Mariza

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Mariza was born in 1973 as Marisa dos Reis Nunes in Lourenço Marques, in what was then Portuguese Mozambique. Her father was Portuguese, her mother Mozambican. When she was three, the family moved to Lisbon, where she grew up in the old districts of Mouraria and Alfama. From an early age she sang in many styles, including gospel, soul and jazz. Her father encouraged her to sing fado, because that tradition would give her more acceptance in the Portuguese community.

Music and breakthrough

In 1999 Amália Rodrigues, the most famous fado singer, died. After that fado attracted new interest, and Mariza was asked to sing a tribute to her. That led in 2001 to her debut Fado em Mim, which sold a hundred thousand copies, in a genre where four thousand copies was already a success. Fado Curvo (2003) brought her international recognition and a BBC Radio 3 award for best European artist in world music. In 2004 she sang with Sting at the Olympic Games in Athens and won an EBBA Award. Transparente (2005) was recorded in Brazil and reached the top ten in the Netherlands, Spain and Finland, among other countries.

Influence

Mariza belongs to Nieuwe Fado. Her voice recalls the great divas of the genre, but her records reach a wider audience. She sang in halls such as Carnegie Hall and the Royal Albert Hall and became an ambassador of Portuguese culture.

Listening

• 
  Ó Gente da Minha Terra · Mariza, 2001
  Apple Music ↗

Discography

Studio albums

• 2001Fado em mim
• 2003Fado curvo
• 2005Transparente
• 2008Terra
• 2010Fado Tradicional
• 2015Mundo
• 2018Mariza
• 2020Mariza

See also

• Fado em mim
• Fado curvo
• Fado