Portuguese Popular Music
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Portuguese music includes many different styles and genres, as a result of its
history History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the History of writing#Inventions of writing, invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbr ...
. These can be broadly divided into
classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical music, as the term "classical music" also ...
,
traditional A tradition is a belief or behavior (folk custom) passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examples include holidays or ...
/
folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...
and
popular music Popular music is music with wide appeal that is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. These forms and styles can be enjoyed and performed by people with little or no musical training.Popular Music. (2015). ''Fun ...
and all of them have produced internationally successful acts, with the country seeing a recent expansion in musical styles, especially in popular music. In traditional/folk music,
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 ...
had a significant impact, with
Amália Rodrigues Amália da Piedade Rebordão Rodrigues GCSE, GCIH (23 July 1920 – 6 October 1999), better known as Amália Rodrigues () or popularly as Amália, was a Portuguese '' fadista'' (fado singer) and actress. Known as the 'Rainha do Fado' ("Queen ...
still the most recognizable Portuguese name in music, and with more recent acts, like
Dulce Pontes Dulce José Silva Pontes (; born 8 April 1969) is a Portuguese songwriter and singer who performs in many musical styles, including pop, folk, and classical music. She is usually defined as a world music artist. Her songs contributed to the 1990s ...
and
Mariza Marisa dos Reis Nunes ComIH (born 16 December 1973), known professionally as Mariza (), is a Portuguese fado singer. Mariza was born in Lourenço Marques, Portuguese Mozambique, to a Portuguese father, José Brandão Nunes, and a Mozambican mo ...
. The genre is one of two Portuguese music traditions in the
UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists UNESCO established its Lists of Intangible Cultural Heritage with the aim of ensuring better protection of important intangible cultural heritages worldwide and the awareness of their significance.Compare: This list is published by the Intergover ...
, with the other being
Cante Alentejano Cante Alentejano is a Portuguese music genre based on vocal music without instrumentation from the Alentejo region. It was inscribed in 2014 in UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, one of two Portuguese mu ...
. Regional folk music remains popular too, having been updated and modernized in many cases, especially in the northeastern region of
Trás-os-Montes Trás-os-Montes () is a geographical, historical and cultural region of Portugal. Portuguese for "behind the mountains", Trás-os-Montes is located northeast of the country in an upland area, landlocked by the Douro and Tâmega rivers to south a ...
. Some more recent successful fado/folk-inspired acts include
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 ...
and
Deolinda Deolinda () is an acoustic Portuguese "neofado" group, whose music often deals with social and political commentary. Founded in 2006, their first album was released in 2008, which went double platinum. Their second was in the top ten in Portugal f ...
, the latter being part of a
folk revival The American folk music revival began during the 1940s and peaked in popularity in the mid-1960s. Its roots went earlier, and performers like Josh White, Burl Ives, Woody Guthrie, Lead Belly, Big Bill Broonzy, Billie Holiday, Richard Dyer-Benn ...
that has led to a newfound interest in this type of music. In popular music, there is a significant number of popular genres. These include
rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
, with popular acts including
Xutos & Pontapés Xutos & Pontapés () are a Portuguese rock band. The band was founded in 1978, in Lisbon, by the late Zé Pedro, Zé Leonel, Kalú and Tim. Their current lineup consists of Tim (vocals, bass), João Cabeleira (guitar), Gui (saxophone, keyboards) a ...
, The Gift (alternative rock),
Fingertips "Fingertips" is a 1963 hit single recorded live by "Little" Stevie Wonder for Motown's then Tamla label. Overview Written and composed by Wonder's mentors, Clarence Paul and Henry Cosby, "Fingertips" was originally a jazz instrumental recorde ...
(pop rock),
Blasted Mechanism Blasted Mechanism or simply, Blasted is a Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portugue ...
(experimental electro-rock), Noctivagus (
gothic rock Gothic rock (also called goth rock or simply goth) is a style of rock music that emerged from post-punk in the United Kingdom in the late 1970s. The first post-punk bands which shifted toward dark music with gothic overtones include Siouxsie a ...
) and Wraygunn (rock, blues). Also hip-hop, with acts such as
Boss AC Ângelo César do Rosário Firmino, better known by the stage name Boss AC (born January 20, 1975) is a Portugal, Portuguese rapper originally from Cape Verde. The letters A and C, in Boss AC, come from the initials of his two names, Ângelo and C ...
,
Da Weasel Da Weasel are a Portuguese hip hop/rock band from Almada (a suburb of Lisbon, Portugal), fronted by MCs Pacman (now known as Carlão) and Virgul. They are one of the oldest hip-hop projects in Portugal, having been formed in 1993 and terminated ...
, Ithaka,
Mind Da Gap The mind is the set of faculties responsible for all mental phenomena. Often the term is also identified with the phenomena themselves. These faculties include thought, imagination, memory, will, and sensation. They are responsible for vari ...
and
Sam the Kid Samuel Martins Torres Santiago Mira (born 17 July 1979), better known by his stage name Sam the Kid (STK), is a Portuguese rapper and producer from Chelas, in the civil parish of Marvila, Lisbon. Early life Sam the Kid's music was primari ...
. Acts such as
Moonspell Moonspell is a Portuguese gothic metal band formed in 1992. The group released their first EP, ''Under the Moonspell'', in 1994 and followed up with their debut album, '' Wolfheart'', a year later. They quickly became the most recognizable meta ...
(
metal A metal (from Greek μέταλλον ''métallon'', "mine, quarry, metal") is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electricity and heat relatively well. Metals are typicall ...
) and
Buraka Som Sistema Buraka Som Sistema was an electronic dance music project from Portugal, specializing in a fusion of techno beats with the African zouk and kuduro genre. It is generally credited with creating the "zouk bass" and "progressive kuduro" variant and ha ...
( electro/
kuduro Kuduro (or kuduru) is a type of music and dance from Angola. It is characterized as uptempo, energetic, and danceable. Kuduro was developed in Luanda, Angola in the late 1980s. Producers sampled traditional carnival music like soca and zouk bé ...
/
breakbeat Breakbeat is a broad type of electronic music that tends to use drum breaks sampled from early recordings of funk, jazz, and R&B. Breakbeats have been used in styles such as hip hop, jungle, drum and bass, big beat, breakbeat hardcore, and UK ...
) have had significant international success. Other popular modern genres in Portugal include
dance Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...
,
house A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...
,
kizomba Kizomba is a dance and musical genre that originated in Angola in 1984. Kizomba means "party" in Kimbundu, a Bantu language spoken by the Ambundu in Angola. Origin and evolution Music genre The origins of kizomba can be traced to late-1970s ...
,
pimba Pimba is a Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Po ...
, pop,
reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...
,
ska Ska (; ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. It combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues. Ska is characterized by a walki ...
and
zouk Zouk is a musical movement pioneered by the French Antillean band Kassav' in the early 1980s. It was originally characterized by a fast tempo (120–145 bpm), a percussion-driven rhythm and a loud horn section. The fast zouk béton of Martini ...
.


History

Portugal has had a history of receiving different musical influences from around the Mediterranean Sea, across Europe and former colonies. In the two centuries before the Christian era,
Ancient Rome In modern historiography, ancient Rome refers to Roman civilisation from the founding of the city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. It encompasses the Roman Kingdom (753–509 B ...
brought with it Greek influences; early Christians, who had their differing versions of church music arrived during the height of the Roman Empire; the
Visigoths The Visigoths (; la, Visigothi, Wisigothi, Vesi, Visi, Wesi, Wisi) were an early Germanic people who, along with the Ostrogoths, constituted the two major political entities of the Goths within the Roman Empire in late antiquity, or what is ...
, a Romanized Germanic people, who took control of the
Iberian Peninsula The Iberian Peninsula (), ** * Aragonese and Occitan: ''Peninsula Iberica'' ** ** * french: Péninsule Ibérique * mwl, Península Eibérica * eu, Iberiar penintsula also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in southwestern Europe, defi ...
following the fall of the Roman Empire; the
Moors The term Moor, derived from the ancient Mauri, is an exonym first used by Christian Europeans to designate the Muslim inhabitants of the Maghreb, the Iberian Peninsula, Sicily and Malta during the Middle Ages. Moors are not a distinct or ...
and
Jews Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
in the Middle Ages. Hence, there have been more than two thousand years of internal and external influences and developments. Its genres range from classical to popular music. Portugal's music history includes musical history from the medieval
Gregorian chant Gregorian chant is the central tradition of Western plainchant, a form of monophonic, unaccompanied sacred song in Latin (and occasionally Greek) of the Roman Catholic Church. Gregorian chant developed mainly in western and central Europe durin ...
s through
Carlos Seixas José António Carlos de Seixas (; 11 June 1704 – 25 August 1742) was a pre-eminent Portuguese composer of the 18th century. An accomplished virtuoso of both the organ and the harpsichord, Seixas succeeded his father as the organist for Old Cat ...
' symphonies era to the composers of the modern era. The musical history of Portugal can be divided in different ways. Portuguese music encompasses musical production of the
Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...
,
Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...
,
Baroque The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...
, Classical, Romantic and Modern eras, especially from
Angola , national_anthem = " Angola Avante"() , image_map = , map_caption = , capital = Luanda , religion = , religion_year = 2020 , religion_ref = , coordina ...
with
Kizomba Kizomba is a dance and musical genre that originated in Angola in 1984. Kizomba means "party" in Kimbundu, a Bantu language spoken by the Ambundu in Angola. Origin and evolution Music genre The origins of kizomba can be traced to late-1970s ...
. Portugal has very good dancing clothes making Portuguese dancing famous.


