singles “Os Buzios” and “Fado da Procura” climbed Portuguese charts, secured television slots on Family Contact and Superstar, and earned Golden Globe nominations; the project itself remained on domestic lists for 120 weeks. In 2007 she shared the stage with Mick Jagger when the Rolling Stones performed in her country. Prince, an admirer of both fado and Moura, journeyed to Paris in 2009 to attend one of her concerts and later that summer joined her at the Super Bock Super Rock Festival in Meco. She issued Leva-Me Aos Fados late that year; it reached platinum certification within its first week and produced four number-one singles—the title track, “Caso Arrumado,” “Rumo ao Sul,” and “Fado Vestido de Fado.”

In September 2010 the Frankfurt Radio Bigband invited her to two concerts in the German city. She returned the gesture by enlisting the jazz orchestra for homecoming performances at the Lisbon and Porto Coliseums in April 2011. Desfado appeared in 2013, logged 150 weeks on the Portuguese charts, and received quintuple platinum status. Worldwide touring in support included major stages such as Carnegie Hall in New York City. A successful live album and accompanying concert film followed in 2014. Her next studio album, Moura, debuted at the top of multiple international charts upon its November 2015 release and was backed by a global tour; the United States edition arrived in May 2016.