Fado from Lisbon's streets comes to Buenos Aires

Two fado singers arrive in Buenos Aires

Camané and Sara Correia perform this weekend at the Palacio Libertad as part of the new Fado Festival, themed on fado and neighbourhoods.

Camané discovered fado in his parents' records

As a child recovering from illness in Oeiras, outside Lisbon, Camané found fado in his parents' record collection, including Amália Rodrigues and Carlos do Carmo.

“At first I was a bit surprised by the music, it seemed strange to me, but then fado entered my life.”

Camané's early career and breakthrough

At thirteen he stood out at the Grande Noite do Fado de Lisboa. In nineteen ninety-five he recorded his first album, Uma Noite de Fados.

José Mário Branco shaped Camané's career

Camané worked with musician and producer José Mário Branco for about twenty years until Branco's death in two thousand nineteen. Branco produced most of his albums and wrote many new fados.

“He was a teacher, a friend, a great producer who did fantastic work with me.”

Camané's recent work and new album

In March two thousand twenty-four he performed a concert honouring Branco at the Centro Cultural de Belém in Lisbon.

Camané's voice draws from all Lisbon's neighbourhoods

Camané says his way of singing fado comes from all of Lisbon's neighbourhoods because each has its own character. He took the train from Oeiras to sing in the capital's fado houses.

“My way of singing fado is from all of Lisbon's neighbourhoods, because each one has its own characteristic.”

Sara Correia grew up in Chelas

Sara Correia was born and raised in Chelas in the early nineteen nineties. She describes it as a neighbourhood full of life and real people, with difficulties and enormous generosity, where music was everywhere.

“Fado was part of our daily life, it was not something that was lived only on a stage.”

Chelas shaped Correia's identity as a singer

Correia comes from a family of fado singers.She learned to appreciate Amália Rodrigues, Beatriz da Conceição and Fernando Maurício.She never felt she was choosing a new path, but following something she had always lived.

“I never felt I was choosing a completely new path: I was following something I had always lived.”

Correia's album Tempestade features women writers

Her fourth album, Tempestade, released in late February, contains eleven songs written only by women, including poets Florbela Espanca and Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen, and composer Carolina Deslandes.

“I wanted to sing the pain and love of other women, tell their stories and give voice to their feelings.”

Correia sold out Portugal's largest venue

On March seventh she performed at the MEO Arena, Portugal's largest hall, with tickets sold out more than three months before. She sang to more than fifteen thousand people in her first solo concert there.

“Fado is very emotional, very human music, and when you sing from a sincere place, that connection can reach one person or fifteen thousand.”

Correia connects fado to Argentine music

Correia has shared stages with Argentine artist León Gieco. She admires Mercedes Sosa and is interested in tango, finding something in Argentine music close to fado: the intense way of telling stories and singing love…

Festival includes conference and documentary

The Fado Festival at Palacio Libertad offers free entry.Saturday includes a conference by Diogo Clemente on fado and the street, and a screening of Do Bairro, a documentary about fado gatherings in Lisbon's historic centre.