Fafá de Belém, born Maria de Fátima Palha de Figueiredo in

Belém do Pará Belém (; Portuguese for Bethlehem; initially called Nossa Senhora de Belém do Grão-Pará, in English Our Lady of Bethlehem of Great Pará) often called Belém of Pará, is a Brazilian city, capital and largest city of the state of Pará in t ...

on August 9, 1956, is a Brazilian singer considered one of the great female singers of MPB (Musica Popular Brasileira). She took her stage name from the city of her birth and in addition to a successful recording career that spans over three decades, it is fair to say that she has been one of the great sex symbols of Brazilian pop music. Her husky mezzo-soprano voice is known for its extensive emotional range, from tender ballads, to sensual love songs, to Portuguese

fado Fado (; "destiny, fate") is a music genre that can be traced to the 1820s in Lisbon, Portugal, but probably has much earlier origins. Fado historian and scholar Rui Vieira Nery states that "the only reliable information on the history of fado was ...

s all the way to energetic

samba Samba (), also known as samba urbano carioca (''urban Carioca samba'') or simply samba carioca (''Carioca samba''), is a Brazilian music genre that originated in the Afro-Brazilian communities of Rio de Janeiro in the early 20th century. Havin ...

s and

lambada Lambada () is a dance from State of Pará, Brazil. The dance became internationally popular in the 1980s, especially in the Philippines, Latin America and Caribbean countries. It has adopted aspects of dances such as forró, salsa, merengue, m ...

Biography

Born in

Belém Belém (; Portuguese for Bethlehem; initially called Nossa Senhora de Belém do Grão-Pará, in English Our Lady of Bethlehem of Great Pará) often called Belém of Pará, is a Brazilian city, capital and largest city of the state of Pará in t ...

in 1956, she made her public debut in her home town in 1973. In the next year she performed shows with Zé Rodrix in Rio de Janeiro and with Sérgio Ricardo in Belém and

Salvador da Bahia Salvador (English: ''Savior'') is a Brazilian municipality and capital city of the state of Bahia. Situated in the Zona da Mata in the Northeast Region of Brazil, Salvador is recognized throughout the country and internationally for its cuisi ...

. In the same year she hit the charts with "Filho da Bahia", then recorded for the soundtrack of the

TV Globo TV Globo (, "Globe TV", or simply Globo), formerly known as Rede Globo, is a Brazilian free-to-air Television broadcasting, television network, launched by media proprietor Roberto Marinho on 26 April 1965. It is owned by media conglomerate Gr ...

soap opera ''

Gabriela Gabriela may refer to: * Gabriela (given name), a Spanish, Portuguese and Romanian feminine given name * ''Gabriela'' (1942 film), a Czech film * ''Gabriela'' (1950 film), a German film * ''Gabriela'' (1983 film), a Brazilian film * ''Gabriela' ...

''; she also released her first single that year. In 1976 Fafá de Belém recorded her first LP; ''Tamba Tajá'', which was praised by critics. In 1984 she became the muse of the movement in favour of free elections in Brazil, singing "Menestrel das Alagoas" ( pt), written by

Milton Nascimento Milton Nascimento (; born October 26, 1942), also known as Bituca, is a Brazilian singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He has toured across the world. Nascimento has won five Grammy Awards, including Best World Music Album for his alb ...

and

Fernando Brant Fernando Rocha Brant (October 9, 1946 – June 12, 2015) was a Brazilian poet, lyricist and journalist, born in Caldas, Minas Gerais. Brant's interest in music and literature began to increase while he studied law at Universidade Federal de Mina ...

, before a million people in Rio de Janeiro. In the same period her highly popular interpretation of the Brazilian National Anthem at mass gatherings got her into trouble with the ruling military regime that was soon replaced by a popularly elected president. In 1993 her album ''Meu Fado'' went platinum in Portugal, one of the countries where she is widely popular. Though not a composer herself she has recorded memorable covers of Brazil's greatest composers, notably her all-

Chico Buarque Francisco Buarque de Hollanda (born 19 June 1944), popularly known simply as Chico Buarque, is a Brazilian singer-songwriter, guitarist, composer, playwright, writer, and poet. He is best known for his music, which often includes social, economic, ...

CD ''Tanto Mar'' released in 2004. Fafa's 2005 release ''Novo Millennium'', a compilation of hits and some new material, sold 500,000 copies in its first month in stores.Fafá de Belém: “Me envolvo com tudo. Sou dessas!”
/ref> Her album ''Humana'' was considered one of the 25 best Brazilian albums of the first half of 2019 by the

São Paulo Association of Art Critics SAO or Sao may refer to: Places * Sao civilisation, in Middle Africa from 6th century BC to 16th century AD * Sao, a town in Boussé Department, Burkina Faso * Saco Transportation Center (station code SAO), a train station in Saco, Maine, U. ...

Discography

* 1976 – Tamba-Tajá * 1977 – Água * 1978 – Banho de cheiro * 1979 – Estrela radiante * 1980 – Crença * 1982 – Essencial * 1983 – Fafá de Belém * 1985 – Aprendizes da esperança * 1986 – Atrevida * 1987 – Grandes amores * 1988 – Sozinha * 1989 – Fafá * 1991 – Doces palavras * 1992 – Meu fado * 1993 – Do fundo do meu coração * 1994 – Cantiga pra ninar meu namorado * 1995 – Fafá – ao vivo * 1996 – Pássaro sonhador * 1998 – Coração brasileiro * 2000 – Maria de Fátima Palha Figueiredo * 2002 – Voz e piano – ao vivo * 2002 – O canto das águas * 2004 – Tanto mar – Fafá de Belém canta Chico Buarque * 2007 – Fafá de Belém – ao vivo (CD e DVD) * 2015 – Do Tamanho Certo para o Meu Sorriso * 2017 – Do Tamanho Certo para o Meu Sorriso - Ao Vivo * 2019 – Humana

References

External links

Official Web Site
1956 births Living people 20th-century Brazilian women singers 20th-century Brazilian singers Brazilian people of Portuguese descent Brazilian actresses Brazilian mezzo-sopranos Música Popular Brasileira singers People from Belém 21st-century Brazilian women singers 21st-century Brazilian singers Women in Latin music {{Brazil-musician-stub