- Mariza
- (Marisa dos Reis Nunes)(1973- )Internationally celebrated, popular singer of the "new fado." Born in Mozambique on 16 December 1973, at the time a colony of Portugal, Marisa dos Reis Nunes is the daughter of a Portuguese father and a mother born in Mozambique. Her maternal grandmother is African. "Mariza," the stage name selected after she became a noted performer, moved to Portugal at age three and lived in some of Lisbon's older quarters, including Alfama and Mouraria, where there is a tradition of fado singing. After she learned to sing, her favorite early styles were gospel, soul, and jazz, before she became an established singer of fado. Her first album, Fado em Mim (2001) was very popular in Portugal, and soon she became an international singing celebrity whose distinctive voice and attractive if exotic looks helped win over audiences.Mariza's early singing style was reminiscent of the singing of Portugal's great fado singer of an earlier generation, Amália Rodrigues. Especially noteworthy is her hairstyle, which resembles the "marcelling" style of women in the 1920s and 1930s. By 2008, she had been recognized as a two-time Latin Grammy nominee for her distinctive new style and voice. A fervent globetrotter in her concert touring, she has been feted in many countries in all the continents of the world, and she has performed in Carnegie Hall, New York, Hollywood Bowl, London's Royal Albert Hall, Sydney Opera House, Toronto's Massey Hall, and many other important venues. Her album Concerto em Lisboa received a Latin Grammy nomination for Best Folk Album in 2007, and her most recent performances reflect influences on her fado of jazz, Flamenco, and Latin and African sounds.
Historical dictionary of Portugal 3rd ed.. by Douglas L. Wheeler . 2014.