Fado is a Portuguese musical genre that is the emblem of the people themselves. It embodies their destiny, so much so that the name is Fado, fate. It is its paradigm in the continuous lament of the voices that sing it. Technically there are three different types of Fado, which are born in three symbolic cities of Portugal: Porto, Coimbra and Lisbon. The one that has given rise to more revivals is the one of Lisbon that has its roots in popular culture.
Lisbon’s Fado is born in the streets, among the humble people, is the lament in music of the poor people, a voice and a guitar that sing the famous Portuguese "saudade": melancholy and nostalgia for a past that no longer exists. These two elements are enough to give the listener a unique moment of ecstasy. It is a music that transports the senses, that guides you to other worlds, that makes you relive past moments.
A melody that at first listening does not remain so impressed, almost boring, repetitive. But from the second listening it conquers you, it crosses you. It's a timeless music that has remained on the crest of the wave for two hundred years. In 2017 it was Salvator Sobral's fado that enchanted Eurovision. It is a music that tells of loves, of separations, of sorrows. Pain is central to the Portuguese culture of traumas and wounds that have never been healed. Fado sets this suffering to music and shares it with the world in a masterful way.
The Fadists (musicians), in fact, can only be Portuguese, because no one better than them can tell the story of this people. Many female voices: Dulce Pontes, Mariza, Amàlia, Teresa Salgueiro. These are the most appreciated in the Portuguese pop-folk music scene. Mariza enchanted Lisbon in 2006 with her concert and became a very appreciated artist. Dulce Pontes is famous for her collaborations with Ennio Morricone and her "Cançao do mar".Amàlia Rodrigues, considered the voice of Portugal, the queen with one of her most famous songs: Tudo isto è fado. Teresa Salgueiro was the main voice of Madredeus, a very famous band from the 90s. Her unmistakable voice made them known all over the world with "Haja O que houver".