“This album emerges from an immense desire to sing for people and, above all, to return home, to the cradle where I was raised, which is traditional fado,” the fado singer expressed.
The artist stated that this album reflects her need to reconnect with her essence as a fado singer, something she has never ceased to be. “One never stops being a fado singer,” she emphasized.
Raquel Tavares, 40, began singing fado at a young age, influenced by figures like Fernando Maurício (1933-2003) and Filipe Duarte. With a career spanning approximately 30 years, her first album “Porque Canto Fado” was released in 1999.
“I needed some time, a space in life, to remember that I have always been a fado singer, an artist, and a stage personality. I never quarreled with fado or anything else, not even with the [music] industry. This CD does not carry that burden,” she stated.
In this album, Raquel Tavares delves into the male universe, exploring fados traditionally sung by men, which she always longed to perform but was not allowed to by her elders, who deemed it inappropriate.
She now feels empowered to record “poetry intended for men”.
The album includes fados such as “Mulher Deixada” by Ricardo Galeno, “Por Morrer uma Andorinha” by Frederico de Brito, Américo Santos, and Francisco Viana, and “Trigueirinha” by António Vilar da Costa and Jorge Fernando.
“I grew up with very strict adherence to the peculiarities and rules of traditional fado, so many fados were off-limits to me. I had to wait to sing them because the older generation wouldn’t allow it,” she explained.
“It’s not necessarily about the genre, which is predominantly masculine, I know that. It’s about the poetry written by men to women, which I couldn’t sing. Songs like ‘Amor é água que corre’ or ‘Cravo de S. João’ were told to me, ‘no, dear, you can’t sing this, it’s a man’s fado,'” she recounted.
“This left me very frustrated because I just wanted to sing the poetry—the beautiful imagery crafted by poets writing for women, who are such a beautiful subject to sing about.”
Raquel Tavares believes she has now “earned the validation of that older generation,” to whom she has “always been so devoted.”
“A generation I hold in great reverence, most of whom have passed, and at this point, I almost belong to the old guard myself,” she stated.
The fado singer recorded “without any retouching, without editing or corrections” ten fados, including “A Viela” by Guilherme Pereira da Rosa and Alfredo Marceneiro.
“I felt liberated to sing what I pleased, so I sang the men’s fados,” she concluded.
All the fados recorded are from the repertoires of renowned performers such as Alfredo Marceneiro (1891–1982), Tristão da Silva (1927–1978), and Carlos do Carmo (1939–2021).
“I didn’t create an ode to the performers; I created an ode to the masculine poetry. Of course, all the fados are very present references in my life,” the singer clarified.
“I allowed myself to create versions that resemble me more, but with a strong reference from each artist, that’s a fact,” she affirmed.
In the album, she is accompanied by various trios of musicians, reflecting her career, whether in the studio or in live performances, ranging from her earliest accompanists to those performing with her today.
This decision is justified by a desire for “musical diversity that also exists within ‘fadistices,'” noting that the accompanying musicians “also shape the fado singer and their interpretation.”
For Raquel Tavares, “the way of singing is always different,” depending on the musicians, “but of course, there is an interpretative matrix, and the elasticity comes with the musicians who accompany.”
The fado artist will present the new album on December 5 at the Coliseu dos Recreios in Lisbon, which she described as the venue of her life despite having performed in many other grand venues.
“I am going to perform in the Coliseum of my dreams, in the center, in the arena, a 360-degree concert with the audience very close, making them feel included in that night, which is nothing more than a night of fado. It’s not a show with many gimmicks, but rather unpretentious. I will try to recreate the universe I grew up in and for which I have a great longing,” she remarked.
In this performance, Raquel Tavares will be accompanied by the trio of Pedro Viana, Bernardo Viana, and Francisco Gaspar and will also invite guests Custódio Castelo, Jorge Fernando, and the duo Ângelo Freire and Diogo Clemente to join her.