Classical music

Portuguese music gets its rich history and privileged geographical location. These are evidenced in the
music history of Portugal Being one of the most ancient nation-states in Europe, Portugal has a long music history, which accompanied and strongly contributed to the development of the music history in Europe. Medieval music Liturgical repertoire In the early days of the ...
, which despite its firm European roots, nevertheless reflects the intercontinental cultural interactions begun in the Portuguese discoveries. A short list of past and present Portuguese musicians with important contributions must necessarily include the names of composers Manuel Cardoso,
Duarte Lobo Duarte Lobo (ca. 1565 – 24 September 1646; Latinized as ''Eduardus Lupus'') was a Portuguese composer of the late Renaissance and early Baroque. He was one of the most famous Portuguese composers of the time, together with Filipe de Magalh ...
,
Filipe de Magalhães Filipe de Magalhães (c. 1571–1652) was a Portuguese composer of sacred polyphony. Life Filipe de Magalhães was born in Azeitão, Portugal, in 1571. He studied music at the Cathedral of Évora with Manuel Mendes where he was a colleague of ...
,
Carlos Seixas José António Carlos de Seixas (; 11 June 1704 – 25 August 1742) was a pre-eminent Portuguese composer of the 18th century. An accomplished virtuoso of both the organ and the harpsichord, Seixas succeeded his father as the organist for Old Cat ...
,
Pedro de Escobar Pedro de Escobar (c. 1465 – after 1535), a.k.a. ''Pedro do Porto'', was a Portuguese composer of the Renaissance, mostly active in Spain. He was one of the earliest and most skilled composers of polyphony in the Iberian Peninsula, whose musi ...
,
Diogo Dias Melgás Diogo Dias Melgás (often ''Melgaz'') (Cuba (Portugal), 1638 - Évora, 1700) was a Portuguese composer of late-Renaissance sacred polyphony. Life Diogo Dias Melgás was born in Cuba, Alentejo, on 14 April 1638. He was a choirboy at the Colégio da ...
,
João Domingos Bomtempo João Domingos Bomtempo (; also Buontempo; Lisbon, 28 December 1775 – Lisbon, 18 August 1842) was a Portuguese classical pianist, composer and pedagogue. Biography Bomtempo was the son of an Italian musician in the Portuguese court orche ...
,
Marcos Portugal Marcos António da Fonseca Portugal (24 March 1762 – 17 February 1830), known as Marcos Portugal, or Marco Portogallo, was a Portuguese-born Brazilian classical music, classical composer, who achieved great international fame for his operas. ...
,
José Vianna da Motta José Vianna da Motta (modern spelling as 'Viana da Mota') (22 April 18681 June 1948) was a Portuguese pianist, teacher, and composer. He was one of the last pupils of Franz Liszt. The José Vianna da Motta Music Competition was founded in 1957 ...
,
Luís de Freitas Branco Luís Maria da Costa de Freitas Branco (12 October 1890 – 27 November 1955) was a Portuguese composer, musicologist, and professor of music who played a pre-eminent part in the development of Portuguese music in the first half of the 20th centur ...
,
António Fragoso António de Lima Fragoso (17 June 1897 – 13 October 1918) was a Portuguese composer and pianist. Biography Fragoso was born in Pocariça, Cantanhede. According to the Biblioteca Municipal de Cantanhede, he was given his earliest music lessons ...
,
Joly Braga Santos José Manuel Joly Braga Santos, ComSE (; May 14, 1924July 18, 1988) was a Portuguese composer and conductor, who was born and died in Lisbon. He wrote six symphonies. Biography José Manuel Joly Braga Santos was born in Lisbon in 1924 and died ...
,
Fernando Lopes-Graça Fernando Lopes-Graça, Order of St. James of the Sword, GOSE, Order of Infante D. Henrique, GCIH (17 December 1906 – 27 November 1994) was a Portuguese people, Portuguese composer, conductor and musicologist. Lopes-Graça was born in Tomar, and w ...
, and
Emmanuel Nunes Emmanuel Nunes (31 August 1941 – 2 September 2012) was a Portuguese composer who lived and worked in Paris from 1964. Biography Nunes was born in Lisbon, where he studied composition, first from 1959 to 1963 at the Academia de Amadores de Mús ...
; organists such as
António Carreira António Carreira (Lisbon, ca. 1520-30 - Lisbon, ca. 1597) was a Portuguese composer and organist of the Renaissance. He held the post of organist at the Royal Chapel in Lisbon. His compositions (Fantasias, Tientos, Chansons) reveal his high contr ...
and
Manuel Rodrigues Coelho Manuel Rodrigues Coelho (ca. 15551635) was a Portuguese organist and composer. He is the first important Iberian keyboard composer since Cabezón. Coelho was born in Elvas around 1555 and probably received early education at the Elvas Cathedral. ...
; singers
Luísa Todi Luísa Rosa de Aguiar Todi (9 January 1753–1 October 1833) was a popular and successful Portuguese mezzo-soprano opera singer. Early life Luísa Todi was born Luísa Rosa de Aguiar on 9 January 1753 in Setúbal, Portugal. In 1765, her family m ...
, Elisabete Matos and José Carlos Xavier; pianists
Maria João Pires Maria João Alexandre Barbosa Pires (; born 23 July 1944) is a Portuguese classical pianist, widely regarded as one of the leading interpreters of Mozart, Beethoven and Chopin. Early life and education Pires was born in Lisbon, Portugal, a posthu ...
and
Sequeira Costa José Carlos de Sequeira Costa (18 July 1929 in Luanda, Angola – 21 February 2019 in Olathe, Kansas) was a Portuguese pianist who is especially renowned for his interpretations of the Romantic repertoire. As a child, Sequeira Costa showed e ...
; violinists
Elmar Oliveira Elmar Oliveira (born June 28, 1950) is an American violinist. Early life The son of Portuguese immigrants, Elmar Oliveira was born in Naugatuck, Connecticut. Oliveira was nine when he began studying the violin with his brother John. At age 16 h ...
and
Carlos Damas Carlos Damas (born 1973) is a leading Portuguese classical violinist and recording artist foDux RecordsBrillia ...
; and cellists such as
Guilhermina Suggia Guilhermina Augusta Xavier de Medim Suggia Carteado Mena, known as Guilhermina Suggia, (27 June 1885 – 30 July 1950) was a Portuguese cellist. She studied in Paris, France with Pablo Casals, and built an international reputation. She spent man ...
.


Traditional Music


Fado

Fado is a musical style, which arose in
Lisbon Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ...
as the music of the urban poor. Fado songs are typically lyrically harsh, accompanied by a wire-strung acoustic guitar or the
Portuguese Guitar The Portuguese guitar or Portuguese guitarra ( pt, guitarra portuguesa, ) is a plucked string instrument with twelve steel strings, strung in six course (music), courses of two strings. It is one of the few musical instruments that still uses wat ...
. It is usually sung by solo performers, with the singer resigned to sadness, poverty, and loneliness, but remaining dignified and firmly controlled. In 2011, Fado was inscribed on
Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity The Proclamation of Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity was made by the Director-General of UNESCO starting in 2001 to raise awareness of intangible cultural heritage and encourage local communities to protect them and t ...
by
UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
. It is claimed that fado origins are older, going back to the 15th century, when women cried with longing for their husbands that sailed to the never-ending seas. Late in the 19th century, the city of
Coimbra Coimbra (, also , , or ) is a city and a municipality in Portugal. The population of the municipality at the 2011 census was 143,397, in an area of . The fourth-largest urban area in Portugal after Lisbon, Porto Metropolitan Area, Porto, and Bra ...
developed a distinctive scene. Coimbra, a literary capital for the country, is now known for being more refined and majestic. The sound has been described as "the song of those who retain and cherish their illusions, not of those who have irretrievably lost them" by
Rodney Gallop Rodney may refer to: People * Rodney (name) * Rodney (wrestler), American professional wrestler Places ;Australia * Electoral district of Rodney, a former electoral district in Victoria * Rodney County, Queensland ;Canada * Rodney, Ontario, a vi ...
in 1936. A related form is the guitarradas of the 1920s and 30s, best known for Dr. Antonio Menano and a group of virtuoso musicians he formed, including
Artur Paredes Artur Paredes (10 May 1899 – 20 December 1980) was a Portuguese guitar player in the city of Coimbra. He was the natural son of Gonçalo Rodrigues Paredes and Maria do Céu."Artur Paredes."Museu Do Fado March 2009. Accessed October 18, 2018. ...
and José Joaquim Cavalheiro.
Student fado A student is a person enrolled in a school or other educational institution. In the United Kingdom and most commonwealth countries, a "student" attends a secondary school or higher (e.g., college or university); those in primary or elementary ...
, performed by students at
Coimbra University The University of Coimbra (UC; pt, Universidade de Coimbra, ) is a public research university in Coimbra, Portugal. First established in Lisbon in 1290, it went through a number of relocations until moving permanently to Coimbra in 1537. The u ...
, has maintained a tradition since it was pioneered in the 1890s by
Augusto Hilário Augusto is an Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish given name or surname. Notable people with the name include: *Augusto Aníbal *Augusto dos Anjos * Augusto Arbizo *Augusto Barbera (born 1938), Italian law professor, politician and judge *Augusto Ben ...
. Starting in 1939 with the career of
Amália Rodrigues Amália da Piedade Rebordão Rodrigues GCSE, GCIH (23 July 1920 – 6 October 1999), better known as Amália Rodrigues () or popularly as Amália, was a Portuguese '' fadista'' (fado singer) and actress. Known as the 'Rainha do Fado' ("Queen ...
, fado was an internationally popular genre. A singer and film actress, Rodrigues made numerous stylistic innovations that have made her probably the most influential fadista of all time. A new generation of young musicians have contributed to the social and political revival of fado music, adapting and blending it with new trends. Contemporary fado musicians like
Carminho Maria do Carmo Carvalho Rebelo de Andrade (born 20 August 1984, in Lisbon), better known as Carminho (), is a Portuguese fado and popular music singer. She comes from a family of musicians, since her mother, Teresa Siqueira, was a famous fado sin ...
,
Mariza Marisa dos Reis Nunes ComIH (born 16 December 1973), known professionally as Mariza (), is a Portuguese fado singer. Mariza was born in Lourenço Marques, Portuguese Mozambique, to a Portuguese father, José Brandão Nunes, and a Mozambican mo ...
,
Mísia Mísia (born Susana Maria Alfonso de Aguiar, in 1955 in Porto, Portugal) is a Portuguese fado singer. Mísia is a polyglot. Despite singing mostly fado, she has sung some of her songs in Spanish, French, Catalan, English, and even Japanese. ...
and
Camané Camané (born Carlos Manuel Moutinho Paiva dos Santos Duarte, 20 December 1966 in Oeiras) is a male vocalist and a forerunner of the new generation of fado male singers. "The greatest fadista since Amália Rodrigues and Maria da Fé," is how B ...
have introduced the music to a new public. The sensuality of Misia and other female ''fadistas'' (fado singers) like Maria Ana Bobone,
Cuca Roseta Maria Isabel Rebelo Couto da Cruz Roseta (born 2 December 1981), known professionally as Cuca Roseta, is a Portuguese fado singer, composer, and model. Roseta is considered one of the most important fado representatives of her generation, appe ...
,
Cristina Branco Cristina Branco (born 28 December 1972 in Almeirim, Ribatejo, Portugal) is a Portuguese musician. She was drawn to jazz and styles of Portuguese music before settling on fado, a choice made after being introduced to the music of Amália Rodrig ...
,
Ana Moura Ana Cláudia Moura Pereira (born 17 September 1979), known as Ana Moura, is a Portuguese fado singer. An internationally recognized singer, she was the youngest fadista to be nominated for a Dutch Edison Award. Early life and career Ana Mour ...
,
Katia Guerreiro Katia Guerreiro (born February 23, 1976) is a South African-born Portuguese fado singer, who has released eight albums and has received several awards, including Order of Arts and Letters, Chevalier rank, from the French government and the Order ...
, and Mariza has walked the fine line between carrying on the tradition of
Amália Rodrigues Amália da Piedade Rebordão Rodrigues GCSE, GCIH (23 July 1920 – 6 October 1999), better known as Amália Rodrigues () or popularly as Amália, was a Portuguese '' fadista'' (fado singer) and actress. Known as the 'Rainha do Fado' ("Queen ...
and trying to bring in a new audience.
Mísia Mísia (born Susana Maria Alfonso de Aguiar, in 1955 in Porto, Portugal) is a Portuguese fado singer. Mísia is a polyglot. Despite singing mostly fado, she has sung some of her songs in Spanish, French, Catalan, English, and even Japanese. ...
and
Carlos do Carmo Carlos Manuel de Ascenção do Carmo de Almeida ComIH (21 December 1939 – 1 January 2021), better known as Carlos do Carmo, was a Portuguese fado singer. The son of Lucília do Carmo, a well-known ''fadista'', do Carmo began his career in fad ...
are also well-known fado singers.
Ricardo Ribeiro Ricardo Abreu Ribeiro (born 27 January 1990) is a Portuguese footballer who plays for U.D. Oliveirense as a goalkeeper. Club career Born in Moreira de Cónegos, Guimarães, Ribeiro joined local Moreirense FC's youth ranks at the age of 11. He w ...
and
Miguel Capucho --> Miguel is a given name and surname, the Portuguese and Spanish form of the Hebrew name Michael (given name), Michael. It may refer to: Places *Pedro Miguel, a parish in the municipality of Horta and the island of Faial in the Azores Islands ...
are one of the best male fado singers of the new generation. It was included in the
UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists UNESCO established its Lists of Intangible Cultural Heritage with the aim of ensuring better protection of important intangible cultural heritages worldwide and the awareness of their significance.Compare: This list is published by the Intergover ...
in 2011.


