Mozambican singer Mariza grew up in Portugal -- like most children -- watching cartoons.

But those characters weren't your average Saturday morning fare. They were drawings created by Mariza's father to help his 5-year-old daughter learn traditional Portuguese music.

Since she moved to Portugal’s capital of Lisbon during her early childhood, Mariza seemed destined to sing the mournful sounds of fado, a Portuguese word meaning "fate," with the people who lived in the city where the music originated.

Mariza studied the lyrics of fado in her neighborhood of Mouraria, where fado was born in the 19th century.

Once Mariza developed her own interpretation of fado, she brought the music that flourished in Lisbon to the rest of the world.

Mariza will perform in Daytona Beach on Thursday night at the Peabody Auditorium as part of the Florida International Festival.

From the Sydney Opera House to Carnegie Hall, Mariza's pitch perfect singing has brought her international acclaim for her melancholy tales about love, the sea or life of the poor.

"It's very important to feel the emotions deep inside and bring it to life, because fado is like breathing," Mariza wrote in an e-mail, while finishing the European leg of her world tour.

There's a unique quality to Mariza's singing that sets her apart from other fadistas. As a teen, Mariza learned various musical stylings like funk, jazz and soul. Elements of these styles ring throughout her fado, and has garnered her global appeal.

Mariza hears from the occasional fado purist who opposes her interpretation of the genre. It's a criticism that doesn't faze the renowned vocalist.

"I think that purists and fundamentalists won't bring any kind of evolution; they simply pull the fado behind," Mariza said. (Fado) lives from the rhythm of the city, from human evolution. We just have to respect the guidelines."

When not on tour, Mariza continues to live in Lisbon. She embraces the chance to bring her singing to the world and relishes introducing new audiences to a different culture and a special genre of music.

"We live more and more in a 'global village' and everybody wants to know his neighbor's habits, language, sentiments and culture as much as possible," Mariza said. "Fado expresses different types of sentiments... transmitting those feelings goes beyond language barriers. That's an amazing thing to feel."

By Matt Levin