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Asbury Park Press, Concert Preview >>
Singer Mariza gives folk music a world beat
BY ED CONDRAN
It was evident from an early age that Mariza was destined to sing the Portuguese folk music known as fado. By the time Mariza was five, she was compelled to belt out fado at her father's restaurant in Lisbon.
"It was just something I had to do," Mariza said. "The music was everywhere on the streets, and it just touched me so much. To me, it was just like breathing. It was my world. The sound of the Portuguese guitar is just so beautiful. I asked my dad if I could sing at his place when I was very young when he had musicians perform during the weekend. He told me that fado was adult music."
Turns out that Mariza's father couldn't turn his daughter down and she sang fado until she was 15.
"At that age, crazy things happen," Mariza said while calling from North Bethesda, Md. "Your friends words matter. They said, "Fado is for old people. Don't sing that.' "
During her late teens, Mariza studied jazz, bossa nova and pop music. "I enjoy those styles of music," Mariza said. "I even went to Brazil to learn more about the bossa nova. But I couldn't help myself and went back to fado because I love it so much. Being Portuguese, this is my music, which comes from my heart."
Mariza made the right move. The passionate, charismatic singer became a world-music star, courtesy of her dramatic renditions of stirring fado songs.
"You have to go with your heart and that's what I went with," Mariza said. "You go with your heart, and you're always right."
Released two years ago, Mariza's "Transparente" is a big, lush album that helped her break into Brazil.
"I enjoyed making such a well-produced album with such a nice sound," Mariza said. "But it's a lot different than the tour I'm doing now."
Mariza is on a scaled-down jaunt that will take her to Monmouth University's Pollak Theatre on Saturday.
"When you see me it'll be a very intimate concert," Mariza said. "It's me and four musicians. This tour is a more pure tour. I love making music this way." 10/12/07 >> go there
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