SONGLINES FADO SERIES
Maria Emilia
Last Show: Thursday 31 st May 2018
The Pheasantry (Chelsea)
Having been born in São Paulo, Brazil, Maria Emília didn’t follow the predictable path and become a samba star. Instead her Portuguese grandfather was responsible for teaching his son a love for fado, which he took to the next level when he picked up the Portuguese guitar and started to play regularly for immigrant communi gatherings. So it was only natural that Emília was brought up with the recordings of Amália Rodrigues, Carlos do Carmo and Fernando Maurício. She was slowly drawn to the music’s melancholy and nostalgia, but that only happened years later, once she moved to Portugal with her parents looking for a better life.
Photo credit: Alfredo Matos.