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Today's Zaman, Concert Preview >>
‘Fado is not only music, it’s emotion’
Fado is a musical genre that has won over a great number of audiences around the world. Turkish audiences only discovered Fado, the songs of the deep seas, in the last few years.
Mariza, the name behind the recent popularity of the Portugal-based music, is set to enchant Ýstanbul audiences at a concert at Ýþ Sanat tomorrow night.
Mariza explains why she chose Fado, the passionate, elegant and emotional music: "Fado is not only a musical genre, it is an emotion. It's not saddening, but melancholic. I did not choose this music; rather, it was my destiny."
Mariza's latest album, "Transparente," was released in more than 35 countries in Europe, North America and Latin America and managed to make it onto the top 10 list of best-selling albums on the Billboard world chart. Meanwhile, she is gearing up to meet festival-goers in Cannes with the Carlos Saura film "Fados," in which she is playing the title role.
Mariza, who was named the "Voice of Fado" by the Amalia Rodriguez Foundation in 1999, told Today's Zaman in a telephone interview that she believed Fado was her destiny. "I spent part of my childhood in Brazil, growing up with tunes of bossa nova. When I started getting involved in singing as a young girl, I was keen on both listening and singing jazz, but on the other hand, since my father is Portuguese, I was constantly hearing Fado tunes from my father and his relatives. When I started my professional career as a singer my first teacher was Carlos do Carmo. I learnt how to sing and feel Fado from him. I realized I was very close to this genre and started singing Fado. I love its sincerity and its sorrow."
Fado is known as a genre depicting the sorrows and separations of sailors, but what connection does Mariza have with the sea? "I have a great admiration for the sea in addition to my interest in sailors' stories. I love the smell of the sea, the waves. In Fado there is the waves, the feelings of people who went to sea but did not return, their emotions and sincerity. What I admire is this profundity and sincerity. Fado is not only a kind of music, it's a feeling."
Mariza's grandmother is of Indian origin and her mother is African. A synthesis of different cultures is reflected in her life and her music. "I feel lucky for that, because this synthesis is reflected in my daily life. … I believe I carry traces of different colorful backgrounds of cultures."
Mariza says all songs are special to her. "'Primavera' is one of them. But I can say that 'Transparente' has the most precious story. It is a song I dedicated to my African roots and my grandmother."
The song is also significant for dancer Patrick de Bana, an artist of African orgin who shares the title roles with Mariza in Saura's movie "Fados," the world premiere set for the upcoming edition of the Cannes Film Festival in May.
Mariza also takes part in charity organizations, one being the Live8 concert series. "As an artist I travel around the world and I see the happiness and sorrows of people in the places I go. I am very proud to be one of the names organizers want to include in such aid organizations."
Mariza says she is anxiously anticipating the Cannes premiere of "Fados." She was very excited to meet director Carlos Saura, she adds. "Thanks to this film I also met de Bana, who will be accompanying me onstage at my Ýstanbul concert tomorrow night."
Her greatest ambition is to present Portuguese culture throughout the world and share it with as many people as she can. As one of the world's most famous Fado singers, Mariza says Fado will never become extinct. "Just the opposite, it started to attract even more interest, particularly in America. I have been touring the world for concerts. If Fado songs started to enter world music charts, this means it is reaching more and more people now, and I love being part of this." 01/05/07 >> go there
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