About Ana Moura
A Voice That Carries Portugal
Ana Moura was born in Santarém, Portugal, and began performing Fado in Lisbon in the early 2000s. Her voice is described as dark, melancholic, and deeply expressive — qualities that define the best Fado singers.
She has collaborated with international artists including The Rolling Stones and Prince, bringing Fado to audiences who had never heard the genre. But her roots remain firmly in the Lisbon Fado houses where she first performed.
Her albums — including Aconteceu, Desfado, and Moura — have won Portuguese music awards and earned critical praise across Europe. She sings in the tradition of Amália Rodrigues while bringing her own modern sensibility to the genre.
Understanding Fado
What is Fado?
Fado is a Portuguese music genre with roots in 1820s Lisbon. The word itself means fate or destiny. It is built on saudade — an untranslatable longing for something lost or absent. UNESCO recognised Fado as Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2011.
The Music
Traditional Fado uses a Portuguese guitar (guitarra portuguesa), a viola baixo, and a voice. The singer is called a fadista. The music is always live, never recorded in the houses where it is performed.
Fado Houses
In Lisbon, Fado is performed in restaurants and dedicated venues called casas de fado. The Mouraria and Alfama neighbourhoods are the historic heartlands. Dinner with live Fado is a Lisbon institution.