Regional folk music

Recent events have helped keep Portuguese regional folk (''rancho folclórico'') traditions alive, most especially including the worldwide
roots revival A roots revival (folk revival) is a trend which includes young performers popularizing the traditional musical styles of their ancestors. Often, roots revivals include an addition of newly composed songs with socially and politically aware ly ...
of the 1960s and 70s.
Cante Alentejano Cante Alentejano is a Portuguese music genre based on vocal music without instrumentation from the Alentejo region. It was inscribed in 2014 in UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, one of two Portuguese mu ...
, from the
Alentejo Alentejo ( , ) is a geographical, historical, and cultural region of south–central and southern Portugal. In Portuguese, its name means "beyond () the Tagus river" (''Tejo''). Alentejo includes the regions of Alto Alentejo and Baixo Alent ...
region, was included in the
UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists UNESCO established its Lists of Intangible Cultural Heritage with the aim of ensuring better protection of important intangible cultural heritages worldwide and the awareness of their significance.Compare: This list is published by the Intergover ...
in 2014. The people of the
Azores ) , motto =( en, "Rather die free than subjected in peace") , anthem= ( en, "Anthem of the Azores") , image_map=Locator_map_of_Azores_in_EU.svg , map_alt=Location of the Azores within the European Union , map_caption=Location of the Azores wi ...
islands maintain some distinct musical traditions, such as the traditionally fiddle-driven ''
chamarrita ''Chamarrita'' can refer to two different types of music and dance, one from the Azores in Portugal and one from the Rio de la Plata littoral region in northern Argentina, Uruguay, and southern Brazil. Azorean ''Chamarrita'' The ''chamarrita'' from ...
'' dance. Music in Madeira is widespread and mainly uses local musical instruments such as the
Machete Older machete from Latin America Gerber machete/saw combo Agustín Cruz Tinoco of San Agustín de las Juntas, Oaxaca">San_Agustín_de_las_Juntas.html" ;"title="Agustín Cruz Tinoco of San Agustín de las Juntas">Agustín Cruz Tinoco of San ...
, rajao,
Brinquinho The brinquinho is a musical instrument from Madeira, Portugal. It's the main musical instrument used in the Folklore dance the Bailinho da Madeira. It consists of a set of wooden dolls dressed in costumes typical of Madeira, accompanied by C ...
and
Cavaquinho The cavaquinho (pronounced in Portuguese) is a small Portuguese string instrument in the European guitar family, with four wires or gut strings. More broadly, ''cavaquinho'' is the name of a four-stringed subdivision of the lute family of instr ...
, which are used in traditional
Folklore Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, ranging ...
dances like the Bailinho da Madeira. Famous performers of contemporary music include Max,
Luís Jardim Luís Alberto Figueira Gonçalves Jardim (born 4 July 1950) is a Portuguese percussionist, born in the Madeira Island, best known for his work with producer Trevor Horn. Family Jardim is a cousin of Alberto João Jardim (former president of the ...
and
Vânia Fernandes Vânia Sofia Olim Marote de Ribeiro Fernandes (born 25 September 1985) is a Portuguese singer from Funchal, Madeira (Portugal). Known for her powerful stage presence, as well as her prominent and versatile voice, Fernandes has participated in sev ...
.
Trás-os-Montes Trás-os-Montes () is a geographical, historical and cultural region of Portugal. Portuguese for "behind the mountains", Trás-os-Montes is located northeast of the country in an upland area, landlocked by the Douro and Tâmega rivers to south a ...
' musical heritage is closely related to the music of Galicia, Cantabria, and Asturias. Traditional
bagpipe Bagpipes are a woodwind instrument using enclosed reeds fed from a constant reservoir of air in the form of a bag. The Great Highland bagpipes are well known, but people have played bagpipes for centuries throughout large parts of Europe, Nor ...
s (''gaita-de-fole transmontana''),
a cappella ''A cappella'' (, also , ; ) music is a performance by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Ren ...
vocals and a unique
musical scale In music theory, a scale is any set of musical notes ordered by fundamental frequency or pitch. A scale ordered by increasing pitch is an ascending scale, and a scale ordered by decreasing pitch is a descending scale. Often, especially in the ...
with equal semitones have kept alive a vital tradition. (''Miranda de I Douro''), some artists such as Galamdum Galundaina sing in
Mirandese language The Mirandese language ( mwl, mirandés, links=no or ''lhéngua mirandesa''; pt, mirandês or ) is an Astur-Leonese language or language variety that is sparsely spoken in a small area of northeastern Portugal in Terra de Miranda (made up of t ...
. Also, the Pauliteiros folk dance is popular. Some residents sing in both Portuguese and Mirandese. Folk/traditional music acts include:
Dazkarieh Dazkarieh was a traditional Portuguese music band that began in 1999. The alternative rock and neofolk band consists of musicians Joana Negrão, Rui Rodrigues, João Campos and Vasco Ribeiro Casais. They have released a total of seven albums. Swi ...
, Cornalusa, Gaitúlia, Strella do Dia, Fausto, Notas e Voltas, Roberto Leal, Ronda dos Quatro Caminhos, Terra a Terra,
Tonicha Tonicha (born Antónia de Jesus Montes Tonicha on 8 March 1946) is a Portuguese pop-folk singer. She represented Portugal in the Eurovision Song Contest 1971, with the song "Menina do alto da serra" ("Girl from the country mountain"); she finis ...
,
Cândida Branca Flor Cândida Branca Flor (12 November 1949 – 11 July 2001) was a famous Portuguese entertainer and traditional singer whose career spanned four decades. Biography Cândida Branca Flor was born on 12 November 1949 in Beringel, Beja municipality, Al ...
, Óióai,
Janita Salomé Janita Maria (née Raukko; born 28 December 1978), better known by her stage name Janita, (pronounced "YA-nee-tah") is a Finnish-born, American singer-songwriter. Born in Helsinki, she started her career in Finland and later moved to Brooklyn a ...
, Uxukalhus, Frei Fado D'el Rei, Gaiteiros de Lisboa, Roncos do Diabo, Dâna,
Dulce Pontes Dulce José Silva Pontes (; born 8 April 1969) is a Portuguese songwriter and singer who performs in many musical styles, including pop, folk, and classical music. She is usually defined as a world music artist. Her songs contributed to the 1990s ...
, Sangre Cavallum,
Teresa Salgueiro Maria Teresa de Almeida Salgueiro OIH () is a Portuguese singer. She is best known as the lead singer of Madredeus from 1987 until 2007. She also appeared in Wim Wenders' film '' Lisbon Story.'' Career Salgueiro joined Madredeus after other m ...
,
Vitorino Vitorino Salomé Vieira (born 11 July 1942), commonly known simply as Vitorino, is a Portuguese singer-songwriter. His music combines the Cante Alentejano, traditional music of his native region of Alentejo and urban popular song. Discography ...
and Xaile.


