An emotional journey with Mariza
“Fado is the kind of music that grabs your emotions,” Mariza (November 16) said in a 2016 interview with The Standard. “As a child I would sneak to the top of the stairs and listen to the fadistas singing the old tunes. I never wanted to go to bed.”
Tethered deep in the Portuguese soul, Fado music is traditionally performed by a solo singer and guitar, and sings of plaintive emotion. Fado houses proliferated in Lisbon from the 1930s onward, coming into prominence with renowned singer Amália Rodrigues in the 1950s.
Born in Mozambique and raised in the vibrant culture and music of Portugal, Mariza has built a career spanning more than 20 years and including numerous platinum albums and awards. Fado em Mim, Mariza’s debut 2001 album, featured incredible new music, as well as creative reinterpretations of classic Amália Rodrigues tunes, and was the catalyst for her skyrocketing fame. Her most recent album Amor was released in 2024, and combines traditional Fado with a more modern direction.
“Each concert is an emotional journey, and I love the energy exchange between the audience and me,” Mariza said in a 2024 interview with NJArts.net. “I love creating those intimate moments during my concerts, where it’s just me and the audience — no amplifiers, no distance. It brings me closer to the roots of my music, which was always meant to be a personal, shared experience.”
“Mariza is [fado’s] biggest star for a reason,” Rolling Stone notes. Don’t miss what’s sure to be a memorable concert on November 16.