When I asked her how she would talk about fado to someone unfamiliar with this musical genre, Ana Pinhal described to me the image of a woman sitting by the shore and waiting for her lover to come home from the sea. She knows he won't come back to her, but she keeps her hope alive.
Fado music is like that – melancholic, about life, with good and bad, with sorrows and joys. It is about hope and has a special poetry.
At this year's International Theater Festival from Sibiu, I listened to Ana Pinhal singing fado music in a reformed church, together with the 4 instrumentalists she plays with. It was one of the most unique artistic experiences to hear Ana's musical notes and voice resounding in the acoustics of that place.
"I can heal some of my wounds while I'm singing. By the interpretation and music, I can put myself in another body and emotions, just like an actress. And I can also cry my own pain or laugh my joy through someone else's words", says Ana about fado music.
Ana Pinhal is from Porto and she is considered one of the rising stars of fado music. Ana talks below about music, the artists who inspired her and how she felt at FITS.
About your identity and how it motivated you to take on an artistic path
I have listened to music since I was born! My mother, a dressmaker, used to listen to the radio every day and night! My father was a photographer and a music lover. :) He knew all the artists and songs, that is why my mother always won all the radio contests. One of my best memories takes me to the Sunday mornings. My father used to play his favorite long playing records and I danced with him.
I always felt motivated to study any kind of art. I did a degree in Art and Design, but I was already singing with some friends, rock music and bossa nova. When I finished my degree, I decided to study music! I won a scholarship to study flamenco singing in Seville for 3 years. It was amazing!!! And maybe because I was far away from home, I felt the need to sing my own culture! So I was already 30 years old when I began to sing fado! The vocal technique of the flamenco singing, which I have learned, is similar to the one we have to apply for fado and the nature of the music style is also similar! There's no proper school for the fado singing in Portugal, it's oral tradition. You have to go to the traditional houses of fado, listen a lot, and, whenever you are ready, you ask if you can sing a song. :)
Photo credit: Dragos Dumitru
The moment you firmly understand that music is what you want to do
When I was in my last degree year, Francisco Almeida, also studying graphic design, called me to do the backing vocals in his band called Boite Zuleika. It was the beginning of a more serious music career. :) He was the one who supported and encouraged me to continue singing, to ask for the scholarship and become better each day. With Francisco, we formed a group, Fado Violado, (we presented in FITS 2017), a fusion between fado and flamenco. Also, my family always supported me in all of my adventures. <3
How you describe Fado music to someone who is not familiar with it
I describe a picture. A woman standing by the sea, waiting for her beloved, maybe a sailor or a fisherman, to return home. Knowing, deep inside, that he will not make it but keeping the most profound hope...
We also have the "Sebastianismo". :) Metaphorically we are still waiting for our disappeared king D. Sebastião to return and save the country.
The truth is that fado talks about life in general, the good and bad things, but Portuguese people love to sing sad songs.
What can you personally express through your music?
I can heal some of my wounds while I'm singing. By the interpretation and music, I can put myself in another body and emotions, just like an actress. And I can also cry my own pain or laugh my joy through someone else's words. It's amazing! The interpretation must be honest, you can't reach the others if what you say is not true.
The artists who inspired you so far on your musical path
Wow!!! So many artists. I'm a fan of rock and alternative music, bossa nova and flamenco. But for fado, I would say that Amália Rodrigues was the one. António Rocha, Fernanda Maria, Argentina Santos, Carlos do Carmo are also fado singers that I listen a lot.
Your music tells stories. What are you trying to bring to people around the world through your music?
True, fado tells stories! And I think that everyone can identify himself with one or more poems. I want to believe that I can bring love to the world! When I'm singing, I like to imagine a warm light, coming through my voice, embracing everyone. And then, I feel that we all are one!
Photo credit: Dragos Dumitru
How you feed your creativity
Experiencing live shows is always the best way to the creativity! Unfortunately, I don't go as often as I would like because I'm also performing. :)
Nevertheless, in fado, you can improvise a lot and recreate your singing each time you perform. You also have the opportunity to work with other fado singers in the same night. That can be very inspiring for me!
Photo credit: Dragos Dumitru
The show performed at FITS 2024
For this show, in addition to the Portuguese and classic guitarists, I brought a pianist and a percussionist. Mike Martins, Rafael Carvalho, Tiago Simães and Afonso Passos were my special team. We chose to interpret the traditional fado songs only with the Portuguese and classic guitars - the first part of the show - then my favorite song, Meu Limão de Amargura, only with the piano, and next with the whole band, we presented fado songs that I love. Mostly I choose the poems instead of the melody and I try to balance so people can feel a little bit of all the emotions. I love to start with an intense and sad song! About the playlist, I interpret Amália Rodrigues (a lot :) ), Ary dos Santos, Artur Ribeiro, Vinícius de Moraes, just to name some of them.
The audience from Sibiu
What an amazing audience!!! It is my third time in Sibiu, at the FITS, and it's always fantastic, with the concerts all sold out. I feel that people are truly interested in what I have to say through my music, I couldn't ask for more!
The memories you left with from Sibiu and FITS
I love this city, particularly the architecture! I only came during the festival and it seems to me that it's a very cultural city. FITS is a magical festival, gathering all forms of art, with artists from all over the world.
And about the memories I made here... People are my best memories! Friends that I've made here, the love that we shared during and after the concerts! Thank you, Sibiu! And thank you, FITS! :)
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