Marta Dias is a São Toméan Portuguese singer of

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

, world music and

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 ...

who has recorded several solo albums and has additionally recorded and toured extensively with guitarist

António Chainho António Chainho (born Santiago do Cacém, 1938) is a Portuguese fado guitarist. He has worked with many of the great names in fado music, like Hermínia Silva, Carlos do Carmo and José Afonso, and world music, like Paco de Lucía. He has ...

. She has also appeared on several Hip hop releases, including the Ithaka song, ''Escape From The City Of Angels'', which appeared in

Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the mu ...

's feature film release,

The Replacement Killers ''The Replacement Killers'' is a 1998 American action film directed by Antoine Fuqua in his feature film directorial debut, and starring Chow Yun-fat (his international film debut), Mira Sorvino, Michael Rooker and Kenneth Tsang. The film was re ...

in 1998.

Early life

Marta Dias was born in

São Tomé São Tomé is the capital and largest city of the Central African island country of São Tomé and Príncipe. Its name is Portuguese for " Saint Thomas". Founded in the 15th century, it is one of Africa's oldest colonial cities. History Álva ...

the capital city of the

West Africa West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Maurit ...

n island nation of

São Tomé and Principe 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.S. ...

to a Portuguese mother and a São Toméan father. Her grandmother was from

Goa Goa () is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is located between the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north and Karnataka to the ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

, (which along with São Tomé is a former Portuguese colony). Her father, Nuno Xavier Dias, is credited as the person who proclaimed the liberation of São Tomé from colonial rule. The family relocated to the Lisbon-area of Portugal when Marta was a young girl. She sang for the first time as a teenager at the Teatro de Animação de Setúbal in

Setúbal Setúbal (, , ; cel-x-proto, Caetobrix) is a city and a municipality in Portugal. The population in 2014 was 118,166, occupying an area of . The city itself had 89,303 inhabitants in 2001. It lies within the Lisbon metropolitan area. In the ti ...

, Portugal. And later, while briefly living in Germany, studied vocals in Cologne, with the Brazilian singer Marta Laurito.

Early career

Marta Dias' first professional recordings were with the pioneering, Lisbon-based

Hip hop tuga Portuguese hip hop (''Hip hop português''), more commonly called hip hop tuga ("tuga" here being a slang for "Portuguese"), is the Portuguese variety of hip hop music. It differs from mainstream hip hop because it has strong influences from Af ...

artist General D, (originally from Mozambique). She was featured on his songs "Amigo Prekavido" and "Raiz Desenraizadao" for the album ''Pé Na Tchôn, Karapinha Na Céu'' (EMI-1995), one of the first hip hop releases in Portugal. The recording (and concerts) with General D led to more acquaintances within the Lisbon music community. She soon recorded the song, "Bairro De Lata" with the jazzy hip hop band,

Cool Hipnoise Cool Hipnoise is a Portuguese musical group. The band was formed in Lisbon in 1994 by Tiago Santos (guitar), João Gomes (keyboards), Paulo Muiños (saxophones), Nuno Reis (trumpet), Francisco Rebelo (bass) and Melo D (voice). Initially an acid j ...

and also recorded the songs "Goodcookies" and "Escape From The City Of Angeles} with Ithaka Darin Pappas, a Greek-American artist residing in Portugal, for his album

Flowers And The Color Of Paint A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism ...

. In 1996, Marta recorded her first solo album, "Y.U.É" produced and composed by UK musician Jonathan Miller for the Portuguese label, União Lisboa. Californian songwriter, Ithaka provided lyrics for two of the tracks, "Learn To Fly" and "Look To The Blue", (on ''Look To The Blue'', Ithaka also appeared as a guest vocalist). The album earned Marta the "Best Female Vocalist" award at Channel

SIC The Latin adverb ''sic'' (; "thus", "just as"; in full: , "thus was it written") inserted after a quoted word or passage indicates that the quoted matter has been transcribed or translated exactly as found in the source text, complete with any e ...

TV's annual televised Premios Blitz, (the Portuguese "

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

". António Chainho and Marta Dias performed together for the first time in November 1998, at a concert in honor of the celebrated guitarist's 30-year career. Marta Dia sang "Barco Negro" and "Nemes Paredes I confess". It was the beginning of a very fruitful musical association that would last almost a decade. Through the years that she continued to collaborate with other artists on both recordings and live performances. In 1997, she appeared on Ithaka's track "Ursula Of Ithaka" for the album, Stellafly. In 1998, she performed with singing star Kika Santos at the

Expo '98 Expo '98 (1998 Lisbon World Exposition) was an official specialised World's Fair held in Lisbon, Portugal from Friday, 22 May to Wednesday, 30 September 1998. The theme of the fair was "The Oceans, a Heritage for the Future", chosen in part to c ...

