2023: An Exceptional Year
The year 2023 marks a remarkable chapter in Carminho’s artistic journey. It was an exhilarating year, where her remarkable talent, songwriting skills, and unwavering artistic commitment were spotlighted.
A significant moment was her performance of the original composition Estrela (from the album Maria, 2018) for Pope Francis during the World Youth Days in Lisbon. This captivating moment touched the hearts of over 1.5 million attendees and reached an audience of over 600 million worldwide.
Just a month later, Carminho made a special and memorable appearance in Yorgos Lanthimos’ film Poor Things. Emotionally interpreting the song O Quarto (from the album Portuguesa, 2023), she played the Portuguese guitar during an intense scene, exchanging powerful glances with Emma Stone. This film earned the prestigious Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival.
Additionally, Carminho was invited by Coldplay to perform, alongside Chris Martin and Bárbara Bandeira, at the Coimbra Stadium in Portugal, interpreting the iconic fado song Coimbra, sung by many Portuguese artists.
Amidst these achievements, Carminho was invited by Caetano Veloso to join his tour in Portugal last September. Together, they performed Você-Você, a song from the album Ofertório (2018), created by Caetano and inspired by their discussions on the Portuguese language, specifically crafted for Carminho.
Her Journey
From beginnings to well-deserved success, Carminho’s career has progress at a dizzying rate.
Carmo Rebello de Andrade, aka Carminho, daughter of fadista Teresa Siquiera started singing at a very young age in Alfama, the area of Lisbon known for fado music. During her teenage years, the young singer’s career took off, as she accompanied her four siblings to a fado school run by her parents. Gradually, the talented performer attracted attention and recognition. She won the Prémio Amália Revelação in 2005 in her participation was noted in the Carlos Sauras film Fados (2007).
Her first album, Fado, was released in 2009 and Carminho was immediately acclaimed in Portugal as “the greatest fado revelation of the last 10 years”. The album was adored by the Portuguese public, and massive sales certified it platinum. The international press shared the same enthusiasm and showered it with praise, as demonstrated by the prestigious British magazine Songlines, which named it “Album of the Year 2011”. 2011 was also the year that she launched her international career. Thanks to Perdóname, which she sang as a duet with Pablo Alborán, Carminho became the first Portuguese singer to reach number one on the Spanish charts.
In 2012, she released her second album, entitled Alma. Certified gold in Portugal, this second opus confirmed the fadista’s undisputed place on the world stage, as she is regularly invited to perform her repertoire on major European stages.
After playing more than 90 concerts at home and abroad, Carminho fulfilled her lifelong dream to record with Milton Nascimento, Chico Buarque and Nana Caymmi, which led to a reissue of Alma, including three new songs.
2013 was the year that Carminho truly became a star. In Brazil, she opened the Carnaval de Recife and sold out concerts in Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo and all over the country.
Her third album, Canto, was released in November 2014. Carminho was thrilled to be joined by Caetano Veloso (writer of the previously unreleased O Sol, Eu e Tu), a great admirer of her voice. Like the sailors’ songs that fado has always represented, this album draws inspiration from the world to shape a deeply Portuguese soul, of which Carminho’s voice is and will remain the perfect expression. It also includes a duet with Marisa Monte and the exceptional participation of many artists such as António Serrano, Carlinhos Brown, Dadji Carvalho, Jaques Morelenbaum, Javier Limón, Jorge Hélder, João Frade, Lula Galvão and Naná Vasconcelos.
Invited by the family of António Carlos Jobim, one of the world’s greatest songwriters, she recorded Carminho canta Tom Jobim in 2016, with the Banda Nova ensemble, the last group of musicians to accompany him in concert during his last ten years. It features guest singers Marisa Monte, Chico Buarque and Maria Bethânia. Carminho canta Tom Jobim was certified as a platinum album and earned Carminho the Golden Globe for best performer. By tackling Tom Jobim‘s repertoire, Carminho shattered the codes of fado and built a musical bridge, at the centre of which Lusophone music shines brightly.
On the heels of her huge success with Carminho Canta Tom Jobim, Carminho returned to fado with her 2018 album, Maria also a Latin Grammy nominee. What stands out on this album is the dominance of the voice, with a very subtle balance between vocals and instruments, in favour of the voice. She calls this album, which features her own music and lyrics, her most personal one yet. It bears her true identity: Carminho is the stage name she is known by, but her actual name is Maria do Carmo Carvalho Rebelo de Andrade.
Discography
Portuguesa (2023) Warner Music Portugal/Nonesuch
Maria (2018) Warner Music Portugal/Nonesuch
Carminho canta Jobim (2016) Warner Music Portugal
Canto (2014) Warner Music Portugal
Alma (2012) EMI Portugal
Fado (2009) EMI Portugal