Pop music

Famous artists and bands included in the past are
José Afonso José Manuel Cerqueira Afonso dos Santos (2 August 1929 – 23 February 1987), known professionally as José Afonso and also popularly known as Zeca Afonso or simply Zeca, was a Portuguese singer-songwriter. One of the most influential folk and ...
,
Fausto Bordalo Dias Fausto (), OL, born Carlos Fausto Bordalo Gomes Dias; 26 November 1948 in Atlantic Ocean, registered in , Trancoso, is a Portuguese composer and singer. Biography Although he was born aboard the ship Pátria when traveling between mainland ...
,
José Mário Branco José Mário Branco (25 May 1942 – 19 November 2019) was a Portuguese singer-songwriter, actor, and record producer. Biography José Mário Branco was born in Porto, the son of primary school teachers, and became politically involved in the ...
,
Manuel Freire Manuel Freire (Manuel Augusto Coentro de Pinho Freire) is a Portugal, Portuguese influential left-wing singer and composer, although he also works as a computer technician. Freire was born in Vagos Municipality, Vagos, Aveiro District on 25 Apr ...
,
Cândida Branca Flor Cândida Branca Flor (12 November 1949 – 11 July 2001) was a famous Portuguese entertainer and traditional singer whose career spanned four decades. Biography Cândida Branca Flor was born on 12 November 1949 in Beringel, Beja municipality, Al ...
,
Tonicha Tonicha (born Antónia de Jesus Montes Tonicha on 8 March 1946) is a Portuguese pop-folk singer. She represented Portugal in the Eurovision Song Contest 1971, with the song "Menina do alto da serra" ("Girl from the country mountain"); she finis ...
,
Paco Bandeira Francisco Veredas Bandeiras better known as Paco Bandeira (born 2 May 1945, Elvas, Portugal) is a musician from Portugal. He is known for representing his country in the second edition of the OTI Festival in 1973 which was held in Belo Horizont ...
,
Clã Clã is a Portuguese pop rock band of a mixed nature in terms of style, ranging from moments of pure balladry, through jazzy details, to enthusiastic pop songs. Biography The band was formed in November 1992 in the city of Porto, consisting of ...
,
Paulo de Carvalho Paulo de Carvalho (born Manuel Paulo de Carvalho Costa, in Lisbon, on 15 May 1947) is a Portuguese singer. Career Carvalho co-founded the band The Sheiks in 1965. He sang and played the drums. He also played an instrumental role, either as a fou ...
,
José Cid José Albano Cid de Ferreira Tavares (born 4 February 1942) is a Portuguese singer, composer and record producer. Internationally, Cid is best known for his 1978 progressive rock album'' 10,000 Anos Depois Entre Vénus e Marte'' and for represe ...
,
Linda de Suza Teolinda Joaquina de Sousa Lança, better known as Linda de Suza, (22 February 1948 – 28 December 2022) was a Portuguese Lusophone and Francophone singer, actress and best-selling author. She was described by Portuguese President Marcelo Rebe ...
,
Madalena Iglésias Madalena Lucília Iglésias do Vale de Oliveira (born Madalena Lucília Iglésias Doval; 24 October 1939 – 16 January 2018) was a Portuguese actress and singer. She represented Portugal at the Eurovision Song Contest 1966 The Eurovision Son ...
,
António Variações António Joaquim Rodrigues Ribeiro, (3 December 1944 – 13 June 1984) was a Portuguese singer and songwriter. Despite his short-lived career due to his premature death at the age of thirty-nine, using the stage name of António Variações, ...
,
Duo Ouro Negro Duo Ouro Negro (also known as The Black Gold) was a kwela music group consisting of Raúl Indipwo and Milo MacMahon, formed in 1959. The music group was first a trio, but when Jose Alves Monteiro left, the band became a duo. Personal History ...
,
Roberto Leal (singer) António Joaquim Fernandes (27 November 1951 – 15 September 2019), known as Roberto Leal, was a Portuguese singer, songwriter and actor. He sold more than 17 million albums, and received 30 golden records and 5 platinum records.< ...
, Peste & Sida and
Ornatos Violeta Ornatos Violeta are a Portuguese rock band from Porto. The band, often referred to simply as Ornatos, consists of vocalist Manel Cruz, bassist Nuno Prata, guitarist Peixe and drummer Kinörm, with Elísio Donas at the keyboard. Their main period ...
. Nowadays some of the most popular acts are Virgem Suta, HMB,
Aurea Aurea, golden in Latin, may refer to: * Aurea (car), a former Italian automobile manufactured in Turin from 1921 to 1930 * Aurea (singer) (born 1987), Portuguese singer * Aurea Alexandrina, a kind of opiate or antidote * Áurea, a municipality in ...
, Amor Electro, GNR,
Xutos & Pontapés Xutos & Pontapés () are a Portuguese rock band. The band was founded in 1978, in Lisbon, by the late Zé Pedro, Zé Leonel, Kalú and Tim. Their current lineup consists of Tim (vocals, bass), João Cabeleira (guitar), Gui (saxophone, keyboards) a ...
, The Gift,
David Fonseca David Fonseca (, born on 14 June 1973, in Leiria) is a Portuguese musician, singer-songwriter and photographer. As a musician, he plays several instruments, including acoustic guitar and organ. He is recognized for his successful music career a ...
,
Diogo Piçarra Diogo Piçarra (born 19 October 1990) is a Portuguese singer. He won the fifth season of the Portuguese version of ''Pop Idol'' in 2012. Biography Diogo Piçarra was born in Faro. As a 17-year-old, he formed the band "Fora da Bóia". While stud ...
, Os Quatro e Meia and Capitão Fausto. Portugal has been participating in the
Eurovision Song Contest The Eurovision Song Contest (), sometimes abbreviated to ESC and often known simply as Eurovision, is an international songwriting competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), featuring participants representing pr ...
since 1964; its best result before 2017 was the 6th place achieved by
Lucia Moniz Lucia may refer to: Arts and culture * ''Lucía'', a 1968 Cuban film by Humberto Solás * ''Lucia'' (film), a 2013 Kannada-language film * '' Lucia & The Best Boys'', a Scottish indie rock band formerly known as ''LUCIA'' * "Lucia", a Swedish c ...
's folk inspired song "
O meu coração não tem cor Portugal selected their entry for the Eurovision Song Contest 1996 through the annual Festival da Canção. Before Eurovision ''Festival da Canção 1996'' ''1996'' was the 34th edition of ' that selected Portugal's entry for the Eurovision ...
" in 1996, penned by Pedro Vaz Osorio.
Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
gained no further Top 10 place until
Salvador Sobral Salvador Thiam Vilar Braamcamp Sobral (; born 28 December 1989) is a Portuguese singer, who won the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 for with the song "Amar pelos dois," written and composed by his sister, Luísa Sobral. In doing so, he gave its ...
's first place in the 2017 contest with the song
Amar Pelos Dois "Amar pelos dois" (; English: "To Love for the Both of Us") is a song recorded by Portuguese singer Salvador Sobral. The song was written and produced by his sister Luísa Sobral and released for digital download as a single on 10 March 2017 by ...
, which gained a record 758 points.


Folk-Pop

In 2019,
contemporary folk Contemporary folk music refers to a wide variety of genres that emerged in the mid 20th century and afterwards which were associated with traditional folk music. Starting in the mid-20th century a new form of popular folk music evolved from tradit ...
singer-songwriter Ana Mariano from Aveiro was featured on the compilation ''Novos Talentos FNAC 2019'' (New Talents of
Fnac Fnac () is a large French retail chain selling cultural and electronic products, founded by André Essel and Max Théret in 1954. Its head office is in ''Le Flavia'' in Ivry-sur-Seine near Paris. It is an abbreviation of Fédération Nationale d ...
2019) with her
Folk-pop Folk-pop is a musical style that may be 1) contemporary folk songs with large, sweeping pop arrangements, or 2) pop songs with intimate, acoustic-based folk arrangements. Recording production values created a unblemished style that appealed to ...
debut single "Ordinary View", (written and performed in the
English language English is a West Germanic language of the Indo-European language family, with its earliest forms spoken by the inhabitants of early medieval England. It is named after the Angles, one of the ancient Germanic peoples that migrated to the is ...
.) In February 2020, she released her debut e.p. Everything I Touch which included the songs, "Insomnia" and "Plastic Wings" (featuring Ithaka), among others.


Electronic music

In electronica,
Underground Sound of Lisbon Underground Sound of Lisbon (sometimes shortened to USL) is a collaboration between Portuguese house music producers Rui da Silva (then known as Doctor J) and DJ Vibe (real name Tó Pereira), who were active between 1993 and 2001. In 2014, USL r ...
with their 1994 progressive house remix of the 1992
Spoken word Spoken word refers to an oral poetic performance art that is based mainly on the poem as well as the performer's aesthetic qualities. It is a late 20th century continuation of an ancient oral artistic tradition that focuses on the aesthetics of ...
song
So Get Up "So Get Up", written and vocalized by Ithaka (also known as Ithaka Darin Pappas), is a 1992 spoken-word electronic dance music vocal-poem lyric song more frequently credited to the Portuguese house music production duo Underground Sound of L ...
by Ithaka Darin Pappas (lyrics/vocals), was a musical project that brought international attention to Portuguese DJs, namely Rui da Silva (the only Portuguese musician to reach #1 on the UK charts),
DJ Vibe DJ Vibe (real name António "Tó" Pereira) is a house music DJ. Career Vibe was born in Lisbon, Portugal, and became a DJ at 15. At this age he started to perform in clubs and before long he was playing side by side with big names of the dance ...
and
Pete tha Zouk Pete or Petes or ''variation'', may refer to: People * Pete (given name) * Pete (nickname) * Pete (surname) Fictional characters * Pete (Disney), a cartoon character in the ''Mickey Mouse'' universe * Pete the Pup (a.k.a. 'Petey'), a character ...
. Some other important names in the genre are
Buraka Som Sistema Buraka Som Sistema was an electronic dance music project from Portugal, specializing in a fusion of techno beats with the African zouk and kuduro genre. It is generally credited with creating the "zouk bass" and "progressive kuduro" variant and ha ...
,
Branko Branko (Cyrillic script: Бранко; ) is a South Slavic male given name found in all of the former Yugoslavia. It is related to the names Branimir and Branislav, and the female equivalent is Branka. People named Branko include: * Branko Babić ...
,
Conan Osiris Conan may refer to: People * Saint Conan (died 684), bishop of the Isle of Man * Conan of Cornwall (c. 930 – c. 950), bishop of Cornwall * Conan I of Rennes (died 992), duke of Brythonic Brittany * Conan II, Duke of Brittany (died 1066), duke o ...
,
Micro Audio Waves Micros Audio Waves are a Portuguese band. Micro Audio Waves, originally a duo formed by Flak (the guitar player from Rádio Macau) and C. Morgado (electronic instruments), they formed in 2000, and began by developing compositions with a minimal ...
and
KURA Rúben de Almeida Barbeiro (born August 21, 1987 in Leiria), better known as KURA, is a Portuguese electro house music DJ and producer. Kura has released tracks through labels such as Hardwell's Revealed Recordings, Flashover Recordings, M ...
, with this last one being the highest-ranked Portuguese of all time on the annual's Top 100 Dj's by
Dj Mag ''DJ Magazine'' (also known as ''DJ Mag'') is a British monthly magazine dedicated to electronic dance music and DJs. Founded in 1991, the magazine is adapted for distribution in the United Kingdom, the United States, Spain, France, Italy, Lat ...
. In Porto, the hometown of numerous talents such as Nuno Forte, Drum n' Bass styles are immensely popular, and the city has hosted various important international names in the genre such as
Noisia Noisia (stylised as NOISIΛ; "VISION" turned upside down) was a Dutch electronic music trio consisting of members Nik Roos, Martijn van Sonderen and Thijs de Vlieger from Groningen, Netherlands. They produce a wide variety of music including dr ...
,
The Panacea Mathis Mootz is a prolific German electronic musician and DJ. Mootz is best known as The Panacea (until 2005, simply as Panacea), his drum and bass stage name and main musical project, and as m2 (pronounced "Squaremeter"), his dark ambient s ...
and Black Sun Empire. Also, in the
Psychedelic Trance Psychedelic Trance, Psytrance or Psy is a subgenre of trance music characterized by arrangements of rhythms and layered melodies created by high tempo riffs. The genre offers variety in terms of mood, tempo, and style. Some examples include full ...
genre there is a worldwide famous project:
Paranormal Attack Paranormal Attack is a psychedelic trance group formed by Rui Oliveira (Xangaii), Gonçalo Miranda and Lucas (trance artist), Lucas, originally from Portugal. They have been producing psy-trance since 2001. Discography

