I started learning Portuguese because of Fado. When I first visited Lisbon in the early 2000s, I was immediately charmed by the city, the culture, and the people. I hadn’t heard anything about Fado until I found myself one evening in a Fado house for dinner. A whole new world of listening opened up for me. Since then I had this idea of learning Portuguese and performing Fado myself.
I did one of my living room shows, which I call Parlor Concerts, in 2017 in Lisbon and sang a humble version of “Meu Amigo Está Longe” for the first time. An audio recording of this is archived in the backstage area of my website. The kind and encouraging words of my listeners cheered me on to continue my studies. So, please enjoy my version of “Saudades do Brasil em Portugal”, originally written by Vinícius de Moraes in 1968. I combined Fado and Bossa Nova elements to musically connect Brasil and Portgual as well.
I would also like to recommend these versions by professionals for you to enjoy: Vinícius de Moraes’ original, Amália Rodrigues’ version, Carminho’s contemporary update, and Marisa Monte and Carminho’s collaboration that inspired my version.
