SONGLINES FADO SERIES

Maria Emilia

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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.

“It was not love at first sight,” Emília says about her connection to fado. “I never dreamed of becoming a fado singer. It grew on me.” And it finally became serious when nine years ago she dropped out of college and quit her psychology degree. She went from helping other people emotionally heal through psychological therapy to expressing her own feelings through singing. Under Mário Pacheco’s wing, a mentor for a collective of new singers, she started to pave her own way with daily performances at the Clube do Fado.

Maria Emília has just recorded her debut album, produced by the masterful guitarist Carlos Manuel Proença. It’s pret­ clear listening to her single ‘Casa de Fado’ that Emília is set for a breakthrough year. This is the perfect time to get to know her.

Supported by The Portuguese Embassy in the UK