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At downtown 18th Annual Living Traditions fest, singer will take Portuguese blues to new heights
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Deseret News (Salt Lake City, UT), At downtown 18th Annual Living Traditions fest, singer will take Portuguese blues to new heights >>
By Scott Iwasaki
Deseret News music editor
International recording artist Mariza has been singing publicly since she was 5 years old.
"I really didn't have many musical influences when I was that young," Mariza said during a telephone interview from her hotel in Miami, Fla. "I just knew that I wanted to sing. And my reward is singing to people."
Mariza is one of the headliners of the 18th Annual Living Traditions Festival, to be held this week at the City and County Building, 450 S. 200 East.
Mariza was raised in Lisbon, Portugal, the home of a musical style known as fado, which literally means "fate" in Portuguese. It's a type of folk music that some would consider Portuguese blues, but unlike traditional blues, fado doesn't use electric guitars and rumbling voices. In most cases, it requires the acoustic guitar and viola.
But Mariza has been trying to do fado differently. "I want people to know that music can grow in many ways. I'm using big steps in changing some of the ideas of fado."
For example, on her new album "Fado Curvo," Mariza uses the piano and cello, unorthodox instruments for fado. "I don't think I know of anyone else who has used piano and cello in fado on a recording."
Although the singer is introducing her own style to the music, she doesn't like to think of herself as a musical pioneer. "I respect tradition, but the music can have more elements," said Mariza, who has played Peter Gabriel's WOMAD Festival and opened for hip-hop Grammy winner Lauryn Hill.
Mariza knows there are traditionalists who don't like what she does, but she hasn't heard many complaints. "Most of the time, the people who have sung fado for years like what I'm doing. When they see me, they always make sure I'm doing well. They ask me if I'm eating right, and they want to make sure I'm taking care of my voice. So, I think I'm doing something good. And when I do something good, I feel very happy."
Growing up in Lisbon, Mariza sang at local fado clubs. Her parents nurtured her talent and encouraged her to sing. In fact, her father used to draw cartoon strips to help her memorize songs before she learned to read. "As I grew older, I started listening to jazz and blues. I was trying to find myself. I realized that fado was who I was."
Still, her life in the spotlight hasn't been all smiles and music. "There was a time, two years ago, when singing wasn't fun anymore. It's not an easy life, although some people think it's the best way to make a living.
"I stopped making music for awhile. And after some time went by, I realized that I wasn't happy unless there was music in my life. So I decided to look at my life in a new way."
These days, Mariza doesn't ask too many questions about her tour schedule or other appearances. "I don't want to know. I don't want to worry about the next performance. I just want to be able to go and sing. And by doing that, my life has become fun again."
05/11/03
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