Ana was born in Santarém the bustling capital of the Ribatejo in Portugal. In Coruche, where she lived until her teens, her voice got her noticed at a young age. Though her music interests at the time were, as usual at this age, more for rock and pop, when her mother heard her young daughter sing all different types of songs she used to say “it’s in Fado that your voice shines the most.”

Ana began to sing in several fado houses, invited by Portuguese guitar players, a sort of initiation ritual. At one of these sessions Maria da Fé (a very important Portuguese Fado singer) heard Ana sing, and invited her to Sr. Vinho, one of the most emblematic Fado houses in Lisbon. That was the start of it all.

For those who wish to pursue a career in Fado, the Fado house in which one sings becomes a school. Maria da Fé’s house Sr. Vinho was Ana’s school and there she met her musical ally, Jorge Fernando, a singer, author, producer and musical writer. Their partnership continues today. Jorge Fernando had lived and worked with the greatest names of Fado – he was for many years Amália Rodrigues’ classical guitar player – and writer/composer of many excellent songs.

From this musical venture emerged Ana’s first album “Guarda-me a Vida na Mão” (2003) which caught the critics and the public by surprise. One of the tracks “Sou do Fado sou fadista”, became an instant standard. Such a voice hadn’t been heard for quite a while, so full in its words and unspoken silences. On the back of critical acclaim she started touring abroad, performing in the United States and around Europe.

Her next album was quite ambitious: Aconteceu (2004), a conceptual adventure, double CD divided into traditional Fado (“Dentro de casa”) and new paths evolving within and around Fado (“À porta do fado”). To reinforce this new approach Ana invited musicians and songwriters from different musical areas such as Tozé Brito, Tiago Bettencourt, and Miguel Guedes (Blind Zero). Jorge Fernando, who also made most of the arrangements, was the producer, as on her first album. As the release of “Aconteceu” was happening, Ana Moura was invited to perform at the prestigious Carnegie Hall in New York, as well in some other North American cities. She was the first Portuguese singer to perform on this legendary New York stage. She played in France, United States and China too. In the Netherlands her success led to her nomination for an Edison, the Dutch world music equivalent of a Grammy; and she performed in Amsterdam’s prestigious Concertgebouw.  

Around that time a musician bought a batch of Fado albums in Japan, played through them, and was dumbfounded when he found a voice he had long searched for. That musician was Tim Ries, the resident sax player of the Rolling Stones as well as the mentor of the Rolling Stones Project. In this project Tim assembles some of the world’s best voices to record their personal interpretations of some of the Rolling Stones songs. When Tim listened to Ana he did not hesitate and invited her to join the project. Two songs were picked and rearranged by Jorge Fernando and the famous Portuguese guitar player Custódio Castelo.

Later, in June 2007, Mick Jagger invited Ana to come on stage at Alvalade XXI Stadium, in front of 30000 people to sing “No expectations” with him. This invitation happened after a Rolling Stones visit to the nightclub where Ana Moura usually performs. From this friendship came Tim Ries’ participation (he plays on “A Sós Com a Noite” and co-wrote “Velho Anjo”) on Ana Moura’s third album.

On “Para Além da Saudade” (2007) , Ana Moura sings the traditional Fado Blac or Fado Azenha, but still takes risks on some new songs and partnerships, singing poems from Fausto (one of the most important Portuguese singer-songwriters), Amélia Muge and Nuno Miguel Guedes. But above all it’s on Para Além da Saudade that Ana has her first emblematic Fado song: “Os Búzios”, written by Jorge Fernando; now mandatory at every concert and sung in unison by audiences everywhere.

Abroad her performances were increasingly in demand. Besides her European tours Ana also performed in Mexico and the USA. Back home she won the Amália award for Best Performer of the Year, given by the Amália Rodrigues Foundation in 2007.

Once again, Jorge Fernando produced, wrote and composed some of the songs of “Para Além da Saudade”. After a small tour in Germany and Holland, she toured from north to south in Portugal, and preformed, for the first time, in Madeira. The culmination of an incredible year was in October at Centro Cultural de Belém (one of the great concert venues in Lisbon). She also toured Germany, Holland, Italy, Japan and Czech Republic.

2008 started with a European tour around Holland, Belgium, France, Germany and Spain, and also some concerts in Portugal. She then sold out the Coliseums of Lisbon and Porto, the two most emblematic concert halls in Portugal. These two nights were recorded on a DVD that also reached platinum. Meanwhile Para Além da Saudade, reached double platinum and stayed in the charts for 120 consecutive weeks.

Always relaying on the crucial complicity of Jorge Fernando and sticking to the “core” collaborations found on Para Além da Saudade, Ana’s new work Leva-me aos Fados (2009), is another step forward, a remarkably beautiful and balanced work. The growing confidence of her voice supported by two guitars, meshes the beauty of traditional Fado with the unexpected paths of “Não é um Fado Normal” written by Amélia Muge or the participation of the Gaiteiros de Lisboa. Leva-me aos Fados was instant gold in Portugal and soon platinum.

Ana’s latest famous fan is Prince, who saw her in concert in Paris. He had already heard Ana on CD, the concert merely confirmed his impressions. News are anxiously awaited…