Miguel Gameiro

Born February 15, 1974, in Lisbon, Portugal, Miguel Gameiro began his professional path as a co-founding member of Pólo Norte, the band formed in 1992 in Belas, Sintra. Alongside Tó Almeida on guitar, Marco Vieira on bass, João Gomes on keyboards, and Luís Varatojo on drums, with Gameiro handling vocals, the group released its first full-length album, Expedição, in 1995, followed by Aprender a Ser Feliz in 1996 and Longe in 1999. By the turn of the century, after nearly two decades with Gameiro as frontman, Pólo Norte stood among Portugal’s premier rock bands of the late ’90s; the live album Pólo Norte ao Vivo appeared in 2000 and the fourth studio album, Jogo da Vida, followed in 2002. The band then entered a three-year break while Gameiro joined the side project Portugal a Cantar. Upon regrouping, Pólo Norte worked with British producer Steve Lyon, acclaimed for his contributions to Depeche Mode, the Cure, and Laura Pausini; the resulting Deixa o Mundo Girar, issued in 2005, was praised by some observers as the band’s finest work to date. After the greatest-hits collection 15 Anos in 2008 and further time away from the studio, Gameiro issued his solo debut, A Porta ao Lado, in 2010. Produced by Paulo Borges, the Portuguese producer noted for his work with Rita Red Shoes, Sérgio Godinho, and Sara Tavares, the album reached the Top Ten on the albums chart and featured the lead single “Dá-me um Abraço.”