When singer Amalia Rodrigues died two years ago it marked the end of an era. Since the late 1940s, fans in Portugal, and throughout the world, considered Amalia the voice of the plaintive music known as fado. Now younger singers have taken up the challenge of re-defining Portugal's national music. The World's Stephen Snyder introduces us to one.

      Stephen Snyder: On the cover of her debut album, the singer known simply as Mariza doesn't look like a world-weary fado singer. In fact, she looks kind of perky. Instead of the traditional black, she wears a brightly colored designer dress. Her close-cropped blond hair wouldn't be out of place on MTV. But if Mariza's look is a departure from fado tradition, her voice is not.

      Fado is often compared to the blues. Like its American cousin, Portuguese fado has its roots in Africa, and relies heavily on the guitar. In fado's case, a shimmering twelve-string portuguese guitar playing mostly in mournful, minor keys. Fado singing is emotionally intense, with lyrics about lost love, the cruelty of fate and a yearning for release from sadness. The Portuguese wrap all of that up in just one word, saudade.

      At 26, Mariza is being favorably compared with Amalia Rodrigues, the diva who combined saudade with musical virtuousity for half a century. But while Mariza seems to have a handle on traditional fado, she says with her first album she's tried to expand its musical range.

      Mariza: I think fado has a lot of influences. I'm not saying we could mix fado with rock & roll, but with classical musics or feeling musics or soul music you could.

      SS: Mariza calls her album "Fado Em Mim" - in English, Fado in me. On it she mixes traditional songs, some made famous by Amalia - with new fados by contemporary composers who flirt with modernity.

      Mariza: If you want to give a little bit of jazz - and I have one fado, "Por Ti!" -- where I start with the double bass, we have a little bit of the feeling of jazz.

      SS: While it may not seem radical to sing to the accompaniment of a standup bass, many purists object to any tinkering with the traditional sound of fado. But Mariza says several of Portugal's established fado singers - or fadistas - have gone out of their way to encourage her to bring modern colors and fresh instrumentation to the music.

      Mariza: I'm not reinventing fado, but I think I'm making some changes because of the way I'm trying to show what I feel.

      SS: Mariza grew up listening to disco, punk and pop - but she says she preferred the emotional depth of fado, and thinks that's increasingly true for other young Portuguese as well.

      Mariza: Until five years ago fado was like a music for old people, but now everybody listen, and young people pay attention of our culture and they want to know more about it.

      SS: Mariza is not the only young singer to put a personal stamp on fado. Fellow Portuguese singers Misia and Cristina Branco have followed similar paths. They too have been hailed for bringing a youthful voice to fado, and celebrated as possible successors to the diva Amalia. Mariza says that although they sometimes cross paths, these fadistas don't talk about their music.

      Mariza: No, actually never. We never meet to speak about fado. When we see each other it's just "Hi how are you" and we don't have too much time, but I would like one day to sit down with them and talk a little bit and try to know what they think about these new things we are doing.

      SS: Mariza just wrapped up her first US tour. She's on her way to Italy, Spain, England, Belgium, and Holland before returning home to Lisbon, where fado began, and continues to find new beginnings. For The World, I'm Stephen Snyder. 

      Stephen Snyder