Albums: * Phenomenon ...
. In February 2020, internationally recognized DJ-producer-musician,
Armando Mendes Armando may refer to: * Armando (given name) * Armando (artist) (1929–2018), the name used by Dutch artist Herman Dirk van Dodeweerd * Armando (producer) Armando Gallop (sometimes written as Armando Gallup) (February 12, 1970 – December 17, ...
, from northern Portugal released ''Parallel Universe'' on cd and a double-vinyl 12" set for Turquoise Records (one of the only full-length albums by any Portuguese electronic artist), collaborating with several worldwide vocalists/lyricists.


Experimental and Avantgarde

Portuguese music has a striving experimental underground music scene since the '80s, with some exponents attaining international attention. Notable groups and musicians in this genre are
Osso Exótico Osso Exótico is an experimental, drone music project from Portugal formed in 1989. Utilizing a range of mainly acoustic instruments (often modified) such as glass harmonica, piano strings, percussion, violin, the ensemble created drone, at times m ...
,
Ocaso Épico Farinha Master (1957–2002, real name ''Carlos Cordeiro'') was a Portuguese experimental musician and performer. Most notably was the mentor of Ocaso Épico in 1981, a project that incorporated synthpop, electronica, industrial music, minimalism a ...
,
Telectu Telectu is a Portuguese experimental, avant-garde music duo formed in 1982 by Vítor Rua (former member of GNR) and Jorge Lima Barreto, a jazz musician and musical essayist. Their music incorporates a variety of elements from free jazz, rock, ele ...
,
Carlos Zíngaro Carlos Zíngaro (or Carlos "Zíngaro" Alves, born 15 December 1948 in Lisbon, Portugal) is a Portuguese violinist and electronic musician active in free improvisation. Biography Zingaro studied classical music at the Lisbon Music Conservatory fro ...
,
Pedro INF Pedro INF (born Pedro Granja De Carvalho) is a Portuguese electronic music artist, currently signed to Some Bizzare Records. Background Pedro INF is an alterego of Pedro Granja De Carvalho, a musician whose main style can be categorized as IDM ...
,
Favela Discos Favela Discos (sometimes referred to as Favela) is a Portuguese electronic music and experimental music record label founded in 2013 as an artists and intellectuals collective based in Porto. It focuses on experimental music, particularly Game ...
,
If Lucy Fell ''If Lucy Fell'' is a 1996 American romantic comedy film written and directed by Eric Schaeffer, who also co-stars in the film alongside Sarah Jessica Parker, Ben Stiller and Elle Macpherson. It was released on DVD January 30, 2001. Plot Joe Mac ...
and Life Theory.


Heavy metal

The biggest exponent of heavy metal music in Portugal are the bands
Moonspell Moonspell is a Portuguese gothic metal band formed in 1992. The group released their first EP, ''Under the Moonspell'', in 1994 and followed up with their debut album, '' Wolfheart'', a year later. They quickly became the most recognizable meta ...
,
Ava Inferi Ava Inferi was a musical group formed in Almada, Portugal, by Norwegian guitarist and songwriter Rune Eriksen (a.k.a. Blasphemer, Mayhem (band), Mayhem). Their debut album, ''Burdens (Ava Inferi album), Burdens'', was released in January 2006. ...
,
Ramp An inclined plane, also known as a ramp, is a flat supporting surface tilted at an angle from the vertical direction, with one end higher than the other, used as an aid for raising or lowering a load. The inclined plane is one of the six clas ...
, Heavenwood,
Corpus Christii Corpus is Latin for "body". It may refer to: Linguistics * Text corpus, in linguistics, a large and structured set of texts * Speech corpus, in linguistics, a large set of speech audio files * Corpus linguistics, a branch of linguistics Music * ...
,
Reaktor Reaktor is a graphical modular software music studio developed by Native Instruments (NI). It allows musicians and sound specialists to design and build their own instruments, Sampler (musical instrument), samplers, effects and sound design tool ...
,
W.C. Noise WC or wc may refer to: * Water closet or flush toilet Arts and entertainment * ''W.C.'' (film), an Irish feature film * WC (band), a Polish punk rock band * WC (rapper), a rapper from Los Angeles, California * Westside Connection, former hi ...
,
Tarantula Tarantulas comprise a group of large and often hairy spiders of the family Theraphosidae. , 1,040 species have been identified, with 156 genera. The term "tarantula" is usually used to describe members of the family Theraphosidae, although ...
and Attick Demons, which have achieved international recognition, and have signed record deals with some of the most important international Heavy Metal Labels such as
Century Media A century is a period of 100 years. Centuries are numbered ordinally in English and many other languages. The word ''century'' comes from the Latin ''centum'', meaning ''one hundred''. ''Century'' is sometimes abbreviated as c. A centennial or ...
and
Napalm Records Napalm Records is an Austrian independent record label focused on heavy metal and hard rock. Originally, Napalm focused on black metal bands, such as Abigor and Summoning, and folk metal bands, such as Falkenbach and Vintersorg. The label later ...
for
Moonspell Moonspell is a Portuguese gothic metal band formed in 1992. The group released their first EP, ''Under the Moonspell'', in 1994 and followed up with their debut album, '' Wolfheart'', a year later. They quickly became the most recognizable meta ...
,
Massacre Records Massacre Records is an independent record label based in Abstatt, Germany, that specializes in bands of the heavier genres of metal. The label was founded in 1991 by Torsten Hartmann. Connected to Massacre Records is the marketing and music w ...
and
Listenable Records Listenable Records is an independent metal label originally founded in 1990 in France. The label specializes in metal, with a focus on extreme metal music. The company has published albums from many acclaimed extreme metal bands, such as Immo ...
for Heavenwood,
Season of Mist Season of Mist is an independent record label and record distributor with subsidiaries in France and the United States. The record label was founded in 1996 by Michael S. Berberian in Marseille, France. From the start releasing black metal, pag ...
for
Ava Inferi Ava Inferi was a musical group formed in Almada, Portugal, by Norwegian guitarist and songwriter Rune Eriksen (a.k.a. Blasphemer, Mayhem (band), Mayhem). Their debut album, ''Burdens (Ava Inferi album), Burdens'', was released in January 2006. ...
,
Pure Steel Records Pure Steel Records is a record label based in Germany that focuses on heavy metal music. Pure Steel produces CDs and LPs. Founded by Kay Anders and Andreas Lorenz in 2006, the main interest of Pure Steel is to spread the true and independent h ...
for Attick Demons,
Candlelight Records Candlelight Records is a British record label based in England and founded by former Extreme Noise Terror bassist Lee Barrett, though it has had a division in the United States since January 2001. Candlelight Records specialises in black metal ...
for
Corpus Christii Corpus is Latin for "body". It may refer to: Linguistics * Text corpus, in linguistics, a large and structured set of texts * Speech corpus, in linguistics, a large set of speech audio files * Corpus linguistics, a branch of linguistics Music * ...
,
Nuclear Blast Records Nuclear Blast is a record label and mail order record distributor with subsidiaries in Germany, the United States and Brazil. The label was founded in 1987 by Markus Staiger in Germany. Originally releasing hardcore punk records, the label mov ...
for
Reaktor Reaktor is a graphical modular software music studio developed by Native Instruments (NI). It allows musicians and sound specialists to design and build their own instruments, Sampler (musical instrument), samplers, effects and sound design tool ...
and
AFM Records AFM Records GmbH is a music label based in Schwalmstadt, Germany. They focus on the heavy metal musical genre, signing bands such as U.D.O., Doro, Lordi, Kotipelto, Masterplan, Nostradameus, and Annihilator. In 2005, Candlelight Records si ...
for
Tarantula Tarantulas comprise a group of large and often hairy spiders of the family Theraphosidae. , 1,040 species have been identified, with 156 genera. The term "tarantula" is usually used to describe members of the family Theraphosidae, although ...
. Heavy metal made by Portuguese bands is sold in all major records / music shops in all European countries such as
Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
,
Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
, the
Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
,
Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
,
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
,
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populous ...
and
Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...
.
Moonspell Moonspell is a Portuguese gothic metal band formed in 1992. The group released their first EP, ''Under the Moonspell'', in 1994 and followed up with their debut album, '' Wolfheart'', a year later. They quickly became the most recognizable meta ...
, Heavenwood and Attick Demons achieved markets such as East Europe / Russia, Asia, North, and South America, furthermore Attick Demons achieved recognition in Japan by being the only Portuguese heavy metal band to have a Japanese release to date, through a Japanese label. Others bands like Miss Lava,
Holocausto Canibal Holocausto Canibal (Portuguese for 'Cannibal Holocaust') is a Portuguese goregrind band based in Rio Tinto. Formed in 1997, the band has released one demo, six studio albums, three EPs, four splits and a compilation album and is considered one of ...