((1998 Lisbon World Exposition). The song, "Amazing Grace" by African Voices. "Invisivel" by Fernando Cunha for his album Só Há Tempo P´ra Viver Agora. The song and "Nada Mudou" by Santos e Pecadores. In 1999 she also participated on TV personality

Herman José Hermann José von Krippahl , known as Herman José (born 19 March 1954), is a Portuguese-born German comedian, television host, actor and musician. He is best known for his numerous TV shows and comedy sketches. Starting his career in the mid-197 ...

's Christmas album. In 1999, Marta Dias release her second solo effort entitled "Aqui"(Here), which included several cover versions by known Portuguese language artist such as; "Dream" originally by

Madredeus Madredeus () are a Portuguese musical ensemble formed in 1985, in Lisbon. Their music combines traditional Portuguese music, fado and folk music. Madredeus are one of the most successful music groups from Portugal, having sold over 3 million alb ...

, Madresongs such as "Fado Morno", the traditional Galician "En el Sagrado en Vigo", from the songbook of Martim Codax, "Toxicity" of the GNR, Madredeus "Dream", "Eu Contigo "by Sérgio Godinho," Ossobô ", by the Brazilian Marcelo da Veiga," Grão de Arroz "," Senhora "by João Roiz de Castel-Branco," Sou Tua "or" Ahora Baixou o Sol ", this collection Giacometti. This album was nominated for the José Afonso Awards. Until the end of 2001, Marta Dias toured nationally with the songs from Aqui, also performing concerts in Spain and special a concert in São Paulo, Brazil with

Ney Matogrosso Ney de Souza Pereira (born 1 August 1941), known professionally as Ney Matogrosso (), is a Brazilian singer who is distinguished for his uncommon countertenor voice. He was ranked by ''Rolling Stone'' as the third greatest Latin American singer ...

, in celebration of the 500th anniversary of the arrival of the Portuguese in Brazil. In 2003, António Chaínho and Marta Dias, after years of touring internationally together since 1998 released the album "Ao Vivo no CCB" (Live at the Centre Cultural de Bélem, Lisbon), recorded January 28 and 29 of 2003. The record includes seven original tracks, four of which having never been recorded before. The two have continued to collaborate on recordings and live concerts until today.

Recent career

Marta Dias released the album "Quantas Tribos" in 2016. The album is a tribute to five of the greatest poets from São Tomé and Príncipe; Maria Manuela Margarido, Alda Neves da Graça do Espírito Santo,

Francisco José Tenreiro Francisco José Tenreiro (20 January 1921 – 1963) was a São Toméan geographer and poet who lived during the colonial era. He was taught at the Overseas Political and Social Sciences Institute, now known as the Instituto Superior de Ciência ...

, Fernando de Macedo and

Conceição Lima Maria da Conceição de Deus Lima (born December 8, 1961 in Santana), also known as Conceição Lima, is a Santomean poet. Biography Lima is from the town of Santana in São Tomé, one of two islands in the small nation of São Tomé and Príncip ...

. The album utilizes these classic poems as lyrical content, intertwining Marta's vocals over instrumental compositions provided by the classical guitarist, Oswaldo Santos. Vocalist

Carmen Souza Carmen Souza (born 1981) is a Portuguese jazz singer and songwriter of Cape Verdean heritage. She combines traditional forms of Cape Verde with contemporary and traditional jazz. Biography Carmen Souza was born in Lisbon on 20 May 1981, to paren ...

participates on the song in "Os Rios Da Tribo" and Angolan poet/vocalist appears Kalaf on the song, "Humanidade". In 2018, Marta Dias and Goan pianist Carlos Barreto Xavier collaborated on the album, "Bandida", consisting of twelve tracks, utilizing both traditional Portuguese music blending with more modern urbans sounds. The album also features percussionist Ruca Rebordão and Yuri Daniel on electric bass.

Albums

*1996 Marta Dias - "Y.U.É" - Label: União Lisboa Label: União Lisboa *1999 Marta Dias - "Aqui" - Label: Farol Música *2003 António Chainho & Marta Dias "Ao Vivo No CCB" (Live at the Centro Cultural de Bélem) Label: Movieplay *2016 Marta Dias "Quantas Tribos" (With guests: Costa Neto,

) Label: Bigbit *2018 Marta Dias and Barreto Xavier "Bandida"

Singles

*1996 Marta Dias "Gritar" - Label: União Lisboa *1996 Marta Dias "Mouraria" - Label: União Lisboa *2006 Marta Dias & António Chainho "Fado Tão Bom" - Label: Movieplay

Appearances on compilations

*2005 LJS & Marta Dias "Barca Bela" Album: Composto De Mudança (Música Para Se Deixar Levar)Label: Som Livre *2006 Marta Dias & António Chainho "Fado Tão Bom" - Label: Movieplay

