Lusophone artists have long been welcomed with open arms in the Hub- but wait 'til you see the group-hug the city's about to give speaking performers this week.

Starting things off is Cape Verdean singer Lura, who makes her local debut tomorrow at
Berklee Performance Center. Sunday, neo-bossa nova singer and guitarist Celso Fonseca debuts here with a gig at the Paradise Lounge.

And guitarist/singer Seu Jorge, seen recently in the films "The Life Aquatic" and '"City of God," appears at the Museum of Fine Arts on Wednesday.

Can you say fantostico?

Lura was raised in Lisbon, Portugal, as pan of the large Cape Verdean community there and has opened for and performed with the legendary Cesaria Evora. The music on her CD/DVD "Di Korpu Ku Alma” ( Body and Soul) has a more contemporary feel than Evora's, while also drawing from danceable influenced Cape Verdean styles such as batuka and funana.

She's not surprised Portuguese- speaking artists are being welcomed in the States.

"I think today there's a more open-minded environment for accepting things from outside the U.S. and the Western world," she said via e-mail. "We all mutually benefit and get enriched from this diversity in Europe, U.S. and Africa."

Neither Fonseca nor Jorge are shy about infusing their sensual, new millennium bossas with tinges of electronics, an approach in tune with modern Brazil.

"I used to say that modern music is timeless music," said Fonseca, also by e-mail, on the road as a solo act after years of working with Caetano Veloso and producing some of the biggest names in con temporary Brazilian music. "I like to use electronics as a part of it. But we can't be slaves to electronic and studio tricks. I love to blend different things in my music."

That comes out on his new "Rive Gauche Rio" CD inspired by Paris and Rio de Janeiro of the ‘50s and '60s.

"I think America is screaming out for a new wave of Brazilian music!" said Jorge, who seduced moviegoers with his samba-fied covers of David Bowie songs in "The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou." Now he's ready to win more fans with a new CD, "Cru."

"With my style of music," he said, "I wanted to do something that was less stereotyped of what people think of Brazil the soccer, the samba, bikinis, boobs and ass. I wanted to create pure music. Music from the heart. If this comes across as modern, great."

Lura appears tomorrow at 8 p.m. at Berklee Performance Center, Boston. Tickets: 122-528. Call 6/7-876-4275. Celso Fonseca performs Sunday at 8 p.m. at the Paradise Lounge, Boston. Tickets: $12. Call 617-562-8800. Seu Jorge appears Wednesday at 7-30 p.m. at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Tickets: S25. Go to www.m/a.org