No great introduction is needed when talking about Mariza. As the most important ambassador of contemporary Portuguese music, her name is synonymous with the voice that declared fado to be her calling card and life's mission. At the same time, however, she never looks back when it comes to finding new paths for fado.
Mariza is simply Mariza - unique, expressive, original. Consequently, her seventh studio album bears the simple but apt title ‘MARIZA’. On the one hand, because her voice and her cross-genre talent can never be pigeonholed. But also because you can expect nothing less from Mariza than Mariza. In the classic ‘Trigueirinha’, she is the earthy fado singer who dances and adds a tropical breeze to the spectrum of the traditional fado piece with joy and leisure - tastefully driving bass and percussion included. In ‘Quem Me Dera’, on the other hand, she can be heard as a subtle interpreter of a poignant acoustic ballad.
The fadista and the sensitive ballad singer add up to one and the same Mariza. They reflect facets of the artist who became a worldwide phenomenon with her debut album ‘Fado em Mim’ in 2001, 18 years ago in fact. They belong to the Mariza who sang and recorded her own lyrics for the first time for ‘MARIZA’ in the song ‘Oração’. They are part of the Mariza that has grown tremendously over the course of five studio albums, three live recordings and a greatest hits compilation. Every one of her many concert tours, every performance, every new experience, every award and title she has received - for Mariza, every aspect of her career has remained a lesson. And she has always remained true to herself. Every phrasing, every note is hers, because Mariza sings because she has to sing, because her voice and she are one. That is fado. And that's why Mariza is Fado - no matter what she sings.
(Warner Music)