Helena Maria de Jesus Águas (born 16 June 1956), known professionally as Lena d'Água, is a Portuguese

singer Singing is the art of creating music with the voice. It is the oldest form of musical expression, and the human voice can be considered the first musical instrument. The definition of singing varies across sources. Some sources define singi ...

Biography

Lena d'Água was born in

Lisbon Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...

. In 1973 she enrolled briefly in

Sociology Sociology is the scientific study of human society that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. The term sociol ...

but, as the 25 April 1974,

Carnation Revolution The Carnation Revolution (), code-named Operation Historic Turn (), also known as the 25 April (), was a military coup by military officers that overthrew the Estado Novo government on 25 April 1974 in Portugal. The coup produced major socia ...

came to fruition, she left university and joined a

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a Stage (theatre), stage. The performe ...

group, later majoring in

Education Education is the transmission of knowledge and skills and the development of character traits. Formal education occurs within a structured institutional framework, such as public schools, following a curriculum. Non-formal education als ...

. In 1975, Lena d'Água married Ramiro Martins, the

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Wood * Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...

player of The Beatnicks. The couple had a daughter and, in May of the following year, she joined the band as

lead singer The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of the ...

, divorcing and leaving the project in 1978. Being the first woman in the country to lead a

pop rock Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre and form of rock music characterized by a strong commercial appeal, with more emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than standard rock musi ...

band, she became a

sex symbol A sex symbol or icon is a person or character widely considered sexually attractive and often synonymous with sexuality. Pam Cook, "The trouble with sex: Diana Dors and the Blonde bombshell phenomenon", In: Bruce Babinigton (ed.), ''British St ...

and a pop star; after singing with the Beatnicks and Salada de Frutas she pursued a solo career with her band Atlântida, whose first three solo albums were produced by England's Robin Geoffrey Cable. She sang

Billie Holiday Billie Holiday (born Eleanora Fagan; April 7, 1915 – July 17, 1959) was an American jazz and swing music singer. Nicknamed "Lady Day" by her friend and music partner, Lester Young, Holiday made significant contributions to jazz music and pop ...

and

Elis Regina Elis Regina Carvalho Costa (March 17, 1945 – January 19, 1982), known professionally as Elis Regina (), was a Brazilian singer of Bossa nova, Música popular brasileira, MPB and jazz music. She is also the mother of the singers Maria Rita and ...

with Portuguese

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

musicians, with whom she would later record a live album singing Portuguese classics from the 70's and 80's at the Hot Clube in 2005. Her album ''Carrossel'' was recorded in 2013, with a rock and roll power trio called Rock and Roll Station, with whom she recovered her pop-rock hits from the 80s. Her latest album ''Desalmadamente'' was released in 2019 and brought her back to original songs, all composed by Pedro da Silva Martins. In November 2024, Lena d’Água released her new album, ''Tropical Glaciar'', featuring songs written by Pedro da Silva Martins, a celebrated songwriter known for his work with artists such as Ana Moura and António Zambujo, who used to be in the band

Deolinda Deolinda () were an acoustic Portugal, 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 ...

. The album explores ecological and environmental themes, reflecting Lena's rural lifestyle in

Bombarral Bombarral () is a portuguese municipality in the Oeste region, historical province of Estremadura, and the Leiria district. The population in 2011 was 13,193, in an area of . It includes four civil parishes () that provide local services. Histo ...

and her concern for issues like the ecological impact of agriculture and

deforestation Deforestation or forest clearance is the removal and destruction of a forest or stand of trees from land that is then converted to non-forest use. Deforestation can involve conversion of forest land to farms, ranches, or urban use. Ab ...

. Lena described the collaboration with Pedro as transformative, stating that his compositions seamlessly blend with her iconic hits from the 1980s, creating a cohesive sound for her live performances. The track "O Que Fomos e o Que Somos" was particularly emotional for Lena, who had to pause recording several times due to its intensity.

Personal life

Lena d'Água is the daughter of footballer

José Águas José Pinto de Carvalho Santos Águas (; 9 November 1930 – 10 December 2000) was a Portuguese footballer who played as a striker. He enjoyed a lengthy professional spell with Benfica, never scoring less than 18 goals in 12 of his 13 first d ...

, who played for Benfica and the Portuguese national team in the 1950s and 1960s. In 2011, d'Água wrote a book about her father, titled ''José Águas, o meu pai herói'' (lit. "José Águas, my hero father"). Her younger brother Rui also became a footballer and played for Benfica and Portugal in the 1980s and 1990s. Lena d'Água was a

heroin Heroin, also known as diacetylmorphine and diamorphine among other names, is a morphinan opioid substance synthesized from the Opium, dried latex of the Papaver somniferum, opium poppy; it is mainly used as a recreational drug for its eupho ...

addict for about nine years. She became clean in 1998.

Discography

*1978 – ''Ascenção e Queda (Petrus Castrus)'' *1979 – ''Qual é Coisa, Qual é ela?'' *1979 - "O Nosso Livro/Cantiga da Babá" (single) *1980 – ''Sem Açúcar (Salada de Frutas)'' *1981 – "Robot/Armagedom" (Salada de Frutas single) *1980 – "Vígaro cá, vígaro lá/Labirinto" (single) *1982 – ''Perto de ti'' *1983 – "Papalagui/Jardim Zoológico" (single) *1984 – ''Lusitânia'' *1986 – ''Terra Prometida'' *1987 – ''Aguaceiro'' *1989 – ''Tu Aqui'' *1992 – ''Ou Isto ou Aquilo'' *1993 – ''As Canções do Século'' *1996 – ''Demagogia'' (greatest hits) *1996 – ''O Melhor de Lena d'Água – Sempre Que o Amor Me Quiser'' (greatest hits) *2007 – ''Sempre – Live at Hot Clube de Portugal'' *2011 – ''Lena d'Agua & Banda Atlântida'' (Bandas Míticas compilation, 14) *2014 – ''Carrossel'' *2019 – ''Desalmadamente'' *2024 – ''Tropical Glaciar''

References

External links

Official blog
{{DEFAULTSORT:Agua, Lena d' 1956 births Living people Singers from Lisbon 20th-century Portuguese women singers 21st-century Portuguese women singers