Thirdsphere
Sirius Sirius is the list of brightest stars, brightest star in the night sky. Its name is derived from the Ancient Greek language, Greek word , or , meaning 'glowing' or 'scorching'. The star is designated α Canis Majoris, Latinisation ...
, Sacred Sin,
Factory of Dreams A factory, manufacturing plant or a production plant is an industrial facility, often a complex consisting of several buildings filled with machinery, where workers manufacture items or operate machines which process each item into another. T ...
,
Ramp An inclined plane, also known as a ramp, is a flat supporting surface tilted at an angle from the vertical direction, with one end higher than the other, used as an aid for raising or lowering a load. The inclined plane is one of the six clas ...
, Decayed, Filli Nigratium Infernallium, Morte Incandescente,
Gwydion Gwydion fab Dôn () is a magician, hero and trickster of Welsh mythology, appearing most prominently in the Fourth Branch of the ''Mabinogi'', which focuses largely on his relationship with his young nephew, Lleu Llaw Gyffes. He also appears ...
, Switchtense,
Grog Grog is a term used for a variety of alcoholic beverages. The word originally referred to rum diluted with water (and later on long sea voyages, also added the juice of limes or lemons), which British Vice-Admiral Edward Vernon introduced in ...
,
Bizarra Locomotiva Bizarra Locomotiva is a Portuguese industrial metal band. Its history dates back to 1993, when Armando Teixeira (vocals and machinery) and Rui Sidónio (vocals) started a band to participate in Modern Music Competition of the city of Lisbon. Aft ...
,
Thee Orakle The word ''thou'' is a second-person singular pronoun in English. It is now largely archaic, having been replaced in most contexts by the word ''you'', although it remains in use in parts of Northern England and in Scots (). ''Thou'' is the ...
,
More Than a Thousand More or Mores may refer to: Computing * MORE (application), outline software for Mac OS * more (command), a shell command * MORE protocol, a routing protocol * Missouri Research and Education Network Music Albums * ''More!'' (album), by Booka ...
and Oratory also achieved some international recognition.


Hip hop

Hip hop began in Portugal in the early 1990s. The first artist to sign a major record deal was
General D General D is a rapper, Hip hop tuga and World music artist. Being the first rapper in Portugal to sign a major record deal, he is considered the ''Godfather Of Portuguese Hip Hop''. Although largely influenced by big name U.S. rap acts such as P ...
with
EMI Records EMI Records (formerly EMI Records Ltd.) is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It originally founded as a British flagship label by the music company of the same name in 1972, and launched in January 1973 as the succ ...
. Other important artists from the
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 ...
genre include;
Sam the Kid Samuel Martins Torres Santiago Mira (born 17 July 1979), better known by his stage name Sam the Kid (STK), is a Portuguese rapper and producer from Chelas, in the civil parish of Marvila, Lisbon. Early life Sam the Kid's music was primari ...
, Slow J, Papillon,
Da Weasel Da Weasel are a Portuguese hip hop/rock band from Almada (a suburb of Lisbon, Portugal), fronted by MCs Pacman (now known as Carlão) and Virgul. They are one of the oldest hip-hop projects in Portugal, having been formed in 1993 and terminated ...
, Dealema,
Valete Keidje Torres Lima is a Portuguese language political hip hop artist, known professionally as Valete.Regula,
Boss AC Ângelo César do Rosário Firmino, better known by the stage name Boss AC (born January 20, 1975) is a Portugal, Portuguese rapper originally from Cape Verde. The letters A and C, in Boss AC, come from the initials of his two names, Ângelo and C ...
, Mind the Gap, Bob Da Rage Sense, Dillaz.


Jazz

People such as
Mário Barreiros Mario is the Italian, French, Croatian, Spanish, Portuguese, Bulgarian, Greek, and English form of the Latin Roman name Marius (name), Marius. In Croatia, the name Mario was among the most common masculine given names in the decades between 1970 ...
,
Mário Laginha Mário João Laginha dos Santos, OIH (born April 25, 1960, in Lisbon), a pianist and composer, is one of the most well-known Portuguese jazz musicians today. He is mostly recognized for his collaborations with Portuguese jazz singer Maria João, ...
,
Carlos Barretto Carlos may refer to: Places ;Canada * Carlos, Alberta, a locality ;United States * Carlos, Indiana, an unincorporated community * Carlos, Maryland, a place in Allegany County * Carlos, Minnesota, a small city * Carlos, West Virginia ;Elsewhere ...
,
Carlos Bica Carlos Bica is a Portuguese jazz bassist. Career Bica studied at the Academia dos Amadores de Musica in Lisbon and the Hochschule für Musik in Würzburg. He was "Musician of the Year" in Portugal in 1998 and in 2016. For his album ''Matéria- ...
,
João Paulo Esteves da Silva João is the Portuguese equivalent of the given name John. The diminutive is Joãozinho and the feminine is Joana. It is widespread in Portuguese-speaking countries. Notable people with the name are enumerated in the sections below. Kings * Jo ...
,
António Pinho Vargas António Pinho Vargas (born Vila Nova de Gaia, August 15, 1951) is a Portuguese composer and pianist specializing in jazz and contemporary music. He has also written books, essays, and articles on music. Career Having obtained a degree in history ...
and the singer Maria João have long and noteworthy careers in the field, despite experimenting, sometimes with notable success, other genres of music, and a more recent generation is following their footsteps, notable the pianist
Bernardo Sassetti Bernardo da Costa Sassetti Pais (24 June 1970 – 10 May 2012) was a Portuguese jazz pianist and film composer. Sassetti was born in Lisbon. He was a great-grandson of Sidónio Pais, President of the First Republic. He initially played guita ...
, Júlio Resende (músico),
Carlos Bica Carlos Bica is a Portuguese jazz bassist. Career Bica studied at the Academia dos Amadores de Musica in Lisbon and the Hochschule für Musik in Würzburg. He was "Musician of the Year" in Portugal in 1998 and in 2016. For his album ''Matéria- ...
,
João Paulo João Paulo is a Portuguese given name, the equivalent of "John Paul" in English. Notable people with the name include: * João Paulo (footballer, born 1957), João Paulo de Lima Filho, Brazilian football winger *João Paulo (footballer, born 1964 ...
, and the singers
Salvador Sobral Salvador Thiam Vilar Braamcamp Sobral (; born 28 December 1989) is a Portuguese singer, who won the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 for with the song "Amar pelos dois," written and composed by his sister, Luísa Sobral. In doing so, he gave its ...
,
João Barradas João Barradas (born 3 February 1992) is a Portuguese accordionist and composer. Biography João Barradas was born in Porto Alto, in the parish of Samora Correia. He initiated his accordion studies at the age of six at a small music school ...
,
Jacinta The given name Jacinta is the feminine form of old Culture of Europe, European masculine name known across Western World, the West as * Jácint in Hungarian language * Jacek, Jacenty in Polish Language, Polish * Jacinto in Spanish language, Spani ...
,
Vânia Fernandes Vânia Sofia Olim Marote de Ribeiro Fernandes (born 25 September 1985) is a Portuguese singer from Funchal, Madeira (Portugal). Known for her powerful stage presence, as well as her prominent and versatile voice, Fernandes has participated in sev ...
and
Luísa Sobral Luísa Vilar Braamcamp Sobral (; born 18 September 1987) is a Portuguese singer and songwriter. She came to prominence in 2003 after finishing third in the first season of '' Ídolos'', the Portuguese version of '' Idols'' television series. Aft ...
.


Latin

Although it is an Iberian country, Portugal never had clear influences from Latin America, though Portuguese musical traditions have had an influence on Latin American music, particularly in Brazil and through instruments such as the
cavaquinho The cavaquinho (pronounced in Portuguese) is a small Portuguese string instrument in the European guitar family, with four wires or gut strings. More broadly, ''cavaquinho'' is the name of a four-stringed subdivision of the lute family of instr ...
and its descendent instruments like the
cuatro Cuatro is Spanish language, Spanish (and other Romance languages) for the 4 (number), number four. Cuatro may also refer to: * Cuatro (instrument), name for two distinct Latin American instruments, one from Puerto Rico (see cuatro (Puerto Rico), ...
. Nonetheless, the
Latin music Latin music (Portuguese language, Portuguese and es, música latina) is a term used by the music industry as a catch-all category for various styles of music from Ibero-America (including Music of Spain, Spain and Portuguese music, Portugal) ...
industry sometimes includes music sung in Portuguese from Portugal. This style came to the country in the 1990s, following a Spanish and world trend. Examples of Latin music singers in Portuguese are
Ana Malhoa Ana Sofia Lopes Malhoa Moreira known as Ana Malhoa (born August 6, 1979) is a Portuguese singer-songwriter, TV host, actress and businesswoman. She started her career performing with her father José Malhoa, a popular Portuguese singer, in 19 ...
and Mil i Maria. The
Latin Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences pt, Academia Latina da Gravação , image = Latin_grammy_logo_(2022).png , image_border = , size = 150px , caption = , map = , msize = , mcaption = , motto = , formation = , extinction ...
, the organization responsible for the
Latin Grammy Award The Latin Grammy Awards are an award by The Latin Recording Academy to recognize outstanding achievement in the Latin music industry. The Latin Grammy honors works recorded in Spanish or Portuguese from anywhere around the world that has been r ...
s, encompasses music from Portugal and has voting members who live in the country.
Carlos do Carmo Carlos Manuel de Ascenção do Carmo de Almeida ComIH (21 December 1939 – 1 January 2021), better known as Carlos do Carmo, was a Portuguese fado singer. The son of Lucília do Carmo, a well-known ''fadista'', do Carmo began his career in fad ...
became the first Portuguese artist to win a Latin Grammy award upon receiving the
Lifetime Achievement Award Lifetime achievement awards are awarded by various organizations, to recognize contributions over the whole of a career, rather than or in addition to single contributions. Such awards, and organizations presenting them, include: A * A.C. ...
.


Pimba

Pimba music is the Portuguese version of the euro Schlager or the
Balkan The Balkans ( ), also known as the Balkan Peninsula, is a geographical area in southeastern Europe with various geographical and historical definitions. The region takes its name from the Balkan Mountains that stretch throughout the who ...
Turbo-Folk Turbo-folk (sometimes referred as pop-folk or popular folk) is subgenre of contemporary pop music with its origins in Serbia, that initially developed during the 1980s and 1990s, with similar music styles in Bulgaria (chalga), Romania (manele ...
. It's named after the 1995 hit ''Pimba Pimba'', by
Emanuel Emanuel may refer to: * Emanuel (name), a given name and surname (see there for a list of people with this name) * Emanuel School, Australia, Sydney, Australia * Emanuel School, Battersea, London, England * Emanuel (band), a five-piece rock band fr ...
. Some of its biggest names are Emanuel, Ágata, Suzana, Micaela, Ruth Marlene and
Quim Barreiros Joaquim de Magalhães Fernandes Barreiros (born June 19, 1947, in Vila Praia de Âncora, Portugal), known professionally as Quim Barreiros, is a Portuguese Pimba music writer,singer and accordion player, more known for his double entendre songs. ...
. This genre mixes traditional sounds with
accordion Accordions (from 19th-century German ''Akkordeon'', from ''Akkord''—"musical chord, concord of sounds") are a family of box-shaped musical instruments of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone type (producing sound as air flows past a reed ...
, Latin beats and funny or religious (mainly ''kitch'') lyrics.


Folk and Political (''Música de Intervenção'')

During the Estado Novo authoritarian regime, music was widely used by the left-wing resistance as a way to say what could not be said, singing about freedom, equality, and democracy, mainly through metaphors and symbols. Many composers and singers became famous and persecuted by the political police, some of them being arrested or exiled, such as
José Afonso José Manuel Cerqueira Afonso dos Santos (2 August 1929 – 23 February 1987), known professionally as José Afonso and also popularly known as Zeca Afonso or simply Zeca, was a Portuguese singer-songwriter. One of the most influential folk and ...
,
Paulo de Carvalho Paulo de Carvalho (born Manuel Paulo de Carvalho Costa, in Lisbon, on 15 May 1947) is a Portuguese singer. Career Carvalho co-founded the band The Sheiks in 1965. He sang and played the drums. He also played an instrumental role, either as a fou ...
,
José Mário Branco José Mário Branco (25 May 1942 – 19 November 2019) was a Portuguese singer-songwriter, actor, and record producer. Biography José Mário Branco was born in Porto, the son of primary school teachers, and became politically involved in the ...
,
Sérgio Godinho Sérgio de Barros Godinho OL (; born 31 August 1945) is a Portuguese singer-songwriter, composer, actor, poet and author. Considered one of the most influential popular musicians in Portugal, Godinho started his music career singing folk songs o ...
,
Adriano Correia de Oliveira Adriano Maria Correia Gomes de Oliveira, GCIH, ComL, or just Adriano (April 9, 1942 – October 16, 1982) was a Portuguese musician, born to a conservative Roman Catholic family in Porto. His family moved to Avintes after his birth. He went to C ...
,
Manuel Freire Manuel Freire (Manuel Augusto Coentro de Pinho Freire) is a Portugal, Portuguese influential left-wing singer and composer, although he also works as a computer technician. Freire was born in Vagos Municipality, Vagos, Aveiro District on 25 Apr ...
, Pedro Barroso, Fausto,
Vitorino Vitorino Salomé Vieira (born 11 July 1942), commonly known simply as Vitorino, is a Portuguese singer-songwriter. His music combines the Cante Alentejano, traditional music of his native region of Alentejo and urban popular song. Discography ...
, Júlio Pereira and some others. Their music was (and remains) mostly based on Portuguese folk music and elements of European-style singer-songwriter genres.
José Afonso José Manuel Cerqueira Afonso dos Santos (2 August 1929 – 23 February 1987), known professionally as José Afonso and also popularly known as Zeca Afonso or simply Zeca, was a Portuguese singer-songwriter. One of the most influential folk and ...
began performing in the 1950s; he was a popular roots-based musician that led the Portuguese
roots revival A roots revival (folk revival) is a trend which includes young performers popularizing the traditional musical styles of their ancestors. Often, roots revivals include an addition of newly composed songs with socially and politically aware ly ...
. With artists like
Sérgio Godinho Sérgio de Barros Godinho OL (; born 31 August 1945) is a Portuguese singer-songwriter, composer, actor, poet and author. Considered one of the most influential popular musicians in Portugal, Godinho started his music career singing folk songs o ...
and
Luís Cília Luis is a given name. It is the Spanish form of the originally Germanic name or . Other Iberian Romance languages have comparable forms: (with an accent mark on the i) in Portuguese and Galician, in Aragonese and Catalan, while is archaic ...
, Afonso helped form
nova canção A nova (plural novae or novas) is a transient astronomical event that causes the sudden appearance of a bright, apparently "new" star (hence the name "nova", which is Latin for "new") that slowly fades over weeks or months. Causes of the dramati ...
music, which, after the 1974 revolution, gained socially-aware lyrics and became canto livre. The biggest names in canto livre were
Banda do Casaco Banda do Casaco was a Portugal, Portuguese prog-folk band active from 1974 to 1984 considered by some to be one of Portugal's greatest progressive rock bands. Their seminal album was ''Hoje há Conquilhas, Amanhã não Sabemos'', released in 1976. ...
and
Brigada Víctor Jara The Brigada Víctor Jara () is a Portuguese folk band, with a career of more than 30 years and among the most influential Portuguese folk acts. The band was formed in 1975, by a group of young people from Coimbra that was participating in one of t ...
, groups that seriously studied and were influenced by Portuguese regional music. The poet-singer-songwriter was also a significant contributor to the modern romance genre, can be compared to
Leonard Cohen Leonard Norman Cohen (September 21, 1934November 7, 2016) was a Canadian singer-songwriter, poet and novelist. His work explored religion, politics, isolation, depression, sexuality, loss, death, and romantic relationships. He was inducted in ...
. After the
Carnation Revolution The Carnation Revolution ( pt, Revolução dos Cravos), also known as the 25 April ( pt, 25 de Abril, links=no), was a military coup by left-leaning military officers that overthrew the authoritarian Estado Novo regime on 25 April 1974 in Lisbo ...
, that same music was used to support left-wing parties. Political ideas and causes, like the agrarian reform, socialism, equality, democratic elections, free education and many other were a constant presence in these songs lyrics, often written by well-known poets like José Barata-Moura,
Manuel Alegre Manuel Alegre de Melo Duarte, GCL (born 12 May 1936) is a Portuguese poet and politician, member of the Socialist Party, and a candidate for the 2006 Portuguese presidential election. He ran again in the 2011 presidential election, this time bac ...
or
Ary dos Santos José Carlos Ary dos Santos, GCIH or just Ary dos Santos (Lisboa, December 7, 1936 – Lisboa, January 18, 1984) was one of the most relevant names of the Portuguese popular poetry of the 20th century. Born of a bourgeois family, Ary dos Sant ...
.


Reggae and Ska

More underground but very prominent are Portuguese
reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...
and
ska Ska (; ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. It combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues. Ska is characterized by a walki ...
. Unregarding some
2 Tone Two-tone, two tone, or 2 tone, etc., may refer to: Audio and sound * Two-tone analysis, in nonlinear system measurement * Two-tone attention signal * Two-tone chime, such as the "ding dong" sound of a doorbell * Two-tone sequential paging, sel ...
and reggae-influenced singles in the late 70s by bands like Roquivários or early 80s mod outfit Táxi, it was only in the early 1990s when the first Portuguese roots reggae band, Kussondulola reached the mainstream public. Best known Portuguese reggae singers include Richie Campbell,
Mercado Negro Mercado is the Portuguese and Spanish word for ''market''. It may refer to: Public markets * Mercado de las Carnes, a former meat market in Ponce, Puerto Rico * Mercado Central, Valencia, a public market in Valencia, Spain * Mercado Central de Sa ...
,
Prince Wadada A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. Th ...
and Freddy Locks, while some of the more famous bands of these types include Terrakota, Primitive Reason, Sativa, One Sun Tribe, One Love Family, Arsha, Three and a Quarter, Purocracy,
Chapa Dux Chapa may refer to: * Čhápa, a mythological rodent * Chapa (given name), a feminine given name * Chapa (surname), a surname * Chapa dynasty, a Rajput clan also called Chawda See also * Chapas * ''Chappa ''Chappa'' is a 1982 Malayalam f ...
and Souls of Fire. This music is popular among young people, with its main roots based in Lisbon and the surrounding areas. Earlier ska bands in Portugal included Despe&Siga and Contratempos, while
The Ratazanas ''The'' () is a grammatical Article (grammar), article in English language, English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite ...
can be considered the best known Portuguese Early reggae and
Rocksteady Rocksteady is a music genre that originated in Jamaica around 1966. A successor of ska and a precursor to reggae, rocksteady was the dominant style of music in Jamaica for nearly two years, performed by many of the artists who helped establish ...
band. They recorded for German label
Grover Records Grover is a blue Muppet character on the popular PBS/ HBO children's television show ''Sesame Street''. Self-described as lovable, cute and furry, he is a blue monster who rarely uses contractions when he speaks or sings. Grover was original ...
and toured throughout Europe on their own right as well as backing Jamaican singers like
Susan Cadogan Susan Cadogan (born Alison Anne Cadogan; 2 November 1951) is a Jamaican reggae singer best known for her hit records in the 1970s. Biography Cadogan is the daughter of singer Lola Cadogan, who released several 78rpm singles of devotional music ...
. Skarmiento, Skalibans, and Skamioneta do Lixo are other Portuguese ska bands.