Guest appearances

*1995 "Amigo Prekavido" General D feat. Marta Dias - Album: Pé Na Tchôn, Karapinha Na Céu - Label: EMI *1995 "Raiz Desenraizadao "General D feat. Marta Dias - Album: Pé Na Tchôn, Karapinha Na Céu - Label: EMI *1995 "Escape From The City Of Angels" Ithaka feat. Marta Dias - Album: Flowers And The Color Of Paint *1995 "Goodcookies" Ithaka feat' Marta Dias - Album: Flowers And The Color Of Paint *1995 "The Umbilibus"Ithaka feat. Lince & Marta Dias - Album: Flowers And The Color Of Paint *1995 Ithaka feat. Marta Dias "Escape From The City Of Angels" Album: Flowers And The Color Of Paint *1995 "Bairro de Lata -

feat. Marta Dias - Album: Nascer Do Soul - Label:NorteSul/

Valentim de Carvalho Valentim de Carvalho () is a Portuguese record label founded in 1914. History The company started selling phonograph, musical instruments and music since its 1914 foundation at the Rua da Assunção, Lisbon. It distributes EMI in Portugal si ...

*1997 "Ekos Do Passado" General D feat. Marta Dias & Ithaka - ALbum: Kanimambo - Label: EMI *1997 "Ursula Of Ithaka" Ithaka feat. Marta Dias - Album: Stellafly - Label: Nortesul/Valentim de Carvalho *1997 "Nobody Knows" Marta Dias and African Voices *1997 "Nada Mudou" - Santos e Pecadores *1998 "Fadinho Simples" - António Chainho *1998 "Só Há Tempo P´ra Viver Agora" Fernando Cunha feat. Marta Dias - Label: BMG *1999 "Silent Night" - Herman José

999 999 or triple nine most often refers to: * 999 (emergency telephone number), a telephone number for the emergency services in several countries * 999 (number), an integer * AD 999, a year * 999 BC, a year Books * ''999'' (anthology) or ''999: ...

*2011 "Luminoso" Fernando Alvim – Album: Fados & Canções - Label: Universal Music Group *2012 "Fadinho Simples" António Chainho feat. Marta Dias - Album: Entre Amigos - Label: Movieplay *2017 O Homem do Fraque" Dizzy – Album: O Homem Invisível

''The Replacement Killers''

In 1998, three years after its release, the Ithaka song "Escape From The City Of Angels" (that featured Marta Dias in the infectious choruses) was used in the soundtrack of director

Antoine Fuqua Antoine Fuqua (born May 30, 1965) is an American filmmaker, known for his work in the action and thriller genres. He was originally known as a director of music videos, and made his film debut in 1998 with ''The Replacement Killers''. His critica ...

's feature film debut Replacement Killers released by

. The song played during a critical getaway scene that involved the actors; Chinese superstar

Chow Yun-fat Chow Yun-fat (born 18 May 1955), previously known as Donald Chow, is a Hong Kong actor. He is perhaps best known for his collaborations with filmmaker John Woo in the five Hong Kong action heroic bloodshed films: ''A Better Tomorrow'', ''A Be ...

, Oscar-winner

Mira Sorvino Mira Katherine Sorvino (; born September 28, 1967) is an American actress. She won the Academy Award and Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Woody Allen's ''Mighty Aphrodite'' (1995). She also starred in the films ...

and

Screen Actors Guild Award Screen Actors Guild Awards (also known as SAG Awards) are accolades given by the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA). The award was founded in 1952 to recognize outstanding performances in movie an ...

"Best Actor" winner

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Other musical artists on the soundtrack included;

The Crystal Method The Crystal Method is an American electronic music act formed in Las Vegas, Nevada, by Ken Jordan and Scott Kirkland in the early 1990s. They were pioneers of the big beat genre and their music has appeared in numerous TV shows, films, video gam ...

Talvin Singh Talvin Singh OBE (born 1970) is an English musician, producer, and composer. A tabla player, he is known for creating an innovative fusion of Indian classical music and drum and bass. Singh is generally considered involved with an electronica ...

, Tricky,

Death In Vegas Death in Vegas are an English electronic music group, for which Richard Fearless serves as frontman. The band was formed in 1994 by Fearless and Steve Hellier and signed to Concrete Records under the name of Dead Elvis. Owing to an Irish record ...

Hed PE Hed PE (also known as (hed) Planet Earth and stylized as (həd) p.e. or as (Hed)pe or (Hed)PE) or (həd) Planetary Evolution, is an American rock band from Huntington Beach, California. Formed in 1994, the band is known for its eclectic genre-cr ...

, and

Brad Brad may refer to: * Brad (given name), a masculine given name Places * Brad, Hunedoara, a city in Hunedoara County, Romania * Brad, a village in Berești-Bistrița Commune, Bacău County, Romania * Brad, a village in Filipeni, Bacău, Romania * ...

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dias, Marta Living people 20th-century Portuguese women singers Portuguese fado singers Singers from Lisbon Portuguese hip hop musicians Year of birth missing (living people) Portuguese people of São Tomé and Príncipe descent 21st-century Portuguese women singers