The Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center is bringing a world- renowned diva to its stage this weekend to perform a brand of Portuguese urban folk music-- and not too many people are very familiar with either the singer or her style of singing.

The performer, Mariza, is a fadista, or fado singer. Fado, "pronounced fah-doe and translating from Portuguese to "fate" or "destiny," is a traditional music genre that is full of melancholy and longing.

"Fado has been compared to the blues a lot, because it comes from expressing such strong emotions," Mariza noted in a recent e-mail exchange, adding that fado differs from other styles in that poetry is a strong part of it.

"Since before the time of our great fado singer Amalia Rodrigues, there have been great poets writing poems for fado," she said. Ms. Rodrigues, who died in 1999, was known as the "Queen of Fado" for popularizing the genre world wide.

Fadistas are usually accompanied by a couple of guitarists, one with a classic guitar and another playing the 12-string Portuguese guitar. Mariza's band also includes bass and percussion, through some fadistas have opted to play with string quartet or full orchestra.

The traditional costume for a fadista is black dress and shawl, Mariza said.

"The music has humble roots and the clothing would always match," she said, "but the singing style is very expressive. So, I like to express myself in my clothes too."

Mariza's mother is from Mozambique and her father is Portuguese, and she is proud to be carrying on a Portuguese tradition even though she was born in Africa. She moved to her father's home country when she was 3. As a little girl, she sang fado in her father's neighbor hood tavern.

"I was so young, I could not read yet," the singer acknowledged, "so he drew little cartoons to help me remember the words of the songs,"

"Later I sang many other kinds of music." she said, before eventually settling on fado. While traveling the world she realized it was the music of her people, she said, and it made her proud.

"The origins of fado are many," Mariza said, "yet somehow the music formed in a way that expresses a sentiment unique to the Portuguese people and experience.

"Fado comes from the neighborhood taverns in Portugal at a time when there was a lot of exchange, and Lisbon was a gateway between the Americas, Europe and Africa. The style is thought by many to have influences from African sailors who were part of the 'Era of Discovery.'"

While the essence of fado relates to longing, she said once one listens to enough of this haunting style of music- one can hear that all sorts of emotions are expressed.

She confessed that she became very emotional when she was recording her 2006 live album, "Concerto em Lisboa," at the Tower of Belem in Portugal's capital city. Seeing 25,000 Portuguese in the audience, and looking over the River Tagus, she said she felt so lucky to be there.

"This is the same view sailors saw as they were leaving Lisbon to explore the world," she said. "Maybe it was the last thing they saw of Portugal."

In her own world travels, Mariza has toured across Europe and performed on both American continents, as well as in Australia.

Her current North American tour is taking her to the Westhampton Beach Performing Arts Center on Sunday, July 15, at 8:30 p.m.

"I love performing on all sorts of stages. Small venues have an intimacy that is great, but I am so happy to perform at great halls, too," she said, looking forward to performing for concertgoers familiar with fado and those who are just learning about the genre.

Tickets are S50. $65 or $80, available by calling the Arts Center box office at 288-1500, stopping by the PAC at 76 Main Street in Westhampion Beach, or by visiting www.whbpac.org.

By Brendan O'Reilly