Rock

Portuguese rock was born in the 1980s, with acts like
Rui Veloso Rui Manuel Gaudêncio Veloso ComIH (born 30 July 1957) is a Portuguese singer-songwriter and musician. Commonly called "The father of Portuguese rock" (Portuguese: ''O pai do rock português''), Veloso was a major figure in the boom of Portugues ...
and
Jorge Palma Jorge Manuel de Abreu Palma (born 4 June 1950) is a Portuguese singer and songwriter. A well-known and acclaimed songwriter in Portugal, Palma has achieved success with songs such as "Deixa-me Rir", "Frágil" and "Encosta-te a Mim". Early lif ...
. An example of a popular Portuguese rock band, having a long history, is
Xutos & Pontapés Xutos & Pontapés () are a Portuguese rock band. The band was founded in 1978, in Lisbon, by the late Zé Pedro, Zé Leonel, Kalú and Tim. Their current lineup consists of Tim (vocals, bass), João Cabeleira (guitar), Gui (saxophone, keyboards) a ...
who've been playing for over 30 years and are known widely throughout Portugal, as well as
Mão Morta Mão Morta is a Portuguese avant-garde rock band that started its activities in 1985 in Braga. The group's name means "dead hand", based on a traditional Portuguese nursery rhyme. They are generally considered to be one of the most important band ...
, a unique and controversial group with 25 years of existence. Well known solo singers include
Rui Veloso Rui Manuel Gaudêncio Veloso ComIH (born 30 July 1957) is a Portuguese singer-songwriter and musician. Commonly called "The father of Portuguese rock" (Portuguese: ''O pai do rock português''), Veloso was a major figure in the boom of Portugues ...
,
Jorge Palma Jorge Manuel de Abreu Palma (born 4 June 1950) is a Portuguese singer and songwriter. A well-known and acclaimed songwriter in Portugal, Palma has achieved success with songs such as "Deixa-me Rir", "Frágil" and "Encosta-te a Mim". Early lif ...
, and
Pedro Abrunhosa Pedro Machado Abrunhosa (born 20 December 1960) is a Portuguese singer, songwriter, musician and composer. Trained in jazz music, Abrunhosa started his career in the 1980s playing in jazz bands and teaching in music and art schools in Porto. He ...
.
Clã Clã is a Portuguese pop rock band of a mixed nature in terms of style, ranging from moments of pure balladry, through jazzy details, to enthusiastic pop songs. Biography The band was formed in November 1992 in the city of Porto, consisting of ...
(pop rock), Grupo Novo Rock (pop rock and rock),
Fingertips "Fingertips" is a 1963 hit single recorded live by "Little" Stevie Wonder for Motown's then Tamla label. Overview Written and composed by Wonder's mentors, Clarence Paul and Henry Cosby, "Fingertips" was originally a jazz instrumental recorde ...
, (pop rock),
Blasted Mechanism Blasted Mechanism or simply, Blasted is a Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portugue ...
(electro-rock and dub/reggae fusion),
Suspiria Franklyn Suspiria Franklyn (born 14 January 1979) is a Portuguese singer. She works in different areas, such as music, plastic arts, photography, journalism, poetry writing, production & management, cinema and photographic modelling. Franklyn was born ...
(punk-rock/new wave),
Linda Martini Linda Martini are a Portuguese rock band based in Lisbon Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Li ...
(post/noise rock), peixe : aviao (post-rock),
Ornatos Violeta Ornatos Violeta are a Portuguese rock band from Porto. The band, often referred to simply as Ornatos, consists of vocalist Manel Cruz, bassist Nuno Prata, guitarist Peixe and drummer Kinörm, with Elísio Donas at the keyboard. Their main period ...
(indie rock), A Book in the Shelf (grunge rock),
Dream Circus A dream is a succession of images, ideas, emotions, and sensation (psychology), sensations that usually occur involuntarily in the mind during certain stages of sleep. Humans spend about two hours dreaming per night, and each dream lasts around ...
(grunge rock), Decreto 77, (punk rock), or
Mazgani Mazgani is an Iranian-Portuguese singer-songwriter. He was born in Iran in 1974. In 1979, when the revolution took place in Iran, he and his family emigrated to Portugal. In 2005, Mazgani was considered by the France, French magazine ''Les Inroc ...
(alternative), are other important acts. The indie and alternative rock movements are also popular in Portugal. Some indie and alternative bands and artists from Portugal are Os Pontos Negros, Memória de Peixe,
Linda Martini Linda Martini are a Portuguese rock band based in Lisbon Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Li ...
,
The Glockenwise ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
, Capitão Fausto,
Frankie Chavez Frankie may refer to: People *Frankie (musician), indie pop musician from Los Angeles, California *Frankie Abernathy (1981–2007), American MTV Real World cast member *Frankie Adams (born 1994), Samoan New Zealand actress *Frankie Avalon (born 1 ...
, Stereoboy, Quelle Dead Gazelle,
B Fachada B, or b, is the second letter of the Latin-script alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is '' bee'' (pronounced ), plural ''bees''. It r ...
, Noiserv, Golden Slumbers (band) as well as the Luso-Brazilian group
Banda do Mar Banda do Mar is a Portuguese Brazilian band announced in May 2014 by Marcelo Camelo (vocals/guitar), his wife Mallu Magalhães (vocals/guitar) and Fred Ferreira (drums). The name of the band is Portuguese language, Portuguese for "Band of the Sea ...
.


Romantic

The highest exponents of this kind of music in
Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...
are
Tony Carreira António Manuel Mateus Antunes (born 30 December, 1963), known professionally as Tony Carreira, is a Portuguese singer and musician. Born in the small rural locality of Armadouro, Pampilhosa da Serra, he moved to Paris at age 10 with his emigran ...
and
Marco Paulo Marco Paulo is a masculine Portuguese given name. Notable people with the name include: * Marco Paulo Rebelo Lopes, (born 1976) Angolan international footballer of Portuguese descent * Marco Paulo Faria Lemos, (born 1973) Portuguese footballer * Ma ...
(both, and even other performers, have a certain level of overlap with the
Pimba Pimba is a Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Po ...
genre, even partial or just in certain songs).


Singers of Portuguese-descent

There are several popular musicians of Portuguese descent. Luso-francofonic artists include
Linda de Suza Teolinda Joaquina de Sousa Lança, better known as Linda de Suza, (22 February 1948 – 28 December 2022) was a Portuguese Lusophone and Francophone singer, actress and best-selling author. She was described by Portuguese President Marcelo Rebe ...
(Portuguese born and later an immigrant in France) and
Marie Myriam Marie Myriam (born Myriam Lopes, 8 May 1957, Luluabourg, Belgian Congo, (now Democratic Republic of the Congo) is a French singer of Portuguese descent. Career Representing France, she won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1977 with '' L'oise ...
, winner of the Eurovision Song Contest in 1977.
Nelly Furtado Nelly Kim Furtado (; ; born December 2, 1978) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. Furtado has sold over 40 million records worldwide making her one of the most successful Canadian artists. She first gained fame with her trip hop-inspired deb ...
reflected some of her Portuguese origins, especially in lesser-known songs in her first albums (songs like "Scared" sung by Furtado in English and Portuguese, "Nas Horas do Dia" and "Força"). Portugal-born
Nuno Bettencourt Nuno Duarte Gil Mendes Bettencourt (born September 20, 1966) is a Portuguese-American guitarist, singer-songwriter, record producer, and businessman. He became known as the lead guitarist of the Boston rock band Extreme. He has also recorded ...
's heritage is also reflected in the title of Extreme's 2008 album ''
Saudades de Rock ''Saudades de Rock'' (which roughly translates from Portuguese as " Nostalgic Yearnings of Rock") is the fifth album by the American rock band Extreme. Released on August 12, 2008, it is their most recent album as of 2022. It was the band's firs ...
''.
Steve Perry Stephen Ray Perry (born January 22, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He was the lead singer of the rock band Journey during their most commercially successful periods from 1977 to 1987, and again from 1995 to 1998. He also wrote/co ...
, former lead singer of rock group
Journey Journey or journeying may refer to: * Travel, the movement of people between distant geographical locations ** Day's journey, a measurement of distance ** Road trip, a long-distance journey on the road Animals * Journey (horse), a thoroughbred ra ...
is American of Portuguese ancestry, as is
Aerosmith Aerosmith is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Boston in 1970. The group consists of Steven Tyler (lead vocals), Joe Perry (musician), Joe Perry (guitar), Tom Hamilton (musician), Tom Hamilton (bass), Joey Kramer (drums) and Brad Whi ...
's Joe Perry (both their original paternal family names being Pereira). The lead singer from
Jamiroquai Jamiroquai () are an English funk and acid jazz band from London. Formed in 1992, they are fronted by vocalist Jay Kay, and were prominent in the London-based funk and acid jazz movement of the 1990s. They built on their acid jazz sound in the ...
,
Jay Kay Jay Kay (born Jason Luís Cheetham; 30 December 1969) is an English singer and songwriter. He is best known as the co-founder and lead vocalist of the acid jazz and funk band Jamiroquai, which was formed in 1992. Early life Jay Kay was bo ...
has Portuguese descent through his father.
Ana da Silva Ana da Silva is a musician, best known as a founding member of post-punk rock band the Raincoats. Career Born in Madeira island of Portugal, she grew up without television and little access to popular culture. She had exposure to music throu ...
, a founding member of the cult
post-punk Post-punk (originally called new musick) is a broad genre of punk music that emerged in the late 1970s as musicians departed from punk's traditional elements and raw simplicity, instead adopting a variety of avant-garde sensibilities and non-roc ...
band
The Raincoats The Raincoats are a British experimental post-punk band. Ana da Silva (vocals, guitar) and Gina Birch (vocals, bass) formed the group in 1977 while they were students at Hornsey College of Art in London. Signed to the label Rough Trade, the ...
is also of Portuguese origin. Also
Mia Rose Mia Rose (born Maria Antónia Teixeira Rosa; 26 January 1988) is an English-born singer-songwriter of Portuguese descent, notable for her popularity on the video sharing website YouTube. Career Mia Rose was born in Wimbledon, London. Rose open ...
, which has collaborations with Portuguese artists and even songs in the Portuguese language, was a juror at
The Voice Portugal ''The Voice Portugal'' (''A Voz de Portugal'' in the first season) is a Portuguese reality singing competition and local version of ''The Voice'', originally broadcast as ''The Voice of Holland''. It premiered on 29 October 2011, on RTP1, with t ...
. Others include
Katy Perry Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson (born October 25, 1984), known professionally as Katy Perry, is an American singer, songwriter, and television personality. Known for her influence on modern pop music and her Camp (style), campy style, she has been ...
,
Shawn Mendes Shawn Peter Raul Mendes (; born August 8, 1998) is a Canadian pop singer. He gained a following in 2013, when he posted song covers on the video sharing platform Vine. The following year, he caught the attention of artist manager Andrew Gert ...
,
Mishlawi Tarik Ali Mishlawi, known by his stage name Mishlawi, is an American people, American hip-hop performing artist, who grew up in Portugal. Dubbed as ''"Portuguese hip hop, Portuguese Hip Hop's revelation"'' by La Vanguardia, and commonly referre ...
and DEV and
Carlos Melo Carlos Bolívar Melo (born September 22, 1982) is a Panamanian former professional boxer who competed from 2001 to 2017 and challenged for the World Boxing Council, WBC light flyweight title in 2008. External links

* 1982 births Living ...
.


See also

* :Portuguese musical instruments


References

*Cronshaw, Andrew, and Paul Vernon. "Traditional Riches, Fate and Revolution". 2000. In Broughton, Simon and Ellingham, Mark with McConnachie, James and Duane, Orla (Ed.), ''World Music, Vol. 1: Africa, Europe, and the Middle East'', pp 225–236. Rough Guides Ltd, Penguin Books.


External links

*
Audio clips: Traditional music of Portugal.
Musée d'ethnographie de Genève The ' ("Geneva Ethnography Museum") is one of the most important ethnographic museums in Switzerland. History The MEG, or Geneva Museum of Ethnography, was founded on 25 September 1901, on the initiative of Professor Eugène Pittard (1867-1962), ...
. Accessed November 25, 2010.
Portuguese Music Information Centre

Fado Music in Alfama Neighborhood of Lisbon

Folk and Trad music and dance
News, interviews, reviews, photos and music

By Gina Modesto in Accessible Portugal Online Magazine
Portuguese Composers Database
{{DEFAULTSORT:Music Of